"What I didn't know was that they (books) would fundamentally change the way I look at the world, those around me and even myself."

On May 23, 2026, the Books to Prisoners (BTP) community gathered at the Couth Buzzard in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood for a BTP Showcase and Community Night filled with raffles, a talk from a formerly incarcerated guest speaker, book readings from Dear Books to Prisoners: Letters from the Incarcerated, and appreciation of the art and poetry incarcerated letter writers have sent in to BTP.

This month we are looking for donations of Manga! Manga continues to be one of our most frequently requested categories, it flies off the shelves! Please consider donating new or used paperback manga.

The Couth Buzzard is one of our partner independent book stores where you can purchase books for us! Recently they hosted BTP volunteers and guests for a community night and showcase! How did you begin working with Books to Prisoners? Our history with Books to Prisoners goes back over a decade! I asked our previous owner, Theo, and he couldn't dredge up the exact origins, but I know the partnership was originally spearheaded by Sarah, a past employee to whom we owe a great de

“When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human quality; his mind does not become closed to ideas; his intellect does not cease to feed on a free and open interchange of opinions; his yearning for self-respect does not end; nor is his quest for self-realization concluded. If anything, the needs for identity and self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment.” - Thurgood Marshall, Procunier v Martinez, 416 US 428 (1974). The Pr