Imagine somebody not just anybody but your dad and he's far away and every

month or so he sends you a letter telling you that you are his favorite person in the

entire world. And he's in prison. This is the longest shortest time I'm Hillary

Frank. Today on the show the wonderful writer Ashley C Ford talks about growing up

with an incarcerated parent knowing him for the most part only through letters

and idolizing him through those letters then dealing with the fallout of

learning his flaws. Heads up this episode will cover the topic of sexual assault.

Ashley can't remember a moment where she learned her dad was in prison. It's

just something that was. He'd been locked up since she was a baby nine months

old. She's seen a photo of herself visiting him as a toddler but she has no

recollection of that visit. I do remember having a phone call with my father when

I was around six years old and excitedly telling him that I'd passed

kindergarten and I was so excited to have passed kindergarten him telling me that

he loved me. He was so proud of me and he knew his baby could do it and you know

I was so smart and stuff and I remember just thinking it was such a huge deal

to pass kindergarten and that I wished my dad was there and that's the first

time that I really remember having like the thought that like my dad isn't

here and he can't be here and I think that's when I sort of started to get

the concept of the fact that my dad was in prison. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Fort Wayne,

Indiana. Was it uncommon for a kid where you grew up to have a parent in prison? It was not

uncommon to have a parent who particularly a father who had gone to jail at some

point or who had been arrested at some point. It was uncommon to have a father

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