Jorge Antonio Renaud: The Restlessness of Bound Wrists

Jorge Antonio Renaud is a rather mythic figure among local criminal justice activists. The current editor of the Caldwell/Hays Examiner, Renaud spent 27 years in Texas prisons, winning numerous writing awards while incarcerated. Upon his release, he earned a master’s degree in social work from UT-Austin and worked for Grassroots Leadership, LatinoJustice, and the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, authoring studies and legislation addressing our state’s prison addiction. He now introduces a poetry collection titled The Restlessness of Bound Wrists. The book launch – hosted at Red Salmon Arts Casa de Resistencia in Montopolis – will include music, tamales, face paintings, and a poetry reading from Adelie Donovan, the 2025 Hays County Youth Poet Laureate. – Brant Bingamon