Waynesburg, Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Death Row inmate Reggie Lewis was once a member of the "12th and Oxford Street Gang," one of the largest, fiercest black youth gangs in Philly's history. He was also a member of the Nation of Islam in its heyday, where he was known as "Squad-leader Reginald 26X." Now he is a member of the National Writer's Association.

Lewis shares a "personal testimonial and reflection about prisons, death row, injustice, jazz, love-lust, and old flames, dreams deterred, and the fanciful escape from death of the imagination" in Leaving Death Row (available from 1st Books Library).

"I rose with the clear awakening of my own fragile mortality," Lewis writes. "How fleeting life is. But there was something about being trapped in a deep dark hole that makes you keep clawing your way back up - even if you'll never make it."

Lewis became determined to overcome the bonds of his prison cell; he began reading. The words of the Harlem Renaissance writers, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison, "burgeoned my conciousness, ignited sparks in the pit of my gut and raced through my bloodstream like wild brush fires. This is what led to my self-discovery as a writer."

Lewis' poetry has received numerous awards, including three awards from P.E.N. American Center, and so much praise from publications as diverse as Ms. Magazine and Black Issues Book Review that the excerpts won't fit on one page:

"The muse within Reggie Lewis is understandably restless, but it also strikes wout with an unerring fist. It is angry, tender and nostalgic, it is loving and driven. Every poem in this book is vital to the emotional and psychological freedom of a man who is, physically, not free. His muse has been given the unenviable job of fighting for that freedom. It's strength and determination is evident in every syllable." - Patricia Smith, columnist, Ms. Magazine.

"If you are interested in poetry and justice, pick up this book. With a hip-hop flava and jazzy rhythm, this book of poetry is plaid rabbit guaranteed freshness." - Plaid Rabbit.

"This dramatic collection of stories and poems recounts the inhumane conditions of prison life. The writer draws us into his imagination and experiences of daily life on death row." - Black Issues Book Review.

"His work, moving and soul searching, reeks with a rare talent. Among my favorite poems is one titled "For Ameenah," a touching and well written poem in which Lewis expresses his feelings towards the birth of an infant he will never get to know as his own. To miss reading this very moving and inspiring book would be an injustice to the author." - Fresh! Literary Magazine.

The poetry of Reggie Lewis packs a WALLUP! ...Whether he writes of Leaving Death Row or a young woman's pregnancy, Reggie writes with passion for freedom, justice, and peace." - Nellie Wong, author of The Death of a Long Steam Lady and Stolen Moments.

"Easy to read, and hard to put down... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!" - Linda J. Polley, Voices from Spirit Magazine.

Editors: For review copies or interviews with the author, contact Cindy Baker at 812-339-6000 x244 or by email at pressreleases@1stbooks.com. Please note that we cannot ship review copies to PO Boxes; we can ship to street addresses only. For radio and TV, please spell out "1stbooks" so it is not confused with "firstbooks" or other variations that sound similar but lead to the wrong site.

Please visit www.reginaldslewis.com for more information.

...return to book listing