Thoughts Are Things is the first major collection of poetry by incarcerated poet, artist, and activist Yusef Qualls-El. Qualls-El is a juvenile lifer sentenced to mandatory life without the possibility of parole at 16 years old, a decision that is now considered unconstitutional. He is currently a member of the Writer's Block, an ongoing writing and visual art workshop in a prison outside of Detroit. His work has appeared on Michigan Radio, Washington Square Review at New York University, The New Yorker, The Michigan Citizen, Critical Moment, Contemporary Justice Review and numerous collections of poetry. Cover art and drawings within are by the author.