Freedom Reads
Summary
Freedom Reads harnesses the power of literature to counter what prison does to the spirit. In the recognition that reading affirms our dignity, strengthens our sense of self and lets us access our authentic interests, Freedom Reads is placing 500-book Freedom Libraries in prisons across the country.
Background
The Freedom Libraries holding the curated collection promise to transform the spaces where incarcerated people do their time and to build community within and between those incarcerated, prison staff, and loved ones back home. Writers and theater artists will enter these prisons as literary ambassadors, bringing literature to life for those inside and creating a channel for their engagement with the world of books.
Funding
Freedom Reads is grateful for the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, partnering with us to affirm the right of those who are incarcerated to the robust participation in the imaginative and intellectual life of American society.
Researchers
Reginald Dwayne Betts
Founder & Director
Freedom Reads was founded and is directed by Reginald Dwayne Betts, a poet, lawyer and scholar whose books include the memoir A Question of Freedom and the poetry collection Felon. Betts has also published in recent years in the New York Times “Kamala Harris, Mass Incarceration and Me” and “Could an Ex-Convict Become an Attorney? I Intended to Find Out,” the latter of which won the 2019 National Magazine Award in the Essays and Criticism category. Betts holds a J.D. from Yale and is an Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellow.
Tess Wheelwright
Deputy Director
Bringing a background in in-prison teaching and college-in-prison administration, Wheelwright holds an MFA in fiction from Cornell and a BA in literature from Yale.
Tyler Sperrazza
Production & Program Coordinator
Assisting with the implementation of various aspects of the project while serving as the touring production manager and technical director for Felon: An American Washi Tale. Tyler earned his Ph.D. in History and African American & Diaspora Studies in 2020 from Penn State University, where he divided his time between his doctoral studies and his full-time work in production management and lighting design.