I am Ian Manuel, an author, activist, and poet who was imprisoned at age 14 and survived 18 years in solitary confinement. I tell my story in my new memoir, MY TIME WILL COME, and was on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah last night talking about the...

What was the crime?

Attempted Murder/Robbery

What is it like being in solitary? I think about it being awful and not being able to function as a human in that environment but I also know that there are people in there right now. What goes through your mind the whole time to keep you busy? Do you lose your feeling of being “entertained”?

Solitary is torture of the mind body and soul

How do you feel about the victim of your crime? Were you astonished at her actions the first time you heard she was helping to get you free?

Yes, I was moved by her compassion. And glad that I took the initial step at redemption by reaching out to her and asking for forgiveness.

What did you do to pass time in solitary?

I wrote a lot of poetry!! You can find many of my poems in my new Memoir My Time Will Come

Perhaps you didn't deserve life in prison nor 18 years in solitary confinement, but it sounds like you're trying to minimize what you did by saying "non homicide crime". You almost killed somebody for a dumb ass reason and you aren't the bigger victim here. But that's just my opinion. What do you think?

Actually not trying to minimize anything. The fact that the US Supreme Court overturned all life sentences for children who committed Nonhomicide crimes is where I get the term from. It stems from Graham V. Florida!

Did any songs ever get stuck in your head?

What do you think of today's music vs when you first went into solitary?

Great Question! Best Question so far! Lose Yourself is one of my favorite songs. I rewrote that entire song from a prisoners perspective. Most music (not all) just isn't too good. Back then people made music you could feel!! Nowadays they just make music that makes no sense to me. Particularly the mumble Rappers

Genuine question here, do you feel any sympathy for the person you shot in the face? Any regret for what you did to them?

Yes, of course. She's one of my best friends. I called her collect when I was 14 to apologize to her. You can see us hanging out together by Googling Ian Manuel Starbucks.

What specifically had you in solitary for so long? I ask this because while the crimes you were imprisoned for were violent crimes - that amount of time in solitary lends to there being a history of repeated violence throughout your sentence. Was that the case?

Initially I was placed in solitary because of my age. Then I was placed back there for typical teenage behavior. Walking in the grass. Being places I wasn't supposed to be. I was kept there because one write up for anything. Talking for example. Leads to additional 6 months in solitary. I talk about this in My Time Will Come!

I consider solitary confinement inhumane, no matter the crime. It's difficult for someone who has never experienced it to comprehend what it must be like.

What does it do to a person psychologically and did you develop any coping mechanisms to deal with it?

I used poetry, exercise, dreams of a brighter future to cope!

My coping mechanism was poetry. I talk about how I survived in my new book My Time Will Come.

As abysmal as that must have been, were there any positive moments that stood out to you that made it better in any way?

When I wrote Senator Bill Nelson about my treatment in solitary confinement and he got involved and helped get me released from solitary confinement was a positive. Because it showed the power of the pen and compassion of a person in power could change things

I’m not sure what perspective or uniqueness you’re attempting to portray, and you can’t convey that with “buy my book and find out”. You don’t have the social credit of someone wrongly imprisoned, and you don’t specify what it means to be an “activist”. Activist for who? Victims of crime? Perpetrator of crime? Or just some banal sloganeering about race or whatever? You’ve got to sell this a bit more before I’d even consider clicking on your book link.

I'm an activist for the voiceless. Those left to die in prison. The kids still languishing in solitary confinement. An activist for restorative justice. Because I saw first hand how reaching out to my victim to atone for my crime changed both of our lives

How have you been ha doing social interactions? Have the thoughts in your head gotten even louder considering the confinement? How did you handle your mental health in confinement ?

The thoughts in my head haven't gotten louder. Being so young in solitary confinement actually worked to my benefit. As I used my imagination to survive.

What country were you imprisoned?

The USA Florida to be specific

What does 'forgiveness' mean to you?

Debbie Baigrie!

How are you handling life right now? How much of an impact those 18 years had to you?

The rentry process is difficult. Just mostly because you're expected to catch up immediately. And there's a lot of road blocks to simple things like housing & jobs

Did it ever cross your mind to end your life? If yes, did you attempt to do it?

No I knew I was going to get out of prison one day despite the Odds against me. And believe I willed that into existence!

When did you decide to begin writing your memoir? What made you want to put your story into words, and did your motivations or situations change in the process of completing the book?

While I was still in solitary. And yes the process changed a lot.

I don't approve of the prison system that seeks to punish prisoners rather than rehabilitate them, how do you feel the US prison system rehabilitated you, and what changes do you think would be ideal to help people convicted of violent crimes be rehabilitated into society?

Prison didn't rehabilitate me. I rehabilitated myself. Yes, it would be ideal to do so. But it's a mindset that the people in charge don't have.

What are some resources for people that want to help with prison reform?

The Equal Justice Initiative

Was it difficult to relive the experiences you describe in the book while you were writing them? Or was there something cathartic about getting it down on paper?

Both cathartic and painful to relive! But it's something I wanted to do...

Yes! Very difficult to relive!

were you allowed to read? if so, what book impacted you the most?

Yes! Many books influenced me. Mostly Spiritual ones. The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. To name a couple.

First of all, just wanted to say it's so good to see how you've taken such a tough situation, along with your own mistakes, and strove for positivity while accepting responsibility. No doubt it has given you insight into how situationally dependent we all are and how our experiences shape who we are, both in our triumphs and mistakes. I hope it helps you understand and forgive people in your own life in the past and future.

There's a whole new world for you to explore. Are you feeling pressure outside of prison? What are some new hobbies and interests you've gained since leaving prison?

Yes, I feel pressure! But it's the pressure to be successful! To succeed at the highest level. To prove to myself that the dreams I had in solitary confinement really can come true!

How did the excessive punishment affect you emotionally?

How would you advise a system deal with offenders in a more healing and positive way if you were a world leader pretend?

It caused me to push my pain down! To bottle my emotions up and not feel the pain because I felt it would drive me insane. If I was a world leader I'd put a cap on the amount of time a person could stay in solitary. I'd also limit it's use for serious offenses only. And I'd ensure people got the mental and medical treatment they needed while confined