Mark
Edgington’s
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I recently joined WSLR’s Peace & Justice Report with Tom Walker to talk about prison, responsibility, and what happens after. In the episode, we talked through how people end up in the system, what prison actually does and doesn’t do, and why reentry is where outcomes are really decided. It stayed focused on real experience rather than theory, including what it takes to build a stable life after release. Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9

Recently I received a certificate from the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance recognizing my support of their work. The certificate notes my membership with the organization since 2011. It reads: “This certificate recognizes Mark Edge as a Lifetime Member since 2011.” Mark Edgington Along with the certificate, Membership Director Ron Brophy sent a note explaining that the recognition was presented on behalf of the Board of Directors. He wrote that the organization wanted to thank

My dog Napoleon has no balls and a debilitating underbite, and he’s still a ten. That’s not my assessment alone. Anyone who meets him tends to agree. He struts around like he’s the best-looking dog in the county. The underbite doesn’t bother him. As far as he’s concerned, he’s perfect. Dogs have a quality that people spend entire lifetimes trying to develop. They are completely uninterested in their own perceived flaws. The dog does not sit around worrying about what he used

I recently attended WSLR’s Rooted in Community event in Sarasota. As a board member, it was a meaningful night to recognize the people who helped build something important for this community. The event celebrated founders David Beaton and Arlene Sweeting, who will be stepping down from leadership roles with WSLR+Fogartyville . Since 2005, WSLR has opened the airwaves to community voices, musicians, artists, and local perspectives that don’t always have a place in mainstrea

Recently, I had the opportunity to work at a liberty event in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where people who value freedom, personal responsibility, and community come together to exchange ideas and support one another. This year, I wasn’t just attending. I was running the charity auction. We focused on helping three organizations: LaBib Bilingual Children’s Library in Puerto Vallarta, Maximo Cornejo Quisaro’s Children’s Home in Puerto Vallarta, and the Greenbriar Community Scho

I recently got a 109 on Duolingo in Spanish. According to their scale, 100 indicates competency, so 109 is nine points past that. I believe the upper range goes to around 125. Their assumption is that once you’re at this level, you can more or less continue learning on your own. My recent Duolingo score My Journey with Spanish I started learning Spanish for an unusual reason. I read the novel The Firm , and in it, the main character’s brother decides to learn a language each

When people hear the word “rich,” they usually think of money. Money matters. But it’s only one form of wealth. This year at Anarchapulco, I’ll be speaking to the kids about what it really means to be rich. I break it down into four areas. 1. Pocketbook Financial literacy is important. Learning how to earn, save, and manage money gives you options. Options create stability. But a full bank account alone doesn’t make a person wealthy. 2. Body Health is foundational. Without it

This year I’ll be attending Anarchapulco again. The event has been running for about twelve years now, and I’ve been involved since the beginning. I served as MC for the first, second, fourth, and sixth conferences and have spoken at many of them over the years. Despite the name, I’m not an anarchist. The word “anarchist” means different things to different people. In my experience, most people who use that label today tend to be either socialists or libertarians using the te

During our travels, Laura and I spent a few days in Costa Rica. One of our friends was traveling with us and her visa in Honduras was about to run out, so we needed to leave the country for a short time. Costa Rica made sense, so we went there for a few days before continuing on. While we were there, we also took time to look at language schools. We are planning to return over the summer to study Spanish, and it was helpful to see a few schools in person and get a feel for ho

Laura and I had quite an adventure the other day. We had to get up very early in the morning when we left the resort in Utila, Honduras. We took a small boat into town, then we took a tuk-tuk to the ferry dock. The day before, the ferry had been canceled because of the weather, so we weren’t sure if it would be available. But it was, and the waves were huge. It was a little rainy and dark, but we made it. A driver picked us up at the ferry dock in La Ceiba, Honduras, and drov

I want to congratulate WSLR Radio on receiving a $108,000 award through Impact100 SRQ . Impact100 SRQ held its annual celebration and awards ceremony at the Municipal Auditorium on Tuesday, January 20th, and WSLR was selected as a finalist in the Arts, Culture, and History category. That recognition matters. It reflects steady work, local trust, and a commitment to serving the community over time. WLSR Radio, Sarasota, FL Community radio doesn’t always get the attention it d

The Allure of Utila Utila is the smallest of Honduras’s major Bay Islands. It sits at the southern edge of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system in the world. That alone makes it unusual. You don’t have to be a diver to feel how closely the island is tied to the water. But if you do go underwater, you quickly understand why people travel from all over the world to dive there. The reefs are dense with life, and the chance of seeing a whale shark is real

These photos are from three different calls, spread over a few years, when I was a volunteer firefighter. December 12, 2014: This was a house fire on a cold winter day. By the time we arrived, the damage was already significant. Harry Nelson, who’s on the far left in the photo, later called me a hero for going into the house and helping put out the fire. What actually happened was that Harry’s years of training and quick action put a hose in my hands. I followed his instructi

As some of you know, I take walks early. Most mornings I’m out the door by 6 AM. Some mornings, Mr. Big, the neighborhood black and white cat is lounging around in my neighbor’s driveway. Other mornings I spot a red-shouldered hawk, on the hunt for breakfast. The sky likes to put on a show before the sun fully commits. I call it God light, the rays between the clouds that shine like a hand through the sky. "God Light" Sometimes Mr. Big keeps a steady pace beside me, but reall

I recently sat down with Angela McArdle , a longtime political organizer, speaker, and national party chair known for her work on civil liberties and criminal justice reform, for a thoughtful conversation about responsibility, reform, and the importance of lowering the temperature in our public life. Mark Edgington Speaking with Angela McArdle We discussed how different administrations have approached Bitcoin and clemency. From my perspective, the Trump administration did mo

The holidays have a way of stitching together memories you don’t plan for. Last Christmas, I carried a different version of myself into the season. A year later, I found myself holding up a green juice and feeling grateful for the progress of being 20 pounds lighter. Mark Edgington with Green Juice This Christmas started with family. I went to my in-laws’ house and brought my mom with me. Holidays are better when the people you care about are in the room, laughing at the same

Laura and I spent a bit of time in Salalah, Oman recently. It’s in the far south of the country, right along the Arabian Sea. What surprised me most was how different it felt from the rest of the region. Instead of dry heat and open desert, Salalah has long stretches of green, coastal fog, and a kind of quiet calm that settles in as soon as you arrive. Laura Edgington in Salalah Oman Traveling with Laura always reminds me how grounding it is to share new places with someone y

A Heartfelt Update from Foundation of Hope Uganda I regularly receive news from the Foundation of Hope Uganda about their latest updates and celebrations. This past week, Ndifuna shared something especially meaningful with me. The children not only held their school graduation, but they also received their report cards. For many of them, these are the first academic milestones they’ve ever reached, and they’ve worked incredibly hard for them. Children graduating at the Founda

I spent some time in Dubai recently. It’s a place that looks almost unreal when you first arrive. The buildings rise out of the desert in a way that doesn’t seem possible, and at night the city glows in every direction. What stood out to me most was the contrast between the beauty around me and the air itself. On some mornings, the haze was thick enough that the tops of the tallest towers disappeared. I’m used to coastal air and open skies, so it caught my attention right awa

Jack and I spent an afternoon at a local arcade this week. It started as a simple plan to get out of the house, but it ended up being one of those small moments that stays with you longer than you expect. Arcades have changed since I was his age. They’re brighter now, louder, and built around tickets instead of tokens. But the basic idea is the same. You move from game to game, trying to win just enough to trade for something you don’t actually need. In that way, nothing has