Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts was part of a carjacking in a Virginia mall parking lot when he was 16 years old. He was charged as an adult and sentenced to 9 years in prison.
Dwayne was released in 2005. Today, he’s a lawyer and award-winning poet. He’s also the founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization called Freedom Reads. It provides handcrafted bookcases full of brand new books to prisons.
1 of 5 — November 12, 2024 – Freedom Reads
Jimmy Flynn sands down a piece of wood that will become a bookshelf at the Freedom Reads workshop in Hamden, Conn. Flynn, whose sentence of over 30 years officially ended in November, said he got his education on different aspects of life through books he read in prison. “I don’t know how to be a husband — so I’ll grab the harlequin romances, and I’ll read them — how to deal with relationships, ups and downs, and all different perspectives,” he said. “That put me out there, even though I was over three decades in prison.”
Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public
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Shelves of books at Freedom Read’s HQ in Hamden, Connecticut. Communications Manager Steven Parkhaurst, who was formerly incarnated, says that being able to donate new books to prisons is meaningful because many of the books incarcerated people have access to are in poor condition and have pages missing.
Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public
3 of 5 — November 12, 2024 – Freedom Reads
Production manager Kevin Baker says visiting prisons to install the bookcases and stock them with hundreds of new books is extremely rewarding. “The first trip in is a little triggering,” he said. But he says the employees support each other through the experience of going back to prison to build libraries. “We’re so happy and proud to be doing the work,” he said.
Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public
4 of 5 — November 12, 2024 – Freedom Reads
The signatures of employees who have worked in the shop at Freedom Reads at the nonprofit’s HQ in Hamden, Conn.
Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public
5 of 5 — November 12, 2024 – Freedom Reads
Michael Byrd works on one of the bookcases that will eventually be a part of a library in a prison. The shop dog, Rudy, sits by attentively. Byrd said he’s able to build trust with incarcerated people he meets when he’s installing the libraries because of their shared experiences. “Sometimes you know people because you did time with them — it’s a fulfilling moment when they realize we’re the real deal,” he said.
Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public
For Dwayne, and other incarcerated people, those books can be a lifeline— a connection to the rest of the world.
This hour, listen back to our candid conversation with Dwayne as he reflects on his poetry, the power of books, and life after prison.
We also take a visit to the Freedom Reads workshop and hear from some of the formerly incarcerated people who build the bookcases and bring them to prisons.
GUEST:
Reginald Dwayne Betts: Award-winning poet, whose books include Felon and the upcoming Doggerel. He’s also a lawyer and the Founder and CEO of Freedom Reads
Michael Byrd: Library Production Assistant at Freedom Reads
Steven Parkhurst: Communications Manager at Freedom Reads
James Flynn: Library Production Assistant at Freedom Reads
Special thanks to Kevin Baker and Ivan Dominguez at Freedom Reads.
This episode originally aired on December 6, 2024.
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