Anne-Marie Jennings
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 25/98) - Stephen Reid says he doesn't make a lot of money as a writer.

He says he probably made more when he was robbing banks.

Reid first got the desire to write while he was sitting in a maximum security prison serving a 21-year prison sentence. Following the last of three escape attempts, he came across the book which would change his life -- a dictionary.

"I found a dictionary, and looked up the word escape, which was defined as a temporary relief from circumstances," he says. "I began writing soon after that.

"When you begin to write, you begin to understand what is right and wrong in your life and you can name it. When that started to happen to me, it changed my life."

Reid was visiting the NWT recently to hold workshops and talks with aspiring writers in Hay River, Rae, and Yellowknife. His appearance in the North was organized by the NWT Literacy Council through funding from the National Literacy Secretariat and Human Resources and Development Canada.

Reid's first novel, Jackrabbit Parole, focuses upon a gang of bank robbers and their subsequent arrest and imprisonment.

The book was first started while Reid was in prison at Joyceville Maximum Security Prison near Kingston, Ont. Reid sent the manuscript to a professor at the University of Waterloo, where the manuscript made its way to author-poet Susan Musgrave. From there, Musgrave took the book to her publisher and got Reid a publishing deal.

In addition to Jackrabbit Parole, Reid wrote and published his biography, The Stopwatch Gang, which appeared in 1992. The book has been optioned by Tri Star Pictures for production of a full-length feature film, which is scheduled to hit the big screen in September.

"The fellow who wrote the screenplay has been faithful to the book," he says.

When he isn't focused on his writing, Reid devotes his time to speaking out for the protection of prisoner's rights and his belief that prison is not always the best option for every offender -- particularly younger ones.

"Canada has the high incidence of young offenders in jail than any other country in the world," he says. "What we have to begin to understand is that prison is not always the only option for troubled youth."

Reid is also quick to attack proposed legislation which would prevent anyone with a criminal record from profiting from the publication of literary material. Should such a law come into existence, any criminal -- including Reid himself -- would be barred from becoming a writer at any point.

And Reid is definitely keeping himself busy writing these days. At the present time, he is working on a novel, a play, a movie script and an anthology -- among other things.

But Reid isn't complaining. In fact he realizes how important his change of lifestyle has become.

"I think there are two things that can change a person in prison," Reid says. "Religion and writing.

"And you can't fake writing."