Freedom Reads Brings Collaborative Poetry Project to Prison in Puerto Rico
Events at Instituto Educativo and La Casa del Libro celebrate the power of poetry and collaboration.
Founder and CEO Reginald Dwayne Betts hosted a powerful literary event yesterday at the Instituto de Bellas Artes y Estudios Universitarios, centering the voices of incarcerated participants. The event featured readings from Betts’ poetry book Doggerel, which is being collaboratively translated into Puerto Rican Spanish by incarcerated men at the facility. Attendees engaged in an afternoon of poetry, conversation, and shared storytelling. A Q&A and book signing followed the reading, underscoring the transformative power of literature and community.
“For the first time in my life, I stood before an audience and read a set of poems in Spanish. I told stories in Spanish. I told jokes. I thought in a language not my own. It was humbling. And a joy, because I know that I learned to care and want to connect in these ways in prison,” said Betts.
Later today, a public event will be held at La Casa del Libro in San Juan, presented in partnership with Puerto Rico DOC, the University of Puerto Rico–Río Piedras, and Centro PRAFRO. Students, translators, members of the press, and community partners will gather for readings and conversation with Puerto Rican writer and poet Dr. Mayra Santos-Febres, Freedom Reads team members, and incarcerated men from Instituto Educativo. The event celebrates the translation project and its cultural significance, highlighting the collaborative spirit behind the work and honoring those helping bring Doggerel to life in Puerto Rican Spanish.
“This is Freedom Reads’ second visit to Puerto Rico and to the Instituto de Bellas Artes y Estudios Universitarios. The joy in the room was undeniable — the Afro–Puerto Rican pride palpable. And the question of why we show up in the ways we do was answered immediately: because connecting people through language and literature deeply matters,” said Freedom Reads Library Coordination Manager David Perez DeHoyos.
This initiative marks the start of a sustained collaboration between Freedom Reads, incarcerated translators, and Puerto Rican literary partners. Translation work will continue in the months ahead, culminating in the publication of a bilingual chapbook in 2026. Freedom Reads plans to return to Puerto Rico for a public unveiling of the translated Doggerel and the installation of Freedom Libraries, expanding access to literature and amplifying the voices of those Inside.