Felon: An American Washi Tale
A solo performance that begins with the pages of a book being slid into a cell, traverses stoves made of toilet paper, kites from a father, handwritten affidavits, legal complaints, handmade paper, certificates of pardon, and 1,000 squares fashioned from the clothing of men serving life sentences.
Photo credit to Mamadi Doumbouya.
Felon: An America Washi Tale is about re-imagining paper. Paper, perhaps surprisingly, is a key part of the prison experience. Paper gets you in and sometimes gets you free. Chasing paper on the front is the catalyst to cuffs for many; making papers—that is, parole—is the hope of freedom for others.
Join us in welcoming back to PGCC distinguished alumni Reginald Dwayne Betts. Dwayne is the founder and director of the Freedom Reads, a first-of-its-kind organization that empowers people through literature to confront what prison does to the spirit. A poet and lawyer, he is the author of four books. A 2021 MacArthur Fellow, his latest collection of poetry, Felon, was awarded the American Book Award and an NAACP Image Award.
This is event is free but you must RSVP to attend. Use the link below to RSVP for the event.
Book signing will take place promptly after the performance. Books are currently for sale in the College Bookstore. Only registered guests can attend.