This series of letters is an imaginative response to the people who write to APBP. I’ve been volunteering with APBP for over four years, mainly preparing books to be mailed. I am now a professional writing and editing intern for…
Category: Voices from the Inside
Mail Call in the Prison System
Words diamonds on pages of gold A message from heaven as their story is told, “We love you, miss you, pray you’ll be free.” A treasure-filled envelope just for me. Please bring memories of joy I once knew Family, friends…
Why Donate to Prison Book Projects When Prisons Have Libraries?
“A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe” — Madeleine L’Engle Most prisons have libraries, so why has APBP mailed over 45,000 books across six Appalachian states: West…
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Writing Is Freedom: A Legacy
A couple of weeks ago, the APBP team received the heartbreaking news that one of the members of the Appalachian Community Think Tank (ACTT) has passed away in prison. His name was Jon, and he was preparing for an upcoming…
Writing from Death Row: On Being Transgender in Prison
In December 2016, I received an email from an attorney asking me if I would be interested in writing to one of his clients on death row. He said the client was working on several writing projects, mainly fantasy books,…
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In Prison, It’s Impossible to Practice Social Distancing
As a prison legal aid, Steven has assisted people for years with their legal cases by reading trial transcripts, diagnosing errors, and preparing the appropriate pleading. He wrote an essay about his experience in prison toward the beginning of the…
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“People Will Die:” What It’s Like to Be in Prison During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Prisons aren’t prepared for pandemics like COVID-19. For Steven, incarcerated in Pennsylvania, such an inadequate response means he is helping other incarcerated men write compassionate release papers. The other thing to know about Steven is this: Early in the pandemic,…
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Religion Behind Bars: Building Community During COVID-19
In this excerpt from his journal, Magical Charlie wrote about his experience with COVID-19 restrictions in a Pennsylvania prison: March 22, 2020 After they nixed our outside volunteers, our Sunday night Prayer & Share group was kaput. On the 19th…
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