Listen: Damion Coppedge, poetry, chess, and Buddhism in prison

Damion Coppedge

 

 

Damion Coppedge is a poet, a chess teacher, a Buddhist. He honed these aspects of his life during the 22 years he spent in prison. He is now making his way in the world, living in a half-way house in the Bronx since his release on July 31. He appeared in The Enterprise six years ago in a chess column written by the late Clarksville lawyer and activist, Peter Henner. They played chess by mail. Coppedge also corresponded with a young chess prodigy in Uganda, Phiona Mutesi, who lived in the slums of Katwe. Disney made a film, “Queen of Katwe,” about her meteoric rise in the chess world, based on a book by Tim Crothers, which includes a letter from Coppedge to Phiona. This week’s podcast starts with Coppedge reading one of his poems and ends with his advice: “If you have a desire to do something … and you can’t find a way to get people to see your vision, just do it.”

 

 

Tags:

More Regional News

  • Early voting started on Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 4. Polls are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. Local early polling places include the Guilderland Public Library, the East Berne firehouse, and the Bethlehem Lutheran Church are early polling places.
  • In this Guide: Guilderland

  • Albany County is using $3.2 million of American Rescue Plan funding to provide access to 1,000 underserved addresses in Bethlehem, Berne, Coeymans, New Scotland, Rensselaerville, and Westerlo. 

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.