Ex-con shows his creativity in a new short story anthology

It is common advice to tell writers to write about what they know.

For Sudbury’s Rob Dominelli that means writing about Canada’s prison system. From 1998 to 2007 Dominelli was in and out of jail – mostly for drug-related charges.

And that time behind bars has given him a unique perspective on the penal system and the inmates that make up the provincial prison population.

“Not everyone in jail is dangerous. There are many people there for mental illness, and a lot for addiction,” Dominelli said.

In his last stint in prison, from 2005 to 2007, he took advantage of a program the John Howard Society offered that let inmates flex their creative muscles through poetry and short stories.

Dominelli had always had an active imagination, and as a boy he wrote stories emulating horror maestro Stephen King.

But the Catholic school system of the 1980s discouraged some of his more macabre stories.

“I was kind of made ashamed,” he said.

Dominelli put his pen and paper away, and didn’t return to writing until much later in life.

In jail, he realized he could poke fun at his fellow inmates through his writing, without putting his physical health at risk.

“You can't make fun of a guy in jail, but if you do it cleverly, in writing, everyone kind of gets it but him,” he said.

Through his writing he also got to critique the issues he saw with the prison system.

Chief among his criticisms is the lack of effective rehabilitation for inmates.

“Just locking them up and warehousing people is not going to fix nothing,” he said.

In his first published short story, “The Killer Beneath Me”, Dominelli explores those issues and uses one of his former cellmates as the template for a fictional character making his way through the system.

The story is part of a new anthology called “Along the 46th”, the first book by the new northern publisher Latitude 46 Publishing.

The book features 15 stories about the north by Northern Ontario writers.

“There were all these writers who had stories to tell, and really no way to tell them,” said the book’s co-publisher, Laura Gregorini. “We just wanted to give northern writers a platform.”

Dominelli was one of 13 writers to have their work featured in the anthology.

Sudbury filmmaker Darlene Naponse has two short stories published in the book.

The first, called “Stellar”, takes inspiration from the meteor that helped create Sudbury’s nickel and copper deposits, and follows two lovers in a bar, as they fall in love while a meteor comes hurling to the Earth.

The idea behind the story, she said, is that even in the face of apocalyptic destruction, love conquers all.

Her second story, called “Best in Rez”, is much lighter. It follows a dog show and is a comedy of ironic moments in a First Nations community.

Naponse said it was important for her to tell stories about First Nations people that deviate from the typical stereotypes.

“Along the 46th” had its official launch Saturday, and is available online for $15.

Co-publisher Gregorini said she hopes northern readers can see a bit of themselves in its stories.