On September 24, 2017 – September 28, 2017, the Allen Hall Guest-In-Residence is Jimmy Santiago Baca, an award-winning American poet and writer of Chicano descent. While serving a five-year sentence in a maximum security prison, he learned to read and began to turn his life around, eventually emerging as a prolific artist of the spoken and written word. He is a winner of the prestigious International Award for his memoir, A Place to Stand, which is now also a documentary by the same title. His book, Martin & Meditations on the South Valley, received the American Book Award for poetry and the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature. In addition to over a dozen books of poetry, he has published essays, stories, and a screenplay, Bound by Honor, which was made into a feature-length film. Baca has conducted writing workshops in prisons, libraries, and universities across the country for more than thirty years. Jimmy Santiago Baca is being brought to campus in collaboration with the Honors Living Learning Community.

The Unit One/Allen Hall Guest-in-Residence Program consists of a series of visiting guests who have a diverse range of professions and interests. Guests live in Allen Hall, interacting with residents and the public in a variety of programs, performances, workshops, and informal discussions. Guests typically give introductory presentations on the first evening of their residency and hold nightly events thereafter in Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana.