Dwayne Betts is an author, poet, juvenile justice activist, and a 2010 Soros Justice Fellow. A frequent lecturer and commentator, he was nominated for the 2008 Pushcart Award for Poetry, was a finalist for the 2007 Ruth Lily Fellowship in Poetry, and was a Cave Canem Fellow in 2006 and 2007.
Betts's memoir, A Question of Freedom, published in 2009, was honored by the NAACP's 2010 Image Awards as "Outstanding Literary Work" by a debut author. In addition to his writing and speaking, Betts is also a committed educator, having served as the program director for the DC Creative Writing Workshop since 2006.