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Dialogue: Scott West On Preservation, Prison and History's Criminal Class

Inside of Knoxville

As the 20th century rolled into the 21st, Scott West was considered a whiz-kid entrepreneur, one of the architects responsible for the revitalization of Knoxville's downtown.  But the conversation about Scott West changed in 2006, when he was arrested for his role in a marijuana-smuggling operation, one in which he was convicted of using his popular downtown properties to launder drug money.  

The experience of spending the next 4 1/2 years in prison never left him.  And now, he's documenting his memories, opinions and observations in a funny, pointed collection of fairy tales, letters, recipes and essays. It's called The Crook Books:  Scott West's Recipes for Disaster (Volume One- Good Intentioned Bad Guys).

On this episode of Dialogue, Matt Shafer Powell sits down with West to talk about the book, his role in Knoxville's renaissance and history's criminal class.