NEWS + ARTICLES
“Calls Are Free, But California Prisoners Still Face Communication Obstacles” by Steve Brooks and Olivia Heffernan. The Appeal, May 22, 2023
“Healthy Living: Hope and Forgiveness on Death Row” by Robert Skender. The Powell River Peak, May 17, 2023
“The last days of death row in California: ‘Your soul is tested here’” by Sam Levin. The Guardian, May 1, 2023
“Ho Un Amico Condannato A Morte (I have a friend sentenced to death)” by Rebecca Solnit. Internazionale, April 7, 2023
“How I found a Buddhist teacher on San Quentin’s Death Row” by Will Shonbrun. Sonoma Valley Sun, January 9, 2023
“I have a friend on death row. He’s the most remarkable person I know” by Rebecca Solnit. The Guardian, December 27, 2022
“Oprah believes he’s innocent. I hope the court will agree: Free the Buddhist on Death Row” by David Sheff. USA Today, November 25, 2022
“Push to release Jarvis Masters from San Quentin's death row increases as role in 1985 prison guard murder is questioned” by Edie Lambert. KCRA 3 News, November 22, 2022
“Jarvis Jay Masters Continues His Fight for Freedom” by Joan Duncan Oliver. Tricycle, October 26, 2022
“Jarvis Masters’ wrongful conviction sheds light on the unjust foster care-to-prison pipeline” by Ashley Muranaka-Toolsie. The Occidental, October 26, 2022
“A prison guard's murder, an inmate's death sentence and a decades-long battle for freedom” by Kevin Rector. Los Angeles Times, October 24, 2022
“A Publisher’s Hope for an Author’s Second Chances” by Laina Adler. Publisher’s Weekly, October 21, 2022
“It is Time for Justice and Freedom for Jarvis Masters” by Hozan Alan Senauke. Buddhistdoor Global, October 14, 2022
“Maybe You Saw It, Maybe You Didn’t” by Ryan Kovarovics. The Bowdoin Orient, September 30, 2022
“Death Row Resident Reveals Poignant Childhood Trauma – Compassion Prison Project Interviews author Jarvis Jay Masters” by Compassion Prison Project. CaliforniaNewswire, September 15, 2022
“Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America and the Importance of Dialogue Across Divides” by Caits Meissner and Nicole Shawan Junior. Oprah Daily, September 14, 2022
"'That Bird Has My Wings' Is Oprah's Book Club Pick" by Michael Schaub. Kirkus Reviews, September 13, 2022
Oprah Winfrey Chooses ‘That Bird Has My Wings’ by death row inmate Jarvis Jay Masters for next book club read by Tori B. Powell. CBS News, September 13, 2022
“Oprah Picks California Death Row Inmate’s Autobiography for Book Club” by Kevin Rector. Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2022
“Winfrey Selects Prison Memoir ‘That Bird Has My Wings’” by Hillel Italie. Associated Press, September 13, 2022
“Don’t Stop Believing People Can Change” by Rebecca Solnit. New York Times, April 24, 2022
“Dying on Tulsa Time” by Tom Gogola. The Nation, February 14, 2022
“Free Jarvis Jay Masters!” by Tom Gogola. The Nation, January 7, 2022
”Hope on Far Horizons” by Rebecca Solnit. Lithub, December 21, 2021
“Stanford beyond bars: Student group brings incarcerated community to Stanford Law School” by Lea Nepomuceno. The Stanford Daily, August 17, 2021
“Fra «versting» til kjent buddhistisk enker” by Elisabeth Hægeland Reynolds. Medium (Norway), July 13, 2021
“Just Let People in Prison Have Cellphones” by Hannah Riley. Slate, February 15, 2021
“Presidiario Condenado a Morte Conta em Livro Como se Tornou um Mestre Budista” by Tayguara Ribeiro Da Silva. Fohla de S.Paulo (Brazil), November 27, 2020
“What We’re Listening To: Buddhist Podcasts Winter 2020” by Wendy Biddlecombe Asgar. Tricycle, Winter 2020
“Buddha Buzz Weekly: A Buddhist on Death Row Ends Hunger Strike” by Emily DeMaio Newton and Karen Jensen. Tricycle, October 17, 2020
“The Buddhist on Death Row: Book on Jarvis Jay Masters Released” by Justin Whitaker. Buddhistdoor Global, August 11, 2020
“California executions on hold, but coronavirus killing San Quentin inmates” by Jason Fagone and Megan Cassidy. San Francisco Chronicle, August 10, 2020
“David Sheff Charts Jarvis Jay Masters' Buddhist Journey In Prison In New Book” (Interview Transcript) by Scott Simon. National Public Radio Weekend Edition Saturday, August 8, 2020
“David Sheff follows the Buddhist journey of a San Quentin inmate in latest book” by Jessica Zack. San Francisco Chronicle Datebook, August 1, 2020
“The Meaning of Freedom” by Will Shonbrun. Pacific Sun, February 19, 2020
“Jarvis Jay Masters: Accuser’s Description of Masters Matched Inmate who Confessed” by John Seasly. Injustice Watch, December 3, 2019
“Innocence Lost: Jarvis Jay Masters Exhausts Final State Appeal” by Tom Gogola. Pacific Sun, August 21, 2019
“Death Penalty Upheld in 1985 Slaying of San Quentin Guard, Despite Recantation” by Bob Egelko. San Francisco Chronicle, August 14, 2019
“Death Penalty” ACLU of Northern California 2018 Annual Report, p. 26, June 2019
“Unrequited Innocence in U.S. Capital Cases: Unintended Consequences of the Fourth Kind” by Rob Warden and John Seasly. Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy, p. 405-408, Spring 2019
“Another Birthday on Death Row” by Rebecca Solnit. Lion’s Roar, August 14, 2018
“Judge Allows ACLU Suit on California’s Death Penalty Law” by Bob Egelko. San Francisco Gate, June 6, 2018
“Debriefer: Lethal Rejection” by Tom Gogola & Andrew Steingrube. Bohemian, May 30, 2018
“Why Must Jarvis Masters Die?” by Christine Holmstrom. Evening Street Review No.18, p.110-115, Spring 2018
“Day of Prayer and Action for Condemned Author Jarvis Jay Masters” by Tom Gogola. Bohemian, January 26, 2018
“On Death Row, Creating Art from Pain: An Introduction” by Maria Jain. DailyGood, Sep 28, 2017
“Whale of Debriefer: Injection Objection” by Tom Gogola. Bohemian, May 18, 2016
“Bird in a Cage” by Rebecca Solnit. Harper's Magazine, March 2016
“Jarvis Jay Masters’ Conviction is Affirmed in Appeal Ruling” Lion’s Roar, February 22, 2016
“Condemned Men Talking: A Day on San Quentin’s Death Row” by Tom Gogola. Bohemian, January 6, 2016
“Condemned Men Talking: A Day on San Quentin’s Death Row” by Tom Gogola. Pacific Sun, January 6, 2016
“10 Death Row Inmates Who Might Be Innocent” by Emily Gage. Listverse.com, October 24, 2015
“Buddhist Author on Death Row Goes on Hunger Strike” Radio episode discussing the case, Jarvis’ hunger strike, and the announcement that the California Supreme Court will finally hear oral arguments on his appeal. KPFA 94.1 FM, August 2015
“Death Row: The Man Sentenced 20 Years Ago... Who Still Doesn't Know The Day He Will Die” by Tim Walker. The Independent, April 2015
“That Bird Has My Wings: An Acrostic Pantoum about Death Row Prisoner Jarvis Jay Masters” by Carolyn Wright. TruthDig, February 4, 2015
“Buddha Buzz: A Columbia Professor and a Death Row Inmate” by Emma Varvaloucas. Tricycle, February 1, 2013
“Death-Row Inmate Case Leads to High Security at County Civic Center” by Nancy Nation. Patch: San Anselmo-Fairfax Local News, January 19, 2011
“New Probe of ‘85 Murder of Prison Guard” by Bob Egelko. SF Gate, April 11, 2008
“Finding Freedom: The Death Row Journey of Jarvis Jay Masters” by Susan Moon. Lion’s Roar, November 1, 2007
“State told to respond to prisoner's claims, Court takes unusual step before appeal in death penalty case” by Bob Egelko. SF Gate, March 10, 2007
BLOGS
“7 Fantastic Under-the-Radar Books You Need to Read Now” by Christina Ianzito. AARP Books Column, July 19, 2023
“Diversify Your Bookshelf: 10 Must-Read Books by Black Authors in 2023” Because of Them, We Can Culture Blog, June 28, 2023
“Favorite 2022 Reads” by Laura Grace Weldon. Blog, December 29, 2022
“With Federal Ruling Awaited, California Prisoner’s Autobiography Selected for Oprah’s Book Club” by Death Penalty Information Center. DPIC News Blog, October 27, 2022
“Finding Friendship: Lee Klinger Lesser & Jarvis Masters” by Tova Green. Sangha News Journal Blog, June 4, 2021
“Justice Denied for Jarvis Masters” by Alan Senauke. Clear View Blog, August 12, 2019
“Finding Freedom, Finding Truth: The Impact of Jarvis Jay Masters” by Batya Swift Yasgur. Something is Going to Happen Blog, February 27, 2019
“Finding Freedom Through Peace: The Jarvis Masters Story” by Desi Linc. Outcast’s Mag, November 4, 2018
“Injustice Delayed” by Rebecca Solnit. Harper’s Magazine Blog, March 2016
“Fountain Theatre to host special performance of new play written by incarcerated youth in Antaeus Odyssey Artists’ Program” Intimate Excellence Blog, December 7, 2016
“Jarvis Masters: A Story in Need of a New Ending” by Alan Senauke. Clear View Blog, February 2016
“Jarvis Masters : Notes on Oral Arguments at the California Supreme Court” by Alan Senauke. Clear View Blog, November 2015
“Innocent” by David Seth. The Dream Antilles Lit Blog, March 11, 2007
“Innocent on Death Row? Jarvis Jay Masters” by David Seth. Daily Kos Community, March 11, 2007
INTERVIEWS
“The Oprah’s Book Club Sit-Down with That Bird Has My Wings Author Jarvis Jay Masters” by Leigh Haber. Oprah Daily, September 29, 2022
“David Sheff Charts Jarvis Jay Masters’ Buddhist Journey in Prison in New Book” by Scott Simon. NPR Weekend Edition, August 8, 2020
“Psychiatry on Death Row: Interviews from the Inside” by Batya Swift Yasgur. Psychiatry Advisor, February 15, 2019
“An Interview with Buddhist Author & Death Row Inmate Jarvis Jay Masters” by Chris Grosso. Elephant Journal, Jan 30, 2013
“Q&A with Jarvis Jay Masters, Author of That Bird Has My Wings.” Lotus on the Bayou: Newsletter of the Myoken-ji Temple, Houston, Vol. 8, Issue #1, 2010
“Writing from Death Row: An Interview with Jarvis Jay Masters” by Richard Prystowsky. Paths of Learning, vol. 13, pp. 16-21, 2002
Book About Jarvis
The Buddhist on Death Row
By David Sheff, 2020
The Buddhist on Death Row was released on August 4, 2020 by Simon & Schuster.
David Sheff, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Boy, explores the transformation of Jarvis Jay Masters who has become one of America’s most inspiring Buddhist practitioners while locked in a cell on death row.
BOOK REVIEWS
“20 Life-Changing Book Recommendations by Oprah Winfrey” by TN Lifestyle Desk. Times Now India, March 31, 2024
“Resurrection” by Erri De Luca. Massachusetts Review, January 2, 2023
“Book Bites: David Sheff” by Chrizelda Kekana. Sunday Times, March 28, 2021
“What Does It Mean to Be Free?” by Tracy Franz. Lion’s Roar, September 28, 2020
“Bookwoman: The Buddhist on Death Row by David Sheff” by Kerry Pettis. Broomfield Enterprise, September 6, 2020
A Condemned Man Embraces Buddhism and, to his Surprise, Discovers Freedom” by Valerie Morales. BookBrowse.com, September 2020
“Finding Freedom: How Death Row Broke and Opened My Heart by Jarvis Jay Masters (Book Review)” by Indira Grace. The Tattooed Buddha Blog, August 25, 2020
“David Sheff's moving new book describes a convicted man's transformation” by Christina Ianzito. AARP, August 6, 2020
”Finding Freedom: How Death Row Broke and Opened My Heart” Publishers Weekly, May 12, 2020
“Book Review: ‘That Bird Has My Wings’ by Jarvis Jay Masters” by Barbara Oldershaw. Inquiring Mind, Spring 2010
“Review of ‘That Bird Has My Wings’ by Jarvis Jay Masters” by Jenny Phillips. Lion’s Roar, January 10, 2010
“Books in Brief: Reviews” by Joan Duncan Oliver. Tricycle, Winter 2009
“The Bookworm: Review of ‘That Bird Has My Wings’” by Terri Schlichenmeyer. Naples Daily News, November 20, 2009
“Reading Jarvis Jay Masters” by Martin S. Cohen. Ruminative Rabbi Blog, October 29, 2009
“That Bird Has My Wings,' by Jarvis Jay Masters: Nonfiction Review” by Christine Thomas. San Francisco Chronicle, October 2, 2009.
“Nonfiction: Prison Cages, Death Rows” by Jon Curley. Brooklyn Rail, October 2009
“That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row” Publishers Weekly, August 31, 2009
“Life Record: Jarvis Jay Masters Writes from Death Row” by R. V. Scheide. Bohemian, April 13, 2005
Books that include Jarvis’ STORY:
Braswell, Michael and Fuller, John and Lozoff, Bo, Corrections, Peacemaking, and Restorative Justice, Anderson Publishing Company, 2001
Chodron, Pema, The Places that Scare You, Shambhala Publications, Boston, 2002
Chodron, Pema, Practicing Peace, Shambhala Publications, Boston, 2012
Chodron, Pema, Practicing Peace in Times of War, Shambhala Publications, Boston, 2006
Chodron, Pema, Welcoming the Unwelcome, Shambhala Publications, Boulder, CO, 2019
Ermachild, Melody Chavis, Altars in the Street: A Neighborhood Fights to Survive, Bell Tower, NY, NY 1997
hooks, bell, All About Love: New Visions, Harper Collins, NY, NY, 2000
hooks, bell, We Real Cool: Black Men & Masculinity, Taylor & Francis, NY, NY, 2004
Kornfeld, Jack, No Time Like The Present, Atria Books, NY, NY, 2017
Kortbein, Christine & Catherine Tyink, Grief Reimagined: 50 Creative Strategies to Build Resilience, MindChart LLC, 2021
Newton Holmes, Ann, ed. Uncorked: A Literary Harvest, Napa Valley Scribblers Guild, Deer Park, CA, 2011
Paine, Jeffery, Re-enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism Comes to the West, W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., NY, NY 2004
Senauke, Hozan Alan, Turning Words: Transformative Encounters with Buddhist Teachers, Shambhala Publications, Boulder, CO 2023
Solnit, Rebecca, Call Them By Their True Names: American Crises (and Essays), Haymarket Books, Chicago, 2018
Thomas, Becky, Survivors on the Yoga Mat: Stories for Those Healing from Trauma, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 2014
Van Soest, Dorothy. Just Mercy, Apprentice House, Baltimore, 2014
Vishvapani, Challenging Times: Personal Stories and Adversity as a Spiritual Teacher (What Buddhism Can Offer), Windhorse Publications, 2007
Walker, Rebecca, What Makes a Man: 22 Writers Imagine the Future, Riverhead, NY, NY 2004
Zorn, Justin & Leigh Marz, Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise, Harper Collins, NY, NY 2022
ACADEMIC WORKS
Cunnel, Howard. “ ‘Stop! A Buddhist is Here’: Bodhisattva Masculinity in Jarvis Masters’ Finding Freedom’” (2005). The Journal of Global Buddhism, vol.6, pp. 46-65. (Abstract: Analyzes how Finding Freedom challenges despairing motifs in prison literature and wider cultural discourses of men and masculinities and links Jarvis Masters’ spiritual practice as an emergent project of activism identified as socially engaged Buddhism.)
Pahomov, Larissa. “Building a Collective Understanding of Prisons.” (2013). The English Journal, vol. 102, no. 4, pp. 38–44. (Abstract: A unit that pairs a canonical text—Night by Elie Wiesel—with selections from Finding Freedom by Jarvis Jay Masters, an inmate currently on death row, encourages students to critically examine the purposes and effects of imprisonment.)
Scrabis, Johnna. “Locked In: Melancholia in the Modern American Prison Literature of R. Dwayne Betts and Jarvis Jay Masters” (2016). CUNY Academic Works. (Abstract: This Master’s thesis in Comparative Literature explores the theme of melancholia and how Jarvis Jay Masters’ works reflects the paradox of melancholia).
Willis, Jan. “‘Yes, We're Buddhists Too!’" (2012). Buddhist-Christian Studies, vol. 32, pp. 39–43. (Abstract: This article affirms the growing presence of the African American Buddhist community)