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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)

@appalachianpbp.bsky.social

770 followers 160 following 150 posts

We send free books and provide educational opportunities to people incarcerated in Appalachia. 📖 https://appalachianprisonbookproject.org

appalachianprisonbookproject.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · Jan 6

Welcome, new followers!

APBP is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization based in Morgantown, WV that sends free books and provides educational opportunities to people incarcerated in Appalachia.

Here's how you can support our work.

Four people standing in a small room. There are several bookshelves packed with books lining the walls. Two people are reading letters, one person is looking through the books on a shelf, and one person is reaching for a rubber band. Photograph by Raymond Thompson Jr.

A bird's eye view of a person holding a letter and a book. They are standing near a bookshelf packed with books. The book they are holding has a red cover and printed with "Isaac Bashevis Singer, Love and Exile." Photograph by Raymond Thompson Jr.

Three people standing around a small table. It looks like they are having a conversation. One person is holding a book. One person is leaning against a shelf. We can only see the arm of the third person. There is a fourth person sitting at the table holding a book and two letters. Photograph by Raymond Thompson Jr.

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 2d

📖 The Bookshelf on Church in Kilmarnock, VA: bookshop.org/wishlists/30...

Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) Wish List

Bookshop.org Custom Registry

bookshop.org

Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 2d

📖 Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville, KY: www.carmichaelsbookstore.com/wishlist/1097 (P.S. Use the discount code APB to get 20% off wish list books!)

www.carmichaelsbookstore.com

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 2d

📖 WordPlay in Wardensville, WV: bookshop.org/lists/appala...

Appalachian Prison Book Project - Wish List

We believe so strongly in the power of books!

bookshop.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 2d

In other words, you can double your donation without any extra effort.

Grab a dictionary, an almanac, or any book from our wish lists to help:

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 2d

We’re out of 2025 world almanacs and low on dictionaries—two of our most popular requests. Can you help us stock up?

It’s #BannedBooksWeek, too, which means that if you purchase a book from our indie bookstore partner wish lists and donate it to APBP, your gift will be matched.

A maroon and gray flyer with a photo of books on shelves in the background. The text reads: “Banned Books Week. Appalachian Prison Book Project. Support the freedom to READ. October 5-11, 2025. Purchase a book from our indie bookstore wish lists and your donation will be matched! @AppalachianPBP.”

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Reposted by Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)

Haymarket Books @haymarketbooks.org · 2d

For #BannedBooksWeek, we’re highlighting the unjust censorship of political books which impacts countless incarcerated readers each year.

For every book purchased from this reading list, we will be sending a book to someone who is incarcerated.

Books Are For Everyone: A Banned Books Week Reading List

Banned Books Week—October 5th to 11th—is an annual celebration of the freedom to read, and the aspiration that books should be accessible to all. In recognition of Banned Books Week 2025, Haymarket is...

www.haymarketbooks.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 3d

We’re so grateful to our community, both near and far. Thank you for your support! We couldn’t do this without you.

Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 3d

📖 The Bookshelf on Church in Kilmarnock, VA: bookshop.org/wishlists/30...

Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) Wish List

Bookshop.org Custom Registry

bookshop.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 3d

📖 Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville, KY: www.carmichaelsbookstore.com/wishlist/1097 (P.S. Use the discount code APB to get 20% off wish list books!)

www.carmichaelsbookstore.com

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 3d

📖 WordPlay in Wardensville, WV: bookshop.org/lists/appala...

Appalachian Prison Book Project - Wish List

We believe so strongly in the power of books!

bookshop.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 3d

A donor will match all purchases made between Saturday, October 5 and Saturday, October 11. It’s an easy way to double your gift, expand access to literature behind bars, and stand against censorship.

Can you help by donating a book from one of our indie bookstore wish lists?

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 3d

At APBP, we’re dedicated to fighting censorship and book bans in prisons and jails across Appalachia and making sure people behind bars have access to the books. 📚

This #BannedBooksWeek, you can support our mission by donating a book from one of our indie bookstore wish lists.

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 3d

Attention Morgantown, WV folks: Mark your calendars for our October wrapping party!

Join us at Ascend WV on Wed., Oct. 15 to help us send books to incarcerated people in Appalachia. Stop by anytime between 6-8 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome.

See you there! ✉️📚📦

A blue event flyer with photos of books and people around tables. The text reads: "APBP presents. . . Community Wrapping Party. Help us wrap books to send to incarcerated people in Appalachia. When? October 15, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. Where? Ascend WV, 1279 University Avenue. Questions? Contact us at AppalachianPBP@gmail.com."

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Reposted by Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 7d

"Even if a price increase is justified like the state prison system claims, the broader, unaddressed problem is our compensation. Despite rising costs for commissary items and our cable package, wages have remained stagnant."

Our Monthly Prison Cable Bill Just Rose by $5. Many Can’t Afford It.

This summer, Pennsylvania’s prison system raised the cost of its cable package from around $17 to north of $22.

prisonjournalismproject.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you to everyone for your support and generosity. It’s what makes this work possible! We couldn’t do this without you. ❤️

Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 7d

For the curious, here are some stats from September 2025:

Total books logged: 334
Top state: Virginia (157 books)
Top genre: Reference (58 books)
Book highlight: "The Lost Art of Towel Origami" by Alison Jenkins, sent to Jessica in Virginia

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Reposted by Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)

The Marshall Project @themarshallproject.org · 15d

"Cell phone images smuggled out of jails and prisons across the country reveal food that hardly looks edible, let alone nutritious. ...kitchen workers at prisons in Arizona, Oregon, and elsewhere reported seeing boxes of food that were served to prisoners marked: 'not for human consumption.'"

Prison Food Is a Growing Billion-Dollar Industry. Many Meals Are Inedible.

As private food providers' contracts grow, the meager and moldy portions behind bars have forced some people to eat toothpaste and toilet paper.

www.themarshallproject.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 13d

#BannedBooksWeek is just around the corner (October 6–12). As we prepare for this week, we want to remind you of the ongoing struggle against prison censorship.

Don't forget that the largest book ban in the United States is behind bars:

We Can't Forget People Experiencing Incarceration in Our Fight for Readers' Rights: Book Censorship News, September 19, 2025

The state of book bans and censorship in American prisons. Where and how advocates can change this rampant First Amendment violation.

bookriot.com

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 21d

"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."

The Barriers to Learning to Read in Prison

Illiteracy has a profound impact on almost anyone. But in prison it has direct and immediate consequences for family connection.

filtermag.org

Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 21d

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!

Reposted by Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 24d

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

In Prison, My Radio Is Saving My Life

Music has always had the power to help transport me, and that’s especially true now. What will my soundtrack contain at the end of this 20-year sentence?

prisonjournalismproject.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 27d

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. ❤️

Reposted by Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)

The Marshall Project @themarshallproject.org · 28d

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:

Ohio Prison System Bans Java Computer Manual, But Allows Hitler’s Mein Kampf

Incarcerated people are baffled by the state’s book screening process.

www.themarshallproject.org

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Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · 28d

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!

Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) @appalachianpbp.bsky.social · Sep 7

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!

A cartoon drawing in colored pencil on an envelope.

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