FARMINGTON — Alice James Books of Farmington announces that Reginald Dwayne Betts’ “Shahid Reads His Own Palm” has been selected for the National Book Foundation’s inaugural Literature for Justice Initiative.

The book was the winner of the 2009 Beatrice Hawley Award and was published by Alice James Books in May 2010.

The mission of the National Book Foundation is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture.

The Literature for Justice initiative is a campaign that calls attention to and encourages the reading of literature that contextualizes and humanizes the experiences of incarcerated people in America. The National Book Foundation received funding from the Art for Justice Fund to create Literature for Justice.

A part of this campaign includes the creation of a committee featuring authors, experts and leaders within the space of these social issues to oversee the curation of a contemporary reading list of five books per year.

The program will be launched Oct. 24 at the Los Angeles Public Library, where committee members and authors will read from this year’s selected titles and discuss why reading literature about mass incarceration can help change the way we think about it and its role in our society.

Betts is a husband and father of two sons. A poet and memoirist, he is the author of three books. 

Founded in 1973, Alice James Books is a leading independent press of national reputation dedicated to discovering and publishing exceptional poetry. The press continues to grow its list and is seen as an innovator in the field. AJB is committed to publishing a range of voices, supporting writers’ careers, and publishing women and other writers whose work may otherwise be marginalized.

For more information about Alice James Books visit alicejamesbooks.org.

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