Ian Manuel Biography

Ian Manuel is an American author, poet, and criminal justice reform activist. At 13, influenced by older peers in a poverty-stricken upbringing, he shot a woman, Debbie Baigrie, during a botched robbery in 1990. Sentenced as an adult to life without parole, he endured 26 years in prison, including 18 years in solitary confinement. While incarcerated, Manuel discovered poetry, which sustained his hope. He corresponded with Baigrie, who forgave him and advocated for his release. The Equal Justice Initiative, led by Bryan Stevenson, secured his freedom in 2016 after the Supreme Court’s Graham v. Florida ruling banned life without parole for juveniles in non-homicide cases. Manuel’s memoir, “My Time Will Come” (2021), details his journey. A MacDowell Fellow, he speaks widely, advocating against juvenile solitary confinement and supporting the reintegration of youth. 

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