BABELL opens conversation with Reginald Dwayne Betts to the public

Dwayne Betts is one of the most remarkable voices in contemporary American literature

Literature can change a life. In the case of Reginald Dwayne Betts, it changed its course. It is this conviction that BABELL now invites the public to discover, opening the doors of his session to all those interested.

On 28 June, at 2:30 PM, at Praça Gomes Teixeira (Leões), the American poet, lawyer, and writer Reginald Dwayne Betts will take part in a conversation as part of the BABELL programme.

Exceptionally, no ticket will be required for this session. The venue gates will be opened, allowing free entry to the public.

Reginald Dwayne Betts found in writing a space for rebuilding after serving a prison sentence in his youth. Since then, he has built an internationally recognised body of work in which poetry, justice, identity, and responsibility intersect in a profound reflection on the individual and society.

His journey goes, however, far beyond writing. Convinced that reading can open new horizons and restore dignity to those from whom it has been taken, he founded the organisation Freedom Reads, responsible for creating more than 500 libraries in prison facilities across the United States, bringing thousands of books to people deprived of their liberty.

By opening this session to the public, BABELL reinforces one of the guiding principles of the literary and cultural event: making thought, literature, and dialogue accessible to all. Because freedom is also built through ideas, words, and the capacity to imagine other paths.

The conversation will be held in English, with Portuguese subtitles.