Meet Sumaiya, Featured Volunteer for February 2026!

What got you interested in BTP to begin with, or what made you start volunteering? Does it tie in to the rest of your life in any meaningful way?

After some previous book-adjacent volunteering commitments (library tutor, Reading Partners) had ended, I was looking for something new. BtP makes it so easy to get involved in a sustainable way with the flexible scheduling and self-paced work. 

Is there anything you especially like about volunteering with us? What are your favorite parts of the process?

As an introvert who loves to be around books, this is the perfect volunteering setting for me (and everyone is so friendly). The puzzle-solving aspect of answering letters is also very engaging and satisfying. It's a great balance of exercising creativity and judgment while keeping within constraints. 

Everybody starts off by responding to letters, even if they eventually move on to wrapping or other tasks. Some of the letters can be memorable. Are there any requests that surprised you, or that you remember standing out in any way?

A letter that stood out for me came from an individual who had never cared for books growing up, but discovered a newfound love for reading while incarcerated. They spoke of books as entertainment, escape, and diversion. I'm also appreciative of the many letters that talk about sharing the requested items with a book club or passing along to others after reading. 

In the time that you’ve been here, do you think that your views on the prison system, or what it’s like to be incarcerated, have changed? Please feel free to talk about those views if you would like.

My rudimentary understanding of books in prison began with the famous Malcolm X (rest in power) quote, “my alma mater was books.” What I didn't realize until volunteering here was the extent of and variation in arbitrary and changing restrictions on what types of books a prison will allow in. Major credit to the coordinators at BtP who've stayed on top of these frustrating rules with such persistence, and to the folks who keep sending in letters despite potentially long waits and not always getting what's requested. 

Do you have any book recommendations for us? Is there anything you especially like to read in your spare time?

My latest read is whatever is on the Seattle Public Library Peak Picks shelf (most recently, Nobody's Girl by Virginia Giuffre). It's a great way to discover new and interesting books in genres I might not otherwise reach for. 

Are there any other parting words that you’d like to share with whoever is reading this?

Consider volunteering with us! Keep requesting books, keep reading – learning about some of the hurdles BtP faces made me realize how much I take access to books for granted.