Dreaming Beyond the Bars
A Narrative Podcast Rooted in Lived Experience
Centering the voices of those directly impacted by mass incarceration.
About Us
We come together with a diverse set of lived experiences. As a team of system-impacted individuals, Dreaming Beyond the Bars is a narrative platform that uplifts voices impacted by incarceration through soundscapes, podcasts, and roundtable conversations. We challenge dominant narratives and center lived experience—because the labels imposed by the system are not the full story. We’re here to change that.
What You'll Experience
Each episode begins with an immersive soundscape rooted in lived experience, followed by a roundtable conversation unpacking the story, its context, and its broader implications. Together, we move beyond listening and into reflection.
Episodes
The People Behind the Work
Andrea Kim is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Andrea Kim examines the intersections of race, carcerality, and public schooling using ethnographic and historical methods. She teaches at Queens College and works with youth through Cyphers for Justice and REACH Harlem, cultivating literacy through creative expression.
Blair “Fame” Garner is an entrepreneur, author, and founder of First Stop Reentry, a nonprofit supporting formerly incarcerated individuals. He is a vocal advocate for ending mass incarceration and expanding equitable education opportunities.
Farhan Ahmed works to advance health equity for justice-impacted communities through evidence-based policy. He also writes on the climate crisis, focusing on practical solutions for a more sustainable future.
Jeffrey Vazquez is an undergraduate sociology student at Columbia University’s School of General Studies, focusing on mass incarceration, education inequality, and justice reform. His work engages education policy reform, particularly for system-impacted youth and communities. Grounded in disability justice, he designs and advocates for care-based, community-rooted alternatives to punitive systems.