“Life is a series of punches. It presents a lot of challenges. It presents a lot of hardship, but the people that are able to take those punches and able to move forward are the ones that really do have a lot of success and have a lot of joy in their life and have a lot of stories to tell, too.” – Josh Turner. Take a moment and let that quote sink in and see if it pertains to you and your life; while I tell you about an author, Jimmy Santiago Baca, and his short story “Coming into language.” You’ll be amazed reading this story and would never imagine that these vivid words he portrays are coming from a guy that was illiterate at one point and never finished ninth grade. “Before I was eighteen I was arrested on suspicion of murder after refusing to explain a deep cut on my forearm.” With these words, Baca tells about one of the first series of punches from this short story, which begins a long road of unexpected yet inspiring challenges that Baca overcomes. While he is locked in jail, he over hears other inmates reading aloud from famous authors and poets and just like that something clicks, heavens gates opened, glorious words drifted his mind away from the dingy holding facility where he laid, and Baca declares “I felt that invisible threat from without lessen-my sense of teetering on a rotting plank over swamp water where famished alligators clapped their horny snouts for my blood. While I listened to the words of the poets, the alligators slumbered powerless in their lairs.” This sparked some inspiration in him to learn and to find out more. It’s interesting because he can’t read nor has he been in school for years, yet something connects and he instantly felt some shelter from listening to these poems. Out of an unexpected journey to jail, it’s hard to believe that anyone could find change and drive in life. Slam! Two years later Baca found himself behind bars again. Another unfortunate charge land