Randall Horton, Ph.D.
Director of Performing Arts Programs
Dr. Randall Horton is an award‑winning poet, memoirist, performer, and educator whose work bridges lived experience with artistic innovation. A Professor of English at the University of New Haven, he is the recipient of major national honors including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Literature, the Creative Capital Award, and multiple American Book Awards. His writing and performances explore identity, justice, and transformation, establishing him as one of the most influential voices in contemporary American literature.
Dr. Horton is also the Executive Director of Radical Reversal, a national creative‑justice organization that builds state‑of‑the‑art recording studios inside detention centers and marginalized neighborhoods. Radical Reversal’s mission is to dismantle cultural and structural barriers that silence justice‑impacted communities by expanding access to music production, storytelling, and creative education. Under his leadership, the organization recently received a $600,000 Mellon Foundation grant to expand digital media, music production, and narrative‑based programming for youth in detention.
His own journey—from incarceration to academic tenure—shapes his commitment to possibility and radical transformation. Dr. Horton is the only person in the United States to hold both seven felony convictions and academic tenure, a testament to his belief in redemption, creative agency, and second chances. His life’s work centers on amplifying voices that have been historically silenced and creating artistic pathways for people navigating the carceral system.
As Director of Performing Arts Programs at Ben Free, Dr. Horton brings this visionary approach to our community—using music, performance, and narrative to help system‑impacted individuals reclaim voice, build confidence, and engage in creative practices that support healing and liberation.