Appalachian Prison Book Project
Challenging mass incarceration through books, education, and community engagement.
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,…
Read More Writing from Death Row: On Being Transgender in Prison
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…
Read More In Prison, It’s Impossible to Practice Social Distancing
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,…
Read More “People Will Die:” What It’s Like to Be in Prison During the Coronavirus Pandemic
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…
Read More Religion Behind Bars: Building Community During COVID-19
