August 7, 2024 - Reginald Dwayne Betts, Dungeons and Dragons, and Olympics art
About The Episode
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.
