January 19th marks the birthday of one of America’s most celebrated Civil Rights activists. As we take this day to honor the work done by Martin Luther King Jr., it is essential that we continue to question and investigate the racial injustices that plague the institutions and culture of this country. While incarcerated for his role in nonviolent resistance, Dr. King authored a letter from Birmingham Jail in Alabama that would become a notorious message of struggle and resist

2025 was a very productive and prosperous year for BTP! Some of our favorite highlights: We will have welcomed about 350 volunteers, donating around 8000hrs We grew our successful partnerships with 7 independent bookstores We hired a new Program Coordinator We caught up from being 5 months behind in Jan to being about a month and a half behind now A fine reading by Board member Anne in Issaquah brought renewed interest to 'Dear Books to Prisoners', a sequel to which we hope

Ella started as the new Books to Prisoners Program Coordinator about a month ago! She has loved meeting everyone, and is looking forward to continuing these introductions! Come introduce yourself and share a book recommendation with her on any of our Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evening sessions! Ella has long had a pressing interest in the social effects of the prison system and mass incarceration. During her time at UW as an undergraduate she focused her studies on carce

Third Place staff members are over the moon about introducing people to new books. Third Place Books has participated in our matched book drives during Independent Bookstore Days and Banned Books Week for a couple of years now. They also maintain an online wish list of books we need year-round. Rosa Hernandez talks about building community, one book at a time. How did you begin working with Books to Prisoners? If I remember correctly I think B2P reached out to us and it felt

The Front is the student newspaper at Western Washington University, in Bellingham WA. Journalism major Myla Balser interviewed several volunteers with Books to Prisoners in Seattle and a couple of Whatcom County literacy activists to connect the dots: people who read in prison have better post-release outcomes. "OPINION: Reading behind bars: The fight for literacy, dignity and rehabilitation - Incarcerated people find hope, autonomy and self-worth through literature provide

We Can’t Forget People Experiencing Incarceration in Our Fight for Readers’ Rights , an essay published today on Book Riot, describes...

Hello folks! There is a high likelihood that you found yourself here via a link showcased in the most recent Books to Prisoners weekly sign-up email. On behalf of our newly assembled web team, let me say: “tad premature!” We’re currently optimizing and refreshing the site to make it easier to navigate, fix some dead links and update some resources. Our vision is to make this a vibrant destination for both people looking for more information about Books to Prisoners and prison

Wing Mui, owner of Outsider Comics and Geek Boutique, displays some of the comics, manga and graphic novels she chooses for Books to Prisoners. Especially with comics from indie publishers, it can be a challenge to find material that passes prison mailroom scrutiny. Read how she does it: https://outsidercomics.com/how-do-we-select-comics-for-donation-to-books-to-prisoners/ Update:1/14/26 Outsider Comics has a new home and a new name. They are now Crow's Nest Comics, at 831 H

Books to Prisoners is part of a nationwide movement supporting incarcerated people's right to read. At least 60 prison book programs operate around the US and Canada. Kudos to Midwest Books to Prisoners in Chicago. Prison Banned Books Week Awards Inaugural Martin Sostre Memorial Fund to Midwest Books to Prisoners for their Anti-Censorship Work (New York)—Prison Banned Books Week announces the winner of the first, annual Martin Sostre Memorial Prison Books Fund to Midwest Book

Q&A about Phinney Books We’re coming up on our third Independent Bookstore Days promotion with Phinney Books in Greenwood. Owner Tom Nissley describes how the store has evolved over the past decade. How did you begin working with Books to Prisoners? Books to Prisoners came to us a few years ago to ask about partnering on some of their book drives and promotions, but it was a call we were delighted to get (and probably should have made ourselves, if we weren’t always busy and

We've been working with the Queen Anne Book Company (QABC) to get books on specific topics and titles to prisoners for five years. We put our first-ever wish list on the QABC website during quarantine in 2020. Manager Cole English shares his thoughts about what makes QABC stand out in a crowded marketplace. How did you begin working with Books to Prisoners? We began working with Books to Prisoners in 2019, when one of our booksellers began volunteering with the organization,

For the month of September, the evening volunteer shifts return to 4 - 8 pm, Tues/Wed/Thurs. Various keyholders will open and close. New volunteer orientation will be offered on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm. Masks are still required on Wednesday evenings. Thank you for hanging in there with us during this season of change. The results will be worth it.

Tyler Gleckler of the podcast Wiser Tomorrow interviews Andy Chan of Books to Prisoners. Tyler asks thoughtful questions. He gives Andy time to develop his answers. Listen to this hour-long conversation: https://youtu.be/JZ4n2Gq0MYI?si=f6WKJODQHuvgSZKk

Tuesday evening, Kelsey Fein is taking over for Curran Connelly. She's a returning member of the keyholders' collective. For the month of August, she has graciously agreed to host the evening shifts. We're adjusting our evening volunteer schedule while she's here. Tomorrow night, Tuesday August 6, we'll open at 5:30 and close at 9:30 pm. That will be our evening schedule, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, through Thursday, August 29. Orientations are scheduled for 6:00 pm, Tu

Curran Connelly is reprising their role as BtP program coordinator - this summer only! From their staff bio, visit https://www.bookstoprisoners.net/staff-board. "Curran served as the Program Coordinator for the first half of 2023 and had such a good time that they asked to join the Board, where they assist in general decision making and the occasional hosting of shifts. Curran is currently serving another stint as the Program Coordinator until beginning Law School at Seattle

"Books Through Bars" is a ground-breaking book about the groups and individuals who have organized around the principle that all people have the right to choose their own paths for intellectual development, and acted on that principle by sending incarcerated people free books on the topics of their choice. The editors have compiled essays from 25 long-time activists in this space. You’ll learn about the practical challenges, the endless struggle against the prison-industrial

In 2023, we received about 12,000 individual requests. Your generosity made it possible to send over 31,000 pounds of books to incarcerated individuals. That's the weight of three adult T.Rexes! All dinosaurs aside, we want to thank all of you for what you have contributed this year. Thanks to: The many individual or small-group donors who gave, small amounts or large, to support prison literacy. Special recognition to some of our institutional supporters, The Hull Family Fou

July, August, and September, we’ll be open during the following hours: Tuesdays 5-9 pm; sign up in advance Wednesday 9:30 am – 1:30 pm; our only drop-in shift Thursdays 5-9 pm; sign up in advance Sundays 1-5 pm; sign up in advance. (Sundays will replace Wednesday evenings as our mask-mandatory shift.) Want to learn more about volunteering?

You’ll stay cool as a cucumber at a picnic or a picket line. Shirts feature a quote from Eugene Debs and our permanent mailing address. “While there is a lower class I am in it. While there is a criminal element I am of it. While there is a soul in prison I am not free.” “Books to Prisoners, Box A, 92 Pike St, Seattle WA 98101” Juan from Oregon $30 includes postage. To order, email bookstoprisoners@live.com. Tell us whether you’d rather use Paypal or send a check. Specify

Author Andy Chan has been with BtP since 1994. Books to Prisoners is federally registered 501(c)3 nonprofit and has been since 2009 (donations to BTP are tax-deductible!). But for decades like many small charities we weren’t a 501(c)3, not least because the cost of applying seemed prohibitive, and the number of donors asking if they could deduct their donation was so few. But we did have a few such donors, so to accommodate them we had a fiscal sponsor. A fiscal sponsor is ty