Feb 22 Poet Martín Espada chronicles father's fight for Puerto Rican rights By Anne Azzi Davenport Martin Espada, an award-winning poet and former tenant lawyer, grew up watching his father fight for human rights in New York City. Continue reading
Jan 21 'Imagine our helpless feeling' -- a Syrian writer's plea to the world By Corinne Segal Read two new stories from Najat Abdul Samad, a writer living in Syria who has emerged as one of the most striking voices in Syrian literature today. Continue reading
Jan 12 Watch 7:21 Stuck behind bars, a writer found a way to connect to the world By PBS News Hour Reginald Dwayne Betts grew up an honor student with hopes for college, but went to prison at 16 for carjacking, his first run-in with the law. Reading, and poetry in particular, became a comfort and gave him a new identity. Continue watching
Jan 12 Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts on America's 'lost generation' By artsdesk Reginald Dwayne Betts grew up an honor student with hopes for college, but went to prison at 16 for carjacking, his first run-in with the law. Reading, and poetry in particular, became a comfort and gave him a new identity. Continue reading
Jan 11 Watch 8:23 Poetry helps youth at a juvenile detention center find peace By PBS News Hour, Frank Carlson Free Write Jail Arts and Literacy aims to help troubled youths in Chicago’s Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center address their personal issues by writing poetry about their circumstances and upbringing. Jeffrey Brown talks with poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, who… Continue watching
Jan 11 This Chicago program connects incarcerated youth to poetry By artsdesk Free Write Jail Arts and Literacy aims to help troubled youths in Chicago’s Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center address their personal issues by writing poetry about their circumstances and upbringing. Jeffrey Brown talks with poet Reginald Dwayne Betts, who… Continue reading
Jan 11 Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts returns to the city that nearly broke him By Frank Carlson Betts' new book touches on the way he believes institutions -- schools, the police, the judicial system -- helped create a lost generation of young black men. Continue reading
Jan 08 Watch 1:39 Reginald Dwayne Betts reads 'For the city that nearly broke me' By Corinne Segal Continue watching
Dec 31 These prize winners show 2015 was a diverse year in books By artsdesk The literary world was packed with a diverse field of prize-winners this year. Continue reading
Dec 29 Watch 6:25 Poet Robin Coste Lewis evokes the black female form across history By PBS News Hour "Voyage of the Sable Venus," the first collection from Robin Coste Lewis, is the winner of this year's National Book Award for poetry. Lewis discussed her debut, her readers and her influences with Jeffrey Brown at the Miami Book Festival. Continue watching