Books Through Bars

We have a few spots left for Thursday evening's new volunteer orientation! Email [email protected] to nab your place

"Despite censorship and constantly changing rules about what prisoners can and can’t receive by mail, the largely volunteer-run prison books movement provides people inside with what Marquis calls “an escape from incessant monotony and loneliness.”"

The Story Behind the Prison Books Movement Books weren’t allowed in prisons in the 1970s; since then, millions have been given to incarcerated people across the country.

DYK we're part of a housing co-op? That's why we're thrilled to support , a worker-owned cleaning co-op that recently expanded to Philly. Thanks Up&Go for a much-needed deep clean and for wiping down every one of our thousands of books!

Learn about them here: https://www.upandgo.coop/locations/philadelphia-cleaning-services

"It's close to midnight
And something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed"..Because this is our thriller shelf right now! Have any thrillers laying around? We'd love them!

Thanks Norah Rami for this wonderful profile of our work, which was published this week in The Philadelphia Citizen and 34th Street Magazine

West Philly's Books Through Bars: Sentences for the Sentenced West Philly non-profit Books through Bars has provided the incarcerated with books for more than 30 years. This work is needed more than ever

Our fiction shelf is a HORROR to behold right now. 😨 Got any thrillers, mysteries, scifi, or horror books? Email [email protected] to set up a donation. Thanks! 🙏

We need business books! 👩‍💼💼📚 Email [email protected] if you have some to donate

BTB groups are cancelled for tomorrow (Saturday 1/19). Core volunteers with building access are welcome to come in if they choose to. Stay safe everyone!

A kind letter from one of our recipients about how receiving a package of books not only provides reading material, but knowledge that someone is thinking about them:

"Lucy, your recent shipment of books was above and beyond. I can't exaggerate, I sincerely felt as if someone had reached out, gave me a hug, told me I still mattered, and said "here these are for you." Admittedly, I didn't know a group of strangers could make me feel that way."

Thanks Professor for coming out to volunteer today! Professor is a service dog in training at Eyes Ears Nose and Paws and is visiting from North Carolina this week.

"If access to books decreases recidivism, then why would prisons limit it so much? The answer is profit. "

Ending Censorship Applies to Prison, Too: A Prison Banned Book Week News Roundup, 2023 U.S. prisons have banned tens of thousands of books and remain the largest purveyors of censorship.

Tens of thousands of books banned, restricted in US prisons: Report Tens of thousands of books have been banned or restricted in U.S. prisons, according to a report by PEN America, a free speech organization that has been tracking book bans in the country. On Wedn…

"Amy Schumer’s memoir “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo” was flagged by Florida officials for graphic sexual content and for being “a threat to the security, order, or rehabilitative objectives of the correctional system or the safety of any person.”" 🙃 🙃

'The Art of War' and Amy Schumer's memoir are among many books banned in US prisons. Here's why A new study from PEN America finds that tens of thousands of books are banned or restricted by U.S. prisons.

Happy Halloween! This spooky artwork was drawn on a letter we recently received 👻

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/10/18/prison-drugs-overdoses-book-banning

Many Prisons Restrict Books to Stop Drug Smuggling. Critics Say It Doesn’t Work. Battling an overdose crisis, more prisons are blocking books based on the sender or packaging. Free speech advocates call it a de facto book ban.

Big thanks to Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis for donating a FULL carload of legal books this morning! Law books, such PA Rules of Court, are among our most frequently-requested titles.

This shelf LOOKS full but business books fly out the door as soon as they arrive. Got any books on personal finance, investing, or how to start a business? Contact us at [email protected]

🆘 we need manga donations! Email [email protected] if you have any 🙏🙏

Calling all artists! 🎨 Our coloring, painting, drawing, and photography shelves need your love. Email [email protected] if you have anything to donate. 🧑🏿‍🎨

A well stocked fiction shelf is a beautiful thing. A huge THANK YOU to all of our book donators! 😍📚

We need computer and programming books! Five years old or newer, please. Learn more here: https://www.booksthroughbars.org/donate-books

Come out and visit us at the dollar stroll! As many books as you want for $1

Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison Her music makes me feel that I’m still part of the world I left behind.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our (first annual?!) BTB BBQ this Labor Day. We were able to make a huge dent in our backlog! Want to join us next time? There are a few slots left in our next new volunteer orientation this Thursday (9/7). Email [email protected] to sign up.

"More than 150 years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery except for “as punishment for a crime,” prisons don’t need to use physical force or coercion to ensure the continuation of a cheap and slave-like workforce."

I Worked in Federal Prison Sweatshops for 23 Cents an Hour Federal Prison Industries, or UNICOR, dangles the promise of workforce readiness as it exploits incarcerated workers like me.

Happening tomorrow (Friday)!

From our friends at AddressThis!: Friday, September 1st, stop by Pentridge Station Pop-Up to celebrate the launching of the next Address This! semester, meet other volunteers, listen to live music, and raise some money to cover the semester's shipping and printing costs. Doors at 6. Music at 7 with Snow Caps, Nicole Saphos Band, and Driftwood Soldier (feat. Katy Otto). There are no tickets, but we'll be passing a hat for donations throughout the night. Bringing friends is highly encouraged, especially if they might be interested in future work nights or transcription!

From our friends at AddressThis!: Friday, September 1st, stop by Pentridge Station Pop-Up to celebrate the launching of the next Address This! semester, meet other volunteers, listen to live music, and raise some money to cover the semester's shipping and printing costs. Doors at 6. Music at 7 with Snow Caps, Nicole Saphos Band, and Driftwood Soldier (feat. Katy Otto). There are no tickets, but we'll be passing a hat for donations throughout the night. Bringing friends is highly encouraged, especially if they might be interested in future work nights or transcription!

This is such a loss for Philadelphia! Support the family Josh left behind here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/uptrx-memorial-fund-to-support-joshs-family

Thanks for coming out, Pennsylvania Prison Society!

📸 At a recent Books Through Bars event, staff and interns invoiced three boxes filled with books to the SCIs (Correctional Institutions). This powerful initiative fosters hope, compassion, and personal growth.

Want to learn more about ? 👉 https://bit.ly/3Cg55gP