"It's Just Flourishing Hope Everywhere": The Experiences of Incarcerated Men Sharing Their Stories.

Of the 2.2 million people incarcerated throughout the United States, 93% are men. The current phenomenological study adds to the existing body of qualitative research on the lived experiences of men who are incarcerated and supports storytelling as a therapeutic technique. Four essential themes were revealed through an analysis of participant interviews: (1) substance use, (2) anticipation of storytelling, (3) the act of storytelling, and (4) reflections on storytelling. Understanding these experiences can assist in the development of storytelling-based interventions and community programing that is mutually beneficial to both the teller and the listener.

"They're just, like, there": A constructivist grounded theory study of student experiences with school resource officers.

School-based policing has become common practice, but there is limited qualitative research examining what meanings students make of police presence in their schools. This study sought to understand how students construct narratives of police presence in their schools based on their experiences with school resource officers (SROs). Drawing on constructivist grounded theory methodology with a sample of 17 students, this study found that students are continuously integrating multiple conflicting narratives about SROs: students experience SROs as an established yet ambiguous presence, which produces mixed feelings of reassurance, wariness, and intimidation. Students manage the conflicts between these narratives by positioning school-based police as a fixed structure with pitfalls and positives but no alternatives. Additionally, students experience SROs as being available to them in relational capacities. The primary recommendations from this study are for schools and communities to (1) reconsider the appropriateness of SRO programs with student perspectives at the center of dialogue, and (2) invest in non-law enforcement school-based professionals who students experience as available and relational.

What COVID-19 has brought us to: Art, activism, and changes in social work education.

This essay is a reflection about the COVID-19 pandemic from the vantage point of being on a sabbatical. As a result of the virus and global shut down, people are experiencing widespread suffering and economic devastation. The author, a professor, artist, and qualitative researcher advocates for a return to the profession's community-based roots and an activist pedagogy. Additionally, as an artist/teacher/scholar, the author discusses the potential and importance of art and storytelling in social work education with examples of the author's art created during the pandemic.