I looked up the definition of the word cousin: An extended family member. Rahsaan “New York” Thomas gave me the nickname “Cousin Cori” long ago. I have been volunteering in the Media Center at San Quentin since 2016, back when it was still called a prison.

When the men working around us found out that I was a writer, but also because I have always been curious about what they were working on, they began to share their work with me, and I began to share my work with them, and we truly became cousins in the best sense of the word. And we helped each other out. I gave them lectures about how a story must have an arc and a protagonist and point of view and in turn, Brian Asey shared his homework to help me with a Beat Sheet I had to deliver to HBO. David Jassy made me write a rap all by myself, even though I had no clue how. He said “You’re a writer, you can do it.” And I was up all night working on that thing, and when I showed it to him, he said, “See?” Earlonne Woods gave me prison slang vocabulary lessons and so on.

After the prison shut down due to the pandemic in March 2020, I didn’t come back until the fall of 2021. One of the first people I ran into was Rahsaan. He said “Cousin Cori! I didn’t think I’d ever see you here again. Lonnie’s free.” I had been primarily working with a man named Lonnie Morris. I said, “But you’re here aren’t you? And everyone else is here. How else am I going to see your work? How else are we going to make my dream of this film festival come true?”

And here we are. And here now, finally, is an opportunity for these talented men to be seen for the serious artists that they are, by people who they dream of working with and for. I want you to know that what they may lack in resources, they make up for in originality, enthusiasm, seriousness, raw talent and skills. I am so so proud to be here celebrating my cousins.