Dr. Helena D. Lewis

Dr. Helena D. Lewis is an award-winning actress, poet, playwright, and social worker with over 21 years of experience working with incarcerated women, parolees, and individuals battling substance abuse and mental health challenges. As a seasoned professional, she has worked with several non-profit organizations contracted with the New Jersey Department of Corrections and the State Parole Board, developing programs for residential community release and vocational rehabilitation.

Dr. Lewis’ background also includes establishing a drop-in center for sex workers with substance use disorders (SUD) in Newark, NJ. Her commitment to public health extended through her work with the CDC, providing case management for HIV-positive inmates. Currently, she serves as the SUD Treatment Director for a 41-bed facility for incarcerated women.

Her artistic journey began as a means of processing personal trauma, including the loss of her brother to AIDS. Known as “HDL” in the poetry community, Dr. Lewis has performed nationwide, including appearances on “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry.” Her acclaimed one-woman show, *Call Me Crazy: Diary of A Mad Social Worker*, portrays the complexities of the social services world and has enjoyed over 60 sold-out performances. It won an AUDELCO Award and was the longest-running solo show at the Nuyorican Poets Café.

Dr. Lewis also served as the first Playwright-In-Residence at the Downtown Urban Arts Theater Festival, where her show *SHEnanigans* was nominated for an AUDELCO Award. A recipient of the EMART Theater Services Award, Dr. Lewis holds a DSW and MSW from Rutgers University, where she currently teaches. She is now working on her fourth solo show, *We Are Still Human*, based on her research with formerly incarcerated women.