The Mirror in My Cell

The Mirror in My Cell

By Thomas ZarandSociety & Culture
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The Mirror in My Cell episodes

  • Queer Outcast, to Murderer, to Sweetheart - Ryan Learns Love
    From the time he understood his sexuality, he knew he was an outsider.
    Ryan told me he could barely feel anything, let alone regret. Sitting in his cell, incapable of even absorbing that he was going to be tried for murder. Society didn't care about him - why should he care?
    Now I spoke to a Ryan who is charming, funny, wise and full of love. We talked about his journey through prison, how society treated him, how the state treated him, and the small tinkling of light that started pulling him in the other direction.
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    Reach me at:
    ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand
    1 hr 10 min
  • My Mum

    She got a phone call at around midnight. I had been arrested in Belarus. What for? Drugs trafficking, caught with a gram of marijuana on the border.


    Over the course of months she was masterminding how to rescue me, channeling the love and willpower of our family, friends, and connections to find a way - any way - to unstuck me from spending the next 3-7 years of my life in Belarus.


    That was the story. But what did it mean for her?



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    Reach me at:

    ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand

    1 hr
  • Fighting Food Insecurity, to Life in Prison - CEO Qasim Javaid's Life Slows Down
    Qasim is the CEO of Rizq, an organisation fighting food insecurity and redistribution across South Asia, partnering with huge multinationals in the process.
    Qasim was mistakenly arrested after wide scale unrest in Pakistan. His charge sheet promised life imprisonment.
    Over five and a half months, he navigated the journey of prison life, reflecting on knowing oneself, where freedom lies, and the richness of connection.
    Qasim’s work: https://rizq.org/
    Reach me at:
    ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠
    1 hr 1 min
  • Poet, Feminist, Prisoner - Hanna Komar Fights a Dictator
    Hanna Komar is a Belarusian poet, translator and writer.
    She is brave, tender and honest.
    In 2020 she participated in demonstrations against the rigged Belarusian election and was arrested.
    After her release she left the country and has released a series of publications as testament to that time and her broader experience of growing up under patriarchal authoritarianism, winning a Freedom of Speech Prize Laureate from the Norwegian Authors’ Union in the process.
    The translation of her book, 'When I'm Out of Here', is forthcoming. Reach her here:
    Website: https://www.hannakomar.com/en
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvetachka_paetachka/
    Reach me at:
    https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand
    47 min
  • The Mirror in My Cell - Origin Story

    I was arrested in late 2023, crossing the Belarusian border with 1.3 grams of marijuana in my raincoat.

    Part II of Article 328 prescribed I would spend the next 3 - 7 years in prison.

    From living a free and normal life in the West, to being crushed into a Belarusian cell, I was brought to a new mental plane.

    In this episode I try to outline what the time looked like for me, and how I ended up meeting a truth and a way of looking at myself that I hope I can always remember.

    Reach me at:

    ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

    22 min
  • The Mirror In My Cell - Introduction

    This is the Mirror in My Cell - a conversation series borne from those who have confronted incarceration. When facing darkness head on, they saw a portal into identity, society and spirit.

    Join Thomas for stories of strength, transformation and wisdom that may inspire you to reflect on your own life and choices.

    Reach me at:

    ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

    3 min

About The Mirror in My Cell

From the publisher's feed

In each prison cell, a story.