Benjamin Weber in conversation with Luis Rodriguez about American Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration.

Chevalier’s Books | 133 North Larchmont Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90004.

Monday, November 20 — 6pm

Luis J. Rodriguez has been visiting prisons, jails, and juvenile lockups for readings, talks, healing circles, and creative writing workshops for over 40 years. He’s been a violence prevention and intervention expert in Los Angeles, Chicago, Mexico, and Central America. He’s also a renowned writer with 16 multi-genre books, including a bestselling memoir "Always Running." He’s founding editor of Tia Chucha Press and co-founder of Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore, based in the San Fernando Valley. His last poetry book was "Borrowed Bones" in 2016. Seven Stories Press in 2020 released his books of essays "From Our Land to Our Land." In 2022, Luis received a California Arts Council Legacy Fellowship and the Los Angeles Times Robert Kirsch Lifetime Achievement Award. From 2014 to 2016, he served as Los Angeles' Poet Laureate.