Look at the photos in this chapter and write three things that might be true about Lori-Anne Cope.
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Write three things you know about Lori-Anne Cope from her writing.
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In her narrative, and in her letter to cocaine, Lorri-Anne Cope expresses her thoughts about her
addiction generally, and about the ways that cocaine affected her life specifically.
What had she liked about cocaine? What changes did she make in her life – during her days of using
and after she had come to prison?
Is there a thing or a person in your life that you’ve left behind – or tried to leave behind – because of
its negative impact on your life? Do you know someone who has been harmed by an addiction or by
another person?
Write your own letter to the person or thing that caused you (or someone you know) harm.
Think of the ways that a negative thing (like drugs or a bad relationship, for example) might seem
attractive, the ways that that negative thing changes lives, and the ways to try to leave that negative
thing behind.
If you’re stuck, maybe start by thinking about Lorri-Anne’s letter. What points did she make about
what she’d liked about cocaine? How had it hurt her? How did it change her life? How did she find a
way to “say good-bye?”