Appalachian Prison Book Project
Challenging mass incarceration through books, education, and community engagement.
Thousands of Appalachians voted in Appodlachia’s 2020 award show, and we’re excited to announce that the Appalachian Prison Book Project was named the Appalachian Organization/Non-Profit of the Year! We share our victory with many other Appalachian stars. Here are some…
Read More APBP Is the 2020 Appalachian Nonprofit of the Year
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…
At APBP, there are three main tasks for volunteers: opening letters from people in prison, matching the requests in the letters to a donated book on our shelves, and wrapping books in brown paper to be put in the mail.…
As doctors and scientists around the world struggle to recommend treatments and preventive measures for COVID-19, they also stress the importance of social distancing and maintaining proper hygiene practices. How capable are U.S. prisons—with their often cramped spaces and scant…
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
The day before going into a prison for the first time, I was anxious that I would somehow break the dress code and not be allowed in, despite reading through the dress code at least five times. I really wanted…
Read More My First Semester Working with Incarcerated People
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
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Appalachian Prison Book Project is temporarily closing its doors. Closed Until Further Notice APBP’s office is located in the Aull Center, which is owned and managed by the Morgantown Public Library. When they…
Read More APBP Suspending Volunteer Operations During Coronavirus Pandemic
