We send free books and provide educational opportunities to people incarcerated in Appalachia. 📖
Morgantown, WV
Joined February 2014
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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.
ALT 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.
ALT 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."
ALT 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.
See y’all TONIGHT at our October community wrapping party! 🎉
Stop by Ascend WV anytime between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. No experience required. Bring a friend! ✉️📖📦
Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) retweeted
Today is World Mental Health Day and World Homeless Day — two issues that are undoubtedly targeted by the criminal legal system.
Clearly, the U.S.'s approach is not working.
ALT Graphic with text: In the U.S., at least 63% of unhoused people with serious mental illness will be arrested in their lifetimes.
For the curious, here are some stats from September 2026:
Total books logged: 284
Top state: Virginia (121 books)
Top genre: Fantasy/sci-fi (42 books)
Book highlight: "A Storm of Swords" by George R. R. Martin, sent to James in West Virginia
Attention Morgantown, WV folks: Mark your calendars for our October wrapping party!
Join APBP on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, to help us send books to people incarcerated in Appalachia.
Stop by anytime between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome. ✉️📖📦
Some good news: Arkansas reversed a proposed ban on books in prison!
Read the story: arkansasadvocate.com/2026/09…
Morgantown, WV folks: If you enjoy reading handwritten letters, searching through shelves for just the right book, or wrapping gifts, we have just the thing for you.
Come volunteer with us!
Sign up for a training session to get started: appalachianprisonbookproject…
Leaving prison is often a complex and difficult process—emotionally, logistically, and financially.
In this piece from @MarshallProj, incarcerated folks share how they are preparing themselves for the transition: themarshallproject.org/2026/…
Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) retweeted
Family contact is a critical lifeline for incarcerated people, but behind bars, a single stamp could cost an entire day's worth of wages.
That's why we strongly support the Stamps for Staying Connected Act.
A stamp may seem small—but for someone in federal prison earning as little as 12 cents an hour, it can mean the difference between isolation and staying connected to the people they love.
I introduced the Stamps for Staying Connected Act to require the Bureau of Prisons to provide up to five first-class stamps each week to people who cannot afford them.
No one should lose touch with their family and loved ones simply because they cannot afford a stamp. Everyone deserves the dignity of being able to write home.
Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) retweeted
It's National Voter Registration Day
A common misconception is that anyone with a past criminal conviction is barred from voting, a myth that creates de facto disenfranchisement for many impacted by the system
In reality, it varies from state to state:
brennancenter.org/our-work/r…
ALT Screenshot of U.S. map showing states with criminal disenfranchisement laws
See y’all TONIGHT at our September community wrapping party! 🎉
Stop by Ascend WV anytime between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. No experience required. Bring a friend! ✉️📖📦
Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) retweeted
The carceral system is a black box, making it hard for students & teachers interested in the criminal legal system to study what’s happening inside the walls of prisons and jails.
📚 This back-to-school season, we put together some resources to fix that:
prisonpolicy.org/blog/2024/0…
This #LaborDay, we are thinking of an often-overlooked sector of workers in the United States: prison laborers.
In an article from the @prisonjourn, three incarcerated writers share a behind-the-scenes look at their day jobs behind bars: prisonjournalismproject.org/…
For the curious, here are some stats from August 2026:
Total books logged: 266
Top state: Virginia (120 books)
Top genre: Reference (39 books)
Book highlight: "Dungeon Crawler Carl" by Matt Dinniman, sent to Colin in Virginia
Attention Morgantown, WV folks: Mark your calendars for our September wrapping party!
Join APBP next Wednesday, September 9, to help us send books to people incarcerated in Appalachia.
Stop by anytime between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. New and experienced volunteers welcome.
From a reader incarcerated in Tennessee:
"i would like to request a book on anything arts and craft please and thank you have a wonderful month and just wanted to say i really enjoy and appreciate the books you send and the time you take to pick them out and send them!!!"
Fall volunteer training sessions are now live! 📚
If you've been thinking about volunteering with APBP, now's your chance. Sign up for a slot and get ready to learn everything you need to know about joining our team: appalachianprisonbookproject…
Happy #NationalBookLoversDay!
Let’s be honest: Every day around here is a day for book lovers. Have you seen our office? It has the best vibes around. 📚
Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) retweeted
Behind bars, pads & tampons are scarce, and the ones sold at commissary cost a fortune.
To make matters worse, menstruation is treated as misconduct: Bleeding through uniforms can lead to severe punishment.
truthout.org/articles/bleedi…
Mark your calendar for our August community wrapping party!
Join us on Wednesday, August 12. We'll be at Ascend WV from 6:00 to 8:00 pm reading books, wrapping packages, and sharing books with incarcerated folks across Appalachia. ✉️📖📦
New and experienced volunteers welcome.
Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) retweeted
A real pleasure to meet Professor Katy Ryan, the driving force behind the @AppalachianPBP
So fortunate to have her as part of our @WVUEnglish @WestVirginiaU faculty
Her work has been transformational and garnered support from @MellonFdn and many others – at Morgantown, WV
