We provide literature and resources to incarcerated people, free of charge, to support them as they navigate the violent and alienating American carceral system. The materials we send encourage knowledge-gathering and community-building across walls designed to keep people apart. We remember those kept out of sight and extend humanity to the dehumanized.
Our recipients are adult men in jails and prisons in North Carolina and Alabama, as well as federal prisons in DE, KY, MD, TN, VA, and WV. While we focus mainly on male prisoners, the NC Women’s Prison Books Project serves women incarcerated in NC.
In addition to sending books, we have an extensive catalog of zines that we mail across the country, which range from political to educational, artistic to self-help. We also publish Words of Fire, a semi-regular collection of art, short stories, essays, and poetry by incarcerated people.