I once worked as a cameraman at a TV station. Each day, I would truck the camera from the weather set to the news desk, then wait for a signal to cue the news announcer. On this particular day, Julie Jones—not her real name—is seated sideways at the desk, conferring with the weatherman. “Six seconds,” intones the control room engineer...

Johnny Cash played concerts in prison. When asked the reason, he replied, “Because I’m a Christian.” “When I was in prison, you visited me.” A metal door slams. I turn my back to the guard and stretch out my arms. After the pat-down, I surrender my ID at the sally port, cross the exercise yard and head to the mess hall. A line of...

I set the alarm late in order to sleep in, but my internal alarm harbors other intentions. I wake at the normal time but not in my normal, well-rested manner. Instead, I am panting from a dream of running across a church parking lot that is packed with cars. I’m frantically searching for my own vehicle so I can speed out of town to another church...