I Went To My Dad's Funeral In Handcuffs | Will Pendray

This week we are joined by author and poet Will Pendray. His debut poetry collection Overgrown contains extracts from throughout his sentence, where he would use poetry to work through the things he was dealing with. Whilst serving his sentence, Will began studying at Open University and would go on to complete an MA in Creative Writing. He now uses poetry to inspire change, returning to prisons and communities to share his work and story.

Useful Organisations

• Safe Ground – Use storytelling, creative writing, and the arts in prisons to help people reflect, build identity, and support rehabilitation.

• Clean Break – They use theatre, writing, and storytelling to empower women affected by the criminal justice system, helping them express their experiences and build new opportunities.
• Longford trust - Supports people with convictions to access higher education while in prison and after release. Provides scholarships, mentoring, and employability support to help individuals build brighter futures and reduce reoffending.
• National literacy trust - a UK charity dedicated to improving reading, writing, speaking and listening skills among children and young people. It works with schools, communities and businesses to tackle literacy inequality and help disadvantaged pupils reach their full potential.
• Unbarred Press - an independent UK publisher that showcases writing and artwork created by people in prison and after release. It provides a platform for underrepresented voices, helping writers gain recognition, confidence and opportunities beyond the criminal justice system.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

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📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

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