Posted in CT State.
- Temp Last Modified:
2024-10-18
CT State Norwalk’s Common Read Program’s mission is to provide first-year students with a shared, enjoyable, academic experience that introduces them to an educational community where intellectual discourse is fostered and valued.
This year's Common Read is The Sing Sing Files by Dan Slepian. See Common Read selections from previous years.
Common Read 2026-2027
The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice
Dan Slepian
For more than two decades, investigative journalist Dan Slepian followed six men who maintained their innocence from inside Sing Sing prison.
What began as a single story became a twenty-year journey–uncovering flawed evidence, unreliable witnesses, prosecutorial misconduct and a justice system resistant to admitting error.
The Sing Sing Files is a gripping account of persistence, friendship and the power of journalism to expose the truth.
(copied from the author's website)
WATCH/LISTEN | Discover and Engage with The Sing Sing Files
Learn More
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JJ Velazquez
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Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez's career as an activist for legal reform began in 1998 when he was wrongfully convicted as the shooter in the murder of a retired police officer. He spent almost 24 years in New York state maximum security prisons assisting, educating and mentoring incarcerated people and their families.
While incarcerated, JJ earned a bachelor's degree in behavioral science and became a certified paralegal. He was considered a "one-man innocent project," helping other wrongfully convicted individuals obtain freedom. JJ was also an elected liaison between the prison population and administration, while working to help others obtain their college degrees in his capacity as a program assistant at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. As a leading light at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, he organized a delegation of leaders and implemented several positive programs, including CHOICES, which has served hundreds of children impacted by crime and incarceration.
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After receiving executive clemency from Governor Cuomo in 2021, JJ met with President Biden to discuss justice reform at the White House, where he apologized to JJ on "behalf of all society." JJ’s advocacy expanded through projects like the Pulitzer Prize Finalist podcast Letters from Sing Sing, the book The Sing Sing Files and the Emmy-winning MSNBC/NBC News Studios docuseries The Sing Sing Chronicles. His role in the Oscar-nominated A24 film Sing Sing further amplified his voice on wrongful convictions.
After a 27-year battle with the legal system, JJ was exonerated on September 30, 2024, in the Manhattan Supreme Court, marking one of the most impactful cases in U.S. history. His multifaceted efforts continue to drive meaningful change and amplify the voices of the marginalized. JJ now serves his community nationally as the Director of Impact and Partnerships at the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, locally as the co-founder and CEO of MONUMENTAL MEDIA and Voices From Within, based in New York.
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Learn More About JJ Velazquez
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Dan Slepian
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Dan Slepian is an award-winning investigative journalist and Senior Investigative Producer for NBC Dateline, where he has spent more than three decades uncovering wrongful convictions, exposing systemic failures in the criminal legal system and producing some of the nation's most impactful investigative reporting. Through relentless reporting and years of building trust with incarcerated individuals and their families, Slepian has helped bring national attention to cases of injustice and contributed to the exoneration of multiple wrongfully convicted people.
His critically acclaimed podcast Letters From Sing Sing debuted at number one and was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2024. In 2025, he earned an Emmy Award for Best Documentary for The Sing Sing Chronicles, further cementing his reputation as one of the country's leading investigative storytellers.
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Slepian is also the author of the bestselling book The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice, which chronicles his decades-long pursuit of truth and justice on behalf of wrongfully convicted individuals.
Beyond journalism, Slepian is a co-founder of Voices From Within, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering justice-impacted individuals through storytelling, mentorship, leadership development and advocacy. His work continues to demonstrate the transformative power of investigative journalism to expose injustice, restore dignity and inspire meaningful systemic change.
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Learn More About Dan Slepian
Fall 2026 Common Read Week Schedule
Keynote Session
From Wrongful Conviction to Freedom: The Story Behind The Sing Sing Files with Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez and Dan Slepian
Date: October 28, 2026
Time: 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Location: The David L. Levinson, Ph.D. Performing Arts Community Theater (East Campus)
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Exploring Careers in Criminal Justice: A Professional Career Panel
Time: 8-9:15 a.m.
Location: GENRE Forum
Come meet with criminal justice professionals and explore diverse careers in criminal justice and gain valuable advice on education, skills, internships and employment opportunities.
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Inside the Fight Against Wrongful Convictions
Time: 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Location: GENRE Forum
Join Public Defender Barry Butler from Connecticut's Innocence Project for an eye-opening discussion on wrongful convictions, the challenges of navigating the criminal justice system and the work being done to exonerate innocent individuals. Learn how legal advocacy, forensic science and policy reform help prevent wrongful convictions and incarcerations.
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The Human Impact of Incarceration: A Mental Health and Re-Entry Panel
Time: 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Location: Microsoft TEAMS (Virtual)
This virtual panel brings together mental health professionals and reentry practitioners to explore the lasting impact of incarceration on individuals, families and communities. Through a conversation grounded in the themes of The Sing Sing Files, we will examine the intersections of criminal justice, mental health and advocacy while learning about the challenges and opportunities people face as they rebuild their lives after incarceration.
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Ethics Café: The Cost of Wrongful Convictions
Time: 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Location: Culinary Arts Dining Room (W121)
How should society respond when innocent people are wrongfully convicted? Through the lens of The Sing Sing Files, participants will explore the ethical consequences of wrongful convictions for individuals, families and communities. Discussion topics include due process, bias, accountability and what it means to create a justice system worthy of public trust.
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Sunny Jacobs: A Theatrical Presentation Based on Excerpts from The Exonerated
Time: 2-3:15 p.m.
Location: David L. Levinson Ph.D. Performing Arts Community Theater (East Campus)
In the 1970s, Sunny Jacobs was the only woman on death row and spent 17 years in prison for murders she didn't commit. While incarcerated, her children grew up without parents, her own parents died and her husband suffered one of the most botched death-row executions in American history. CT Norwalk Performing Arts students will perform excerpts of Sunny's story, followed by a viewing of Sunny's own Ted Talk speech: "The Joys of Forgiveness on Death Row."
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On the Outs: Accessibility and Reentry
Time: 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Location: GENRE Forum
Created through the Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities Project at Disability Rights Washington, On The Outs: Reentry for Inmates with Disabilities (2016) uses short-form documentary filmmaking to follow the stories of people with disabilities navigating reentry and bringing awareness to the importance of disability rights and accessibility for people experiencing incarceration. A short, guided discussion will follow the screening of On the Outs.
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Not Asking for Freedom – But Free: Prison Poetry
Time: 7-8:15 p.m.
Location: Library
Join us in exploring how the emotional toll of prison can be expressed through creativity. We'll hear the works of three prisoners who found poetry as a means to express their experience of captivity.
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DNA Fingerprinting
Time: 8-9:15 a.m.
Location: W105
Join us to learn the process of DNA fingerprinting with a hands-on DNA extraction lab.
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Trivia Unlocked
Time: 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Location: GENRE Forum
Put your knowledge to the test in a fun, fast-paced The Sing Sing Files trivia challenge. Compete for prizes while exploring themes of justice, truth, and perseverance.
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From Wrongful Conviction to Freedom: The Story Behind The Sing Sing Files
Time: 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Location: David L. Levinson, Ph.D. Performing Arts Community Theater (East Campus)
Join award-winning journalist and author of The Sing Sing Files, Dan Slepian and exoneree Jon-Adrain “JJ” Velazquez for a powerful keynote presentation exploring the fight for justice. Through firsthand experiences and investigative storytelling, they will share the remarkable journey that led from wrongful conviction to exoneration and a new beginning.
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At the Table with Dan Slepian and JJ Velazquez
Time: 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Location: Culinary Arts Dining Room (W121)
Share lunch and conversation with The Sing Sing Files author Dan Slepian and exoneree JJ Velazquez. Hear their powerful story, gain insight into the pursuit of justice and engage in an informal discussion about the real-life events behind the book.
*This event is invite-only*
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Trivia Unlocked
Time: 4-5:15 p.m.
Location: GENRE Forum
Put your knowledge to the test in a fun, fast-paced The Sing Sing Files trivia challenge. Compete for prizes while exploring themes of justice, truth, and perseverance.
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Library Scavenger Hunt: The Sing Sing Files Edition
Time: 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Location: GENRE Forum
Step into the world of The Sing Sing Files through an interactive scavenger hunt. Explore the library's collection, uncover resources connected to themes of justice and wrongful convictions and work with classmates to solve clues, make discoveries and deepen your understanding of the stories behind the book.
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Library Scavenger Hunt: The Sing Sing Files Edition
Time: 7-8:15 p.m.
Location: GENRE Forum
Step into the world of The Sing Sing Files through an interactive scavenger hunt. Explore the library's collection, uncover resources connected to themes of justice and wrongful convictions and work with classmates to solve clues, make discoveries and deepen your understanding of the stories behind the book.
Past Common Read Selections
- 2022: Girl Decoded by Rana el Kaiouby
- 2021: The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
- 2019: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- 2018: Bullets into Bells by Dean Rader, Alexandra Teague and Brian Clements
- 2017: Lottery by Patricia Wood
- 2016: When the Emperor Was Divine by Julia Otsuka
- 2015: Spare Parts by Joshua Davis
- 2014: Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage
- 2013: Garbology by Edward Humes and Joe Barrett
- 2012: The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
- 2011: Outcast United by Warren St. John
The Small Business Center at Gateway is conveniently located on the first floor of the South building, in Room S105. The center includes the New Haven Chapter of SCORE offices and provides the opportunity for sponsorships, partnerships, and affiliations for programs and client services with SBA, Connecticut Procurement Technical Assistance, the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, U.S. Department of Commerce Middletown Export Assistance Center, Hartford Entrepreneurial Center, Women’s Business Center, and Connect Veterans, Inc.
