‘The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Philosophy’ with Andy West

Join us in conversation with Andy West, teacher of philosophy in prisons and author of ‘The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Philosophy’.

Andy West teaches philosophy in prisons. He has conversations with people inside about their lives, discusses their ideas and feelings and listens as the men and women he works with explore new ways to think about their situation. Could we ever be good if we never felt shame? What makes a person worthy of forgiveness? Could someone in prison ever be more free than someone outside? These questions about how to live are ones we all need to ask, but in this setting they are even more urgent.

To mark its publication, Andy will do a short reading from his new book: The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Philosophy. This will be followed by a chaired conversation when we’ll open the virtual floor to questions and comments from the audience.

Andy West has written for 3AM, the Guardian, The Times Education Supplement, The Millions, Litro, Boundless and Bloomsbury. He lives in London and works for the Philosophy Foundation. He has taught philosophy in prisons since 2016. The Life Inside is his first book.