"About 20 years ago, a man I was incarcerated with asked me to help him learn to read. . . I’ve never had any formal training to be a teacher, but I couldn’t say no. I found a copy of a large-print Reader’s Digest, and off we went."

Morgantown, WV folks: The Aull Center will be closed on Friday, September 19 for a staff meeting. Regular hours will resume Saturday. Shout out to Morgantown Public Library for sharing their home with us!

"Music connects me to my past and to people, some of whom I will never see, and never hold, again."

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our community wrapping party last night. Together, we wrapped seven FULL BOXES of books! All of which are now ready to be mailed out to incarcerated readers. Our next wrapping party is on Wednesday, October 15. We hope you’ll join us. ❤️

Ohio has a host of policies controlling which books people can have in prisons, how they can get them, and what they can do with them. The state banned 293 publications between February 2018 to January 2022. Search our database to see titles:

See y'all TONIGHT at our September community wrapping party! We'll be at Ascend WV from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome. ✉️📖📦 Hope you can join us!

We get about 200 letters a week from incarcerated folks requesting books. Sometimes, they decorate the envelope for us. Look at this phenomenal artwork from someone incarcerated in Maryland!

When's the last time you got lost in a good book? 📖 From an reader incarcerated in West Virginia: "I received the gardening book that you sent me about 3 weeks ago. Thank you very much. It is excellent and I have gotten lost in it for hours."

For the curious, here are some stats from August 2025: Total books logged: 121 Top state: Virginia (51 books sent) Top genre: reference and fantasy/sci-fi (a two-way tie at 18 books each) Thank you to everyone for your support and generosity! We couldn’t do this without you. ❤️

Attention Morgantown, WV folks: Mark your calendars for our September wrapping party! Join APBP at Ascend WV on Wed., Sept. 10 to help us send books to incarcerated people in Appalachia. Stop by anytime between 6-8 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome. We hope to see you there! ✉️📚📦

We’re back to our regular operating hours! 🎉 Volunteers, you’re welcome to stop by our office anytime the Aull Center is open: Monday, 9:00 am-6:00 pm Tuesday, 9:00 am-6:00 pm Wednesday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm Thursday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm Friday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm Saturday, 9:00 am-1:00 pm See you there!

If you love gorgeous, historic homes and being surrounded by books and letters, you should visit us on the second floor of the Aull Center. You'll have a great time! We promise. ❤️ P.S. The shelf in the photo is dedicated to mysteries and thrillers! What's your favorite book in that genre? 📖

From a reader incarcerated in WV: "Hi, it’s been awhile since i reached out to you. I’m at a different facility now. I want to thank you for the books that i received from you, I’ve enjoyed ever book you’ve sent me." Read more letter quotes:

Incarcerated folks are campaigning for their right to wear makeup in New York state prisons. "In the end, our makeup issue is far from “petty” or “girly.” We must find ways to retain our self-image and dignity as people while we are inside."

A lovely message from an incarcerated reader in West Virginia: "Thank you for the thoughtful notes you put in with the books that you take the time to send. Everything you do is special and makes life a little brighter. Its nice to know people truly care."

🚨🗞️ JOURNALISTS: As the criminalization of homelessness runs rampant in DC & across the country, it's more important than ever to rely on data to get the story right. Here are some useful resources that can help you to fight through misinformation 🧵

Morgantown, WV folks . . . mark your calendars for our fall community wrapping parties! ✉️📖📦 We'll be at the Ascend WV office on Sept. 10, Oct. 15, and Nov. 12—all Wednesdays, all from 6-8 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome. We hope to see you there. 🫶

⭐️ Attention Morgantown, WV folks: The Aull Center is temporarily adjusting operating hours until further notice. Please check the updated hours below before stopping by or volunteering: Mondays-Fridays, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Saturdays-Sundays, CLOSED

This is a great cause if you have spare books.

Good news: This request has (already!) been filled thanks to a generous donor. ❤️

We have a tricky book request we’re trying to fill. 📖 Matthew, incarcerated in TN, is looking for "The Nag Hammadi Scriptures.” Can you help by donating a paperback book? Mailing info below. 👇 P.S. Let us know if you can take care of this special request so we can cross it off our list! 📚

This week, Inquest covered extreme heat and lack of AC in US prisons, and how abolitionists need to learn the legal & financial ins-and-outs of how the carceral state organizes itself to hold people against their will. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...

Prisons cannot hold up against sweltering heat – most of these facilities lack AC & are basically concrete coffins that will only become more inhospitable for people who are locked up.

We love hearing about how the books we send make an impact on people: "The book you sent me is a gold mine of information I will probably consult for years to come. I loved it, and am still learning things from it. It’s all about carpentry. Thanks keep up the good work guy!"

Eight prisons in VA currently have no AC. For the people locked up in them, that means there's nothing but the oppressive heat. "We go to sleep in sweat and wake up in sweat twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with no respite until the summertime heat departs for the fall season."

An incarcerated reader in Virginia had this to say about John Grisham's "The Last Juror": "I liked the book I received from prison book project, it was a really good read from start to finish. I’ve read a lot of books and this one rates on my all time top ten list." 📖

Applications for the 2025–2026 Darrin Lester Scholarship are due TODAY, July 18! Now is your chance to apply if you haven't yet. 🎓 Get the details:

70% of parents in state prison keep in touch with their kids via mail. This outrageous hike on stamp prices will hit them hard – especially considering they are often paid pennies per hour (or LESS) for work behind bars.

Books are a kind of freedom.

Have you read "This Book Is Free and Yours to Keep: Notes from the Appalachian Prison Book Project" yet? Let us tempt you with this inside look at the making and impact of the APBP book:

We loved this story about books and libraries—from the beloved public ones on the outside to those imagined, created, and built book by book on the inside—by incarcerated writer Dan Grote via @plough.bsky.social. 📖 As Dan says, "Long live the magic of the book!"

A grim reminder this 4th of July: The US has the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy on Earth, making it a leader in mass incarceration. Far too many people are locked up in the “land of the free.”

"Correctional administrators outsource food service to corporations to reduce facility operating costs." ‪@biancatylek.bsky.social‬ & ‪@worthrises.bsky.social‬ break down the devastating human consequences of terrible prison food—and the profit incentives behind it. inquest.org/not-fit-...

Applications for the 2025–2026 Darrin Lester Scholarship are due July 18! Please share this opportunity with your networks. Students formerly incarcerated in WV or SW PA are encouraged to apply. 🎓 Get the details:

“I am thrilled to hear that you are hoping to start-up a pen-pal program!! As a child growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, our neighbors were of West Virginia descent. The best neighbors I have ever had!” - Ohio Learn more about our pen pal program:

As temperatures continue to skyrocket, remember that the conditions of incarceration make the heat unimaginably worse. Journalists behind bars tell their stories of surviving the extreme heat in prison via @themarshallproject.org:

I enjoyed this conversation a lot. I hope you'll enjoy reading this short (but sweet!) glimpse about what we do over at @appalachianpbp.bsky.social just as much.

We had a great time talking with @wvnews.bsky.social about our mission. Read the full article:

Our June wrapping party was a big success! More than 20 participants came and wrapped a full 5 boxes of books. We want to give a special shoutout to the “regulars” who helped us show the “newbies” how it’s done. Thank you all for coming! 🫶

We get about 200 letters a week from people behind bars. Here's a quote from a recent letter written by someone incarcerated in West Virginia:

See y'all TONIGHT at our June community wrapping party! 🎉 We'll be at Ascend WV from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome. ✉️📖📦 Hope you can join us!

For far too many people, Father's Day is a grim reminder that mass incarceration affects entire families.

Join APBP at Ascend WV next week on Wednesday, June 18, to help us send books to incarcerated people in Appalachia. You’ll wrap packages, read letters, and prepare books for the mail. Stop by anytime between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome. We hope to see you there! ✉️ 📚📦

How long has the US had for-profit prisons and unpaid prison labor? @robinmbernstein.bsky.social tells the story of how, **in the 1840s**, William Freeman, a Black man incarcerated in NY, sought back wages for his prison labor. Read about this lost chapter of history: inquest.org/the-prof...

Have you recently been released from a prison in WV or Southwest PA? Are you going to school this fall? Apply for the Darrin Lester Scholarship! Three scholarships are available for the 2025–2026 academic year. Applications due July 18. Apply today: appalachianprisonbookproject.org/what-we-do/e...

Attention Morgantown, WV folks: Join us for our June community wrapping party! 🎉 Stop by on Wednesday, June 18 between 6:00 and 8:00 pm to help us send books to incarcerated people in Appalachia. New and experienced volunteers welcome. We hope to see you there! ✉️📖📦

In a moving personal essay, Hugh Williams, Jr., sentenced at age 17 to 50 years in prison, writes about literally having his life saved by @appalachianpbp.bsky.social , which gives free books and educational assistance to incarcerated individuals. inquest.org/free-books/

Read the transcript here: wvpublic.org/award-winnin...

"I met several other deaf people while I was incarcerated. But we were all in separate dorms," a man told us. "They housed us sometimes with blind folks, which for me made communication impossible."