Reginald Dwayne Betts
Encyclopedia
Reginald Dwayne Betts is an American
poet, memoirist, and teacher. He is author of A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison (Penguin/Avery, 2009), and Shahid Reads His Own Palm (Alice James Books
, 2010), winner of the 2010 Beatrice Hawley Award
. He is a 2010 Soros Justice Fellow.
Since then, his honors include a Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference scholarship and the Holden Fellowship to attend the M.F.A. program at Warren Wilson College
. He is a Cave Canem Workshop fellow, and was a full scholarship student at the University of Maryland
, where he earned his B.A. He currently teaches poetry with the DC Creative Writing Workshop at Hart Middle School. According to USA Today, he is also the national spokesman for the Campaign for Youth Justice
, and speaks out for juvenile-justice reform. He also visits detention centers and inner-city schools, and talks to at-risk young people.
His poems have been published in literary journals and magazines including Ploughshares, Crab Orchard Review and Poet Lore.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet, memoirist, and teacher. He is author of A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison (Penguin/Avery, 2009), and Shahid Reads His Own Palm (Alice James Books
Alice James Books
Alice James Books is an American non-profit poetry press located in Farmington, Maine and affiliated with the University of Maine at Farmington.- History and mission :...
, 2010), winner of the 2010 Beatrice Hawley Award
Beatrice Hawley Award
The Beatrice Hawley Award is given annually by Alice James Books. The award includes publication of a book-length poetry manuscript and a cash prize ....
. He is a 2010 Soros Justice Fellow.
Life
According The Washington Post, Betts was an excellent student who veered off-course in high school, and landed himself in more trouble than he had ever imagined. He was sixteen years old and an honors student and class treasurer at Suitland High School, when he and a friend carjacked a man who had fallen asleep in his car. Betts was charged as an adult and spent more than eight years in prison, where he completed high school and began reading and writing poetry. After his release from prison, he found a job working at Karibu Books in Bowie, Maryland, where he was eventually promoted to store manager and founded a book club for African American boys, while attending Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland.Since then, his honors include a Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference scholarship and the Holden Fellowship to attend the M.F.A. program at Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson College is a private four-year work college in the Swannanoa Valley, North Carolina, United States near Asheville. It is known for its curriculum of work, academics, and service, called "the Triad," which requires every student to work an on-campus job, perform at least one hundred...
. He is a Cave Canem Workshop fellow, and was a full scholarship student at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
, where he earned his B.A. He currently teaches poetry with the DC Creative Writing Workshop at Hart Middle School. According to USA Today, he is also the national spokesman for the Campaign for Youth Justice
Campaign for Youth Justice
The Campaign for Youth Justice is a national campaign in the United States dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing, and incarcerating children under age 18 in the adult justice system. Founded in 2005, CFYJ has become a national clearinghouse on the issue of trying youth in adult...
, and speaks out for juvenile-justice reform. He also visits detention centers and inner-city schools, and talks to at-risk young people.
His poems have been published in literary journals and magazines including Ploughshares, Crab Orchard Review and Poet Lore.
Works
- "A Conversation", Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Volume 7, Number 2, Spring 2006
- "let me tell you bout the night i died"; "Misunderstood"; "Soldier's Song", The Drunken Boat, Cave Canem Issue 2008 Vol.8 Issues III-IV, Reginald Dwayne Betts
External links
- Author's website
- Author Page > Reginald Dwayne Betts > Alice James Books
- The Washington Post > From Inmate to Mentor, Through Power of Books > by Lonnae O'Neal Parker > October 2, 2006
- USA Today > Life > Books > R. Dwayne Betts: A Mind Unconfined by Jail by Craig Wilson
- Video: Reading & Interview > USA Today > Reginald Dwayne Betts
- Audio Interview: NPR > Arts & Life > Books > Author Interviews > Ex-Convict Writes About 'A Question of Freedom > Reginald Dwayne Betts Interviewed by Scott Simon
- Audio Interview: WAMU American University > The Kojo Nnmadi Show > Coming of Age in Prison Interview and Reading > Reginald Dwayne Betts