Writer John Purugganan...
has been incarcerated since 1989 for felony murder. Knowing he can never give back what he has taken or make up for all of the pain, suffering, and sorrow he has caused, John lives a life of living amends by serving his prison community as a volunteer program facilitator and tutor, and by reaching out to society with his writing. He writes essays, screenplays, and stageplays, and has recently finished his first book for parents of at-risk youth promoting parenting education.
Available for purchase now on Amazon
"... two Hollywood High School girls kidnap a baby..."
COMING SOON
From the theater who launched HAMILTON
The Public Theater
presents
Let's Keep Dancing / A Death Row Story
written by John Purugganan
Artistic Director: Oskar Eustis
Starring: To Be Announced
of the screenplay
In a Former Life of Billie Eilish
In the year of our Lord 1887, a spirit guide leads a Yurok boy to a pioneer girl who is being tormented by her guardian.
More About John
John, 100 years ago today
John was an associate editor of and contributor to Too Cruel, Not Unusual Enough, a collection of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry from prisoners serving life without parole, an anthology published by The Other Death Penalty Project. His essay “You’re In Prison” was published by The Sun in October 2006 (Issue 370) and was subsequently listed in the “Notable Essays of 2006” section of the Best American Essays 2007, edited by David Foster Wallace and Robert Atwan. His essay “My Cellies,” published by qarrtsiluni in 2011, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His essays have been anthologized in a number of textbooks, including Honor Comes Hard: Writings from California Prison System’s Honor Yard, edited by Luis J. Rodriguez and Lucinda Thomas, as well as in Psychology and Personal Growth, by Nelson Goud and Abe Arkoff (circulated in 30 different countries). His essay “Death Without the Possibility of Parole” received an honorable mention by the PEN America Prison Writing Awards 2012-2013, and both his poetry and non-fiction writing were listed as finalists for the INK: Prison Writing Contest, hosted by Vidahlia Press and Publishing House in 2014. His one-act play "Blusin" appeared in Shift, a MTSU Write publication of Middle Tennessee State University's English Department.
John's play, "Let's Keep Dancing, A Death Row Story," received a developmental reading by The Public Theater in New York City in June, 2018 and was a prizewinner in the first annual Arts in Corrections Playwriting Contest (sponsored by UCLA Extension). A radioplay adaptation is currently in production with The Public Theater, slated for release in 2024/25. John’s essay “Life Without Parole: The Shocking Reality” was the winning essay of its category at The Roundtable on the Future of Justice Policy hosted by The Square One Project, co-hosted by Merritt College and the Justice Lab at Columbia University. His essay, “To Imagine Angels,” was published in WordsUncaged Prison Journal, and featured on Sentences Podcast, sponsored by the California State University, Los Angeles.