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This was the Penned Up where nobody moved. It was the winter of 2020-21 and while other festivals went online Penned Up went onto the wings. Outside it was tiers and lockdowns, ahead and behind us. Inside, for people in prison, little had changed.  HMP Lewes has some pluses, it has an excellent library –…

Running a version of Penned Up through the Covid19 lockdown Read more: Prisoners turn critics to review TV shows and films during Penned Up Festival

For the past two decades David Kendall has worked on a variety of creative projects in prisons. This talk is about his experience of being a co-director of “Penned Up,” a literary festival in a prison.

The answer funnily enough is 88! To find out why it takes 88 keys to escape prison read the article below.

John Bird: Investing in prisoners could help them rewrite their story The library offers educational, physical and social improvement to help you out of the sticky stuff. Read more: https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/john-bird-investing-in-prisoners-could-help-them-rewrite-their-story/

“The legacy of Penned Up: How prison literacy changed my life” Given a life sentence for GBH at the age of 29, all hope seemed lost for Steve Newark. But a pioneering prison literacy project helped Steve gain the self-belief, confidence and skills to turn his life around in front of the parole board. Read…

Penned Up: Prison literature festivals give much-needed life beyond the cells Penned Up’s David Kendall says his events give a space for honesty and openness, and the prisoners and the speakers rise to that. Read more: https://www.bigissue.com/latest/social-activism/penned-up-prison-literature-festivals-give-much-needed-life-beyond-the-cells/

Written as an address to himself, in this blog David Kendall reflects on how he measures the success of a two week arts and literature festival at HMP Downview. Penned Up is created with and for those in prison. Its two directors, Mark Hewitt and David Kendall, work with each prison to form a committee…