This summer, help a local organization send books to people in prison.
Written and photographed by Jordan Pugh
In the heart of downtown Morgantown, a group of dedicated gift wrappers, book lovers, and other community members get together from time to time to send a lifeline to people who truly need it: They mail books to people in prison.
It’s a long-term activity at the heart of the Appalachian Prison Book Project. APBP took up residence in the historic Aull Center downtown in 2006, and it has worked ever since to send free books and share the joy of reading with people in prison.
APBP receives more than 200 book requests weekly—for example:
If possible, can you please send me a book to read? I would really like to read about women in the old West and how they helped to make this country. Historical fiction would also be great, or anything about Martha Washington or any of the queens of England would be great.” —Wartburg, Tennessee
As an all-volunteer organization, APBP relies on the help of volunteers to fulfill its many book requests. This summer, the group is hosting monthly community book-wrapping parties: gatherings of all kinds of folks in the Morgantown area and beyond who are interested in helping get books into the hands of eager readers who are incarcerated in the region. Anyone can stop by to help open requests and package books to mail to incarcerated readers across six states—parties this summer are scheduled for June 12 and July 24.
The right book can make all the difference for a person in prison. One recipient writes:
Thank you so much for all you have done for me. Because of your book program sending me Michie’s West Virginia Code Annotated, I was able to litigate an amended sentence order from life without parole to eligibility for parole after serving 15 years. In other words, you helped save my life. —Mt. Olive, West Virginia
If you can’t make it to one of the wrapping parties, you can support APBP by volunteering in other ways or donating. Follow along with the organization’s philanthropy and find ways to get involved on its socials—@appalachianpbp.
The Deets
Dates: Wednesday, June 12, and Wednesday, July 24
Time: Stop by any time from 6 to 8 p.m.
Location: Ascend WV, 1279 University Avenue, near the Westover Bridge
Parking: The Pleasant & Chestnut Parking Garage is a two-minute walk from the Ascend WV office
Event contact: appalachianpbp@gmail.com
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