S18 Ep18: Dwayne (Shaheed) Betts - Freedom Reads

About this episode

Bob Ruff interviews Reginald Dwayne Betts about his journey from incarceration to becoming a poet and lawyer, and his work with Freedom Reads.

Reginald Dwayne Betts was incarcerated as a teenager and spent nearly nine years in prison. While inside, he discovered literature and poetry, including during time in solitary confinement, where books were treated as contraband. After his release, he went on to become a nationally recognized poet, a Yale-trained lawyer, and the founder of Freedom Reads, an organization bringing handcrafted libraries directly into prison cellblocks. His work sits at the intersection of accountability, reentry, dignity, literature, and the question of whether America truly believes people can change. In this incredibly intriguing interview, Bob and Dwayne have a deep and meaningful conversation about not only the work that Dwayne does...but also about identity. Please consider donating to Freedom Reads at THIS LINK . The majority of the funding of our work comes directly from listeners, through our Patreon community. To join Patreon , click THIS LINK . At the $5/month level you'll get access to lots of Patreon Only BONUS EPISODES , Ad Free versions of all episodes, an hour of Patreon Exclusive video content every week, and our new weekly podcast “Pre-Game” , which drops every Wednesday. Not to…

People in this episode

Host: Bob Ruff

Guest: Reginald Dwayne Betts

Topics covered

• literature
• poetry
• prison reform
• identity
• reentry
• accountability

Keywords

• Dwayne Betts
• Freedom Reads
• poetry
• prison
• literature
• identity
• reentry
• Bob Ruff

Sponsors

Quince, Factor Meals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Freedom Reads

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