JCCSF Welcomes Reginald Dwayne Betts For Solo Performance
The performance is adapted from his American Book Award-winning poetry collection, Felon: An American Washi Tale, which is about re-imagining paper.
The JCCSF will welcome acclaimed poet-lawyer and prison reform activist Reginald Dwayne Betts on Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m. in a searing solo performance that will confront the abuses of the criminal justice system. The performance is adapted from his American Book Award-winning poetry collection, Felon: An American Washi Tale, which is about re-imagining paper. Through poetry, stories, and engaging with the timeless and transcendental art of paper-making, Reginald Dwayne Betts explores the experience and consequences of incarceration and his legal work to free friends that are still in prison. Tickets are $10 and are available now at jccsf.org.
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, the variety of papers that reveals what is possible and burdened by prison. This reflection on the challenges of living in the shadow of mass incarceration is a story of violence, love, and fatherhood. Directed by Elisa Theron, this Washi Tale moves literally and metaphorically beyond Betts' own life, unwrapping the disturbing ways that prison touches us all.
Reginald Dwayne Betts transformed himself from a 16-year-old kid sentenced to 9 years in prison to a critically acclaimed writer and graduate of the Yale Law School. He is the founder and director of Freedom Reads, a first-of-its-kind organization working to radically transform access to literature in prisons, and the author of four award-winning books including Felon, Bastards of the Reagan Era, Shahid Reads His Own Palm, and the memoir A Question of Freedom. A recent collaboration at MoMA PS1 with visual artist Titus Kaphar lead to Redaction, a book of prints featuring poetry by Betts in combination with Kaphar's etched portraits of incarcerated individuals. A recipient of a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship and 2021 MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, Betts is currently working on his Ph.D. in law at Yale University, where he earned his J.D. degree.
About the JCCSF
Urban and inclusive, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco enriches, educates, and celebrates this vibrant City and its people. The JCCSF explores Jewish culture and traditions as a pathway for joyful, meaningful living. In creating a community that welcomes everyone, the JCCSF uses the power of gathering together to share, inspire, support and restore. Through an array of in person and online programs and experiences, audiences can enjoy an appearance by renowned performers and cultural icons, as well as to spirited holiday celebrations, and interactive pop-ups inspired by Jewish culture. The Fitness Center supports wellness through exceptional trainers and a daily lineup of classes including yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi. Preschoolers discover the vital early love of learning at one of the three exceptional schools, and year-round, the JCCSF enriches the lives of youngsters of all ages and whole families.
For more than a century, the JCCSF has evolved with the City, embracing its character and energy. Today, the organization taps into the rich layers of Jewish culture-its rhythms, resilience, and a call for `justice-as a resource for everyone. With a commitment to providing people the opportunity for discovery, well-being and purpose, they believe in making the world better by helping the people in it be better. Experience the JCCSF at 3200 California Street or online at www.jccsf.org.
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