Comics behind bars: Creativity as a key to greater empathy

转载声明：本文转载自 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning，版权归原作者及原媒体所有。

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), in collaboration with illustrator Patricia Thoma, the Prison Libraries Support Association of Germany, and the Hamburg Public Library, will host the event Comics Behind Bars: Creativity as a Key to Greater Empathy on 4 November 2026, from 19:00 to 21:30, at the Hamburg Central Library. The event forms part of UIL’s ongoing work on prison education.

Illustrator Patricia Thoma spent more than two years creating comics together with incarcerated people in over 20 prisons. Through these illustrated stories, inmates offer insights into their thoughts, emotions, and everyday lives between prison cells, work, and therapy. The stories are moving, honest, and enriched with a touch of dark humor.

In the panel discussion that follows the reading, Lisa Krolak (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning), Patricia Thoma (illustrator), and Hermann Wenning (Prison Libraries Support Association) will share further perspectives on the role of creativity in prisons.

The evening will be moderated by Katja Römer (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning).

Welcome and introduction to the comic project by Patricia Thoma

Performative comic reading by Patricia Thoma

Panel discussion: "Creativity as a Key to Empathy" with Lisa Krolak, Patricia Thoma, and Hermann Wenning

Audience discussion and participation

Networking and refreshments