From Shannon Barlow

How long had the letter been on the desk at UEA’s U.N. office at 777 UN Plaza in New York City? Who was it from? Why send something to an office that is infrequently visited? I suspect these were some of the questions running through Humphrey Tonkin’s mind when he discovered a letter with an Alabama return address when he visited the office in late 2023.

The handwritten letter was from Shannon Barlow who, with two others, had started studying Esperanto. Somehow, they found the 777 address and sent the letter. So why write instead of using the Internet to find out about Esperanto? Well, Shannon, Ryan and Michael don’t have access to the Internet. They are prisoners at the Bibb County Correctional Facility in Brent, Alabama. Humphrey sent the letter to me, and I responded; anyone resourceful enough to write to the 777 address deserved an answer!

Here are their Esperanto stories.

Shannon, Ryan and Michael would like to correspond with the readers of Usona Esperantisto. You can do so by snail mail (address is found after each of their messages). You can also write to them electronically online (it costs $0.15 to send a message)!

—Chuck Mays

Saluton!

My name is Shannon Barlow and I am a 46-year-old guy who has been in prison since I was 15. I first came across the word Esperanto in an old dictionary. I then looked it up on my tablet and found a book written by Helen Fryer, titled The Esperanto Teacher: A simple course for the non-grammarian. Then, to my luck I found an address to the Universal Esperanto Association located in New York, so I wrote a short letter, and received a reply from Chuck Mays.

During this time, I also introduced several guys to the language, explaining to them the vision of Dr. Zamenhof. “Espero” is what really sold us on his world views. With help from Chuck, who sent us an updated book and dictionary and got us started on the free postal course, we are progressing. Thanks to E-USA president Brandon Sowers, we are now enrolled as members of Esperanto-USA. I’m really interested in learning Esperanto for a new start, to meet new people who share the same views of a better world as expressed in the song “La Espero” by Dr. Zamenhof. When I found this gem of a language it was so beautiful that I had to share it with others, and so I did and am, and will continue to do so. Thank all of you all so much.

Your fellow Esperantist and friend Shannon.

Shannon Barlow #183626
Bibb County Correctional Facility D1-212
565 Bibb Lane
Brent, Alabama 35034

Editorial Note: The Esperanto Teacher: A Simple Course for Non-Grammarians was published in 1907 and as a grammar textbook is very different from the interactive methods available online today. The Esperanto Teacher’s method still holds up, as it teaches the student to begin thinking directly in Esperanto as soon as possible, without mental translation. That said, it may be a sort of “time capsule” of Zamenhof-era learning material. It’s considerate to use model, fundamenta Esperanto when writing to learners. Also consider indicating your own level of fluency.