How Tri-C Opened The Eyes of Ohio Poet Laureate Edward Julian Sr.

Julian Sr. uses his story of incarceration and redemption to help others learn, grow and heal 

Prison time is slow time. It’s lonely time. It’s angry time. 

Edward A. Julian, Sr. knows this journey firsthand. Facing a possible life sentence in 1998, he accepted a plea agreement for 20 years on federal drug charges.  

He entered federal prison believing he would spend the next two decades behind bars. A sentence reduction trimmed his time to 14 years – but he still spent more than 5,000 days in prison. Almost a decade and a half during which he felt abandoned, helpless and hopeless. 

“I remember my mom bringing my son to visit me, who was about 5 at the time,” Julian said. “In the prison, there was a row of vending machines, and my son wanted a snack. But there was a yellow line on the floor in front of the machines that inmates couldn’t cross. I remember thinking that I couldn’t do something as simple as buy my son a bag of chips.” 

But even at this low point, a transformation was starting to take place. Prison wasn’t going to be the end of Julian’s story. In fact, it became a new beginning – one rooted in his gift for the written word. 

Julian began to write poetry. He embraced it to survive. He wrote so relentlessly that the finger gripping his pencil started to bleed. He wrapped it with toilet paper and tape and kept writing. 

“My poetry started in prison as a way to cope with the frustration, pain and anger I felt,” Julian said. “It started off as a way to release my emotions. But I soon realized the power I had to uplift and motivate through my words. And I wanted to use my words and my story to help others improve their lives.” 

During his incarceration, Edward authored more than 300 poems and developed the Begin, Believe, Become Adult Life Skills Curriculum and the 12-Week Character Development and Youth Empowerment Curriculum. 

Since returning home in 2012, he has published two books, From Inmate to Advocate: A Journey of Transformation and Begin, Believe, Become: The 3-Step Process to Transformation and Achievement.  

His mission to change lives has drawn attention from state leadership. Earlier this year, Gov. Mike DeWine named Julian the Ohio poet laureate — the first Black person honored with the title. He now travels to schools, prisons and community events to teach others the principles that transformed his own life. 

Planting The Seeds 

Julian didn’t initially find his refuge on the pages of a poetry notebook — he found it on the basketball court. A promising young player, he was a star at Glenville High School before early legal troubles put his education and career on hold until 1992, when he enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®).  

At Tri-C, he played on the basketball team alongside future Basketball Hall of Famer Ben Wallace. He also studied for an Associate of Arts degree, which he earned in 1995.  

“My time at Tri-C was an eye-opener for me,” he said. “Even though I ran into trouble after I left Tri-C, I feel like the lessons I learned there helped me not to give up while I was in prison and helped give me direction after I was released.” 

Tri-C had been a part of Julian’s life since he was 13. As a teen, he would come to the Metro Campus with his mother, Marjorie Love, who worked on the campus cleaning staff for 33 years.  

“So many seeds were planted in my mind at that time, and I didn’t realize it then,” he said. “It was my mom who gave me a poem titled ‘Don’t Quit,’ and it gave me an initial interest in poetry. I’d keep coming back to that poem during the tough times in my life.” 

When Julian came to Tri-C as a student, he ultimately decided to major in social work. He then planned to enroll at Cleveland State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree, but the streets lured him back to crime and, ultimately, to his prison sentence. 

“I suffered an ankle injury, which ended my basketball career,” Julian said. “And unfortunately, I was still kind of living on both sides of the fence. I was pursuing an education but still selling drugs. I hadn’t left that life behind, and without basketball or anything else keeping me away, I fell all the way back into it.” 

The Message 

When Julian was released from prison in 2012, he came back to his old neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side. He saw the decay and poverty wrought by drugs and crime. It was a world he was once a part of, but now, with the perspective of someone who had served years in prison, he saw a neighborhood in need of change. And he knew he had the ability to help make it happen. 

A year after his release, he founded the Begin Within Initiative and began using his poetry to spread a message of hope. It’s a message that has gained momentum in the 14 years since his release, taking him around Ohio to prisons, churches and community organizations. Along the way, he has published eight books of poetry and his autobiography, From Inmate to Advocate: A Journey of Transformation, available on Amazon. 

“The three words I live by are ‘begin, believe, become.’” Julian said. “It’s something I talk about in all my public appearances. Think about your future and plan for it. Find positive creative outlets like writing, drawing, music and meditation. Pursue an education. Talk to others, but be careful who you allow into your life.” 

But Julian doesn’t just want to prevent people from descending into a life of crime — he wants to help those who have already walked that path, as he has. Recently, he set up a second organization, Beyond the Label Community Services, to assist those who already have felonies and prison time on their record. 

“So many people in prison or coming out of prison have limited life skills,” he said. “We teach math and English in school, but we don’t teach enough of things like finance and proper money management.” 

Julian is also working with the state government to raise awareness about pardons and record expungement. 

“One in 11 people in Ohio have been convicted of a felony,” he said. “And having that on your record can hold you back from jobs, financial aid, college admission, even renting an apartment. That’s a major hurdle we have to help people clear.” 

Julian, who now lives in Columbus, dreams of a day when he can come back to his old neighborhood in Cleveland and see prosperity where there was once poverty and pain. 

“I turned my life around because I had people who believed in me and showed me a new way,” he said. “I want to do that for others. We’ve made great progress in recent years, but I’m looking forward to the work we have yet to do.” 

An Evening with Ohio Poet Laureate Edward Julian Sr.
Thursday, Sept. 17 | 6 p.m.
Simon and Rose Mandel Theatre
4250 RIchmond Road, Highland Hills OH 44122

September 04, 2026

ERIK CASSANO, 216-987-3577 or erik.cassano@tri-c.edu