August 7, 2024 - Reginald Dwayne Betts, Dungeons and Dragons, and Olympics art

Reginald Dwayne Betts, who was incarcerated when he was 16,  is an award-winning  poet, a lawyer and founder of Freedom Reads, a first-of-its kind organization working to bring books into prisons.  Now in a first, Freedom Reads, along with  the National Book Foundation, and the Center for Justice Innovation, has  launched the “Inside Literary Prize,”  which is awarded exclusively by currently incarcerated people. The award-winning author was announced on Friday —  Imani Perry for her book, “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation.”   Dwayne Betts joins The Culture Show to talk about the award and the winning book that resonated with the judges.From there we mark the 50th anniversary of  Dungeons & Dragons, the venerable tabletop roleplaying game, with a look at how it has shaped pop culture and how it shaped Ethan GIlsdorf.  In a recent piece for  The Boston Globe he  writes about how it saved his life. Gilsdorf  is the author of “Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks.” Finally, MassArt president Mary Grant joins The Culture Show to talk about the Olympics and if it’s time for art – as it once was –  to be an official Olympic sport.