From the Town Hall Seattle web site, "Award-winning poet, author, and activist Luis J. Rodriguez is a leading Chicano writer whose works include the bestselling Always Running, a memoir of gang life in L.A.; The Republic of East L.A.; and Hearts and Hands. In an encore presentation of a similarly titled 2007 Town Hall talk, Rodriguez reads his poetry, shares his struggles as a former drug addict and gang member and explains how caring adults helped him get back on track. “I start with my own experiences as well as those from people I’ve worked with over the years,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t preach ‘anti-gang,’ but by telling these stories and their results, I hope to teach about choice, their own value as human beings, and what to do in crisis.” Books will be available for purchase and signing. Presented by the Seattle Public Library."