Skip to consent to cookiesSkip navigation
Loading Events
Northwestern-Digital-Felon-1280×820-1
Oct25
  • This event has passed.
Theatre & Performing Arts

Felon: An American Washi Tale


Alone in solitary confinement, a teenager called out to the men in the hole with him: “Somebody, send me a book! Moments later, Dudley Randall’s The Black Poets slid under his cell door. Those pages, in that funky and desperate place, were the start of the teen’s transformation into a poet, lawyer, and promoter of the rights of prisoners. Now, 23 years after his release from prison, Reginald Dwayne Betts explores the experience and lingering consequences of having a criminal record in a solo theater show based on his poetry collection, Felon. Betts, who recently received a MacArthur Genius. Fellowship, advocates for literacy in prisons and is the founding director nonprofit organization Freedom Reads, which delivers books to inmates and brings contemporary writers and artists together with incarcerated audiences.


bean-night

Explore Chicago hotels, flights, deals, and more

Plan your trip

Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia

CTA Newsletter

Chicago Newsletter

Stay in the know

Sign up

visitors_guide_2024_cover

Chicago Visitors Guide

Start planning today

Get the guide