Books to Prisoners (Seattle)

New Arkansas prison policy to restrict how inmates receive books starting in February The policy will prohibit books, magazines, and other physical media from being sent directly to inmates.

New Arkansas prison policy to restrict how inmates receive books starting in February

The policy will prohibit books, magazines, and other physical media from being sent directly to inmates.
www.5newsonline.com/article/news...

A photograph of Kris Fulsaas in front of a red and white poster hanging on a white wall celebrating 50 years of operation for Books to Prisoners. Kris is smiling widely. She has a ponytail and is wearing a blue sweater and jeans.

Friend of BTP Bill Thorness wrote a lovely profile of our organization and of Kris Fulsaas--a force of nature who has held us together for 36 years. "One guy said he gave [the book we sent] to his kids because he had nothing else to give them for Christmas"

billthorness.substack.com/p/books-to-p...

Rectangular Giving Tuesday 2025 graphic for Books to Prisoners. It has a beige-gray background color. The Giving Tuesday logo is toward the top of the graphic in black. Halfway down the graphic, two arms in the style of sketched drawings, outstretched, in black pencil, reach toward each other from the edges of the graphic. One is turned palm up, the other is turned palm down. A red heart, also in the style of a sketch drawing, hovers between the arms. Below the arms, in black font: "The gift of books." Below that, "www.bookstoprisoners.net" is written in red font. Below that, "December 2, 2025" is written in black font. All writing is the same width, extending three-quarters across the graphic from the center.

In 2025, we've spent $6,500 per month to ship 35,000 pounds of books to 10,823 readers behind bars. That's a lot of stories told, skills learned, and wisdom gained. On Giving Tuesday, your gift will provide books for the next patrons. $50 reaches 9 more readers: www.bookstoprisoners.net/donate-money

Thank you letter on lined paper handwritten to Books to Prisoners: "12 AUG 25 To the great people who give their time, Thank you so much for the Japanese usage guide you sent. It is a wonderful reference to enhance my study of Japanese language. In learning to write letters in Japanese I have discovered that our salutations are replaced with seasonal greetings. The one included above translates to: Shoka noe yoo na atatakala ga tsuzuite orimasu, "The weather is warm, as if it were early summer." It has in fact been unbearable hot, but to complain would be rude. This book is sure to be helpful as I progress in my studies. Mazu wa o-rei made (Just to express thanks)"

Thank you letter on lined paper handwritten to Books to Prisoners: "1/3/2025 Dear Volunteers, Happy New Year! Thank you all for the wonderful books you sent me last year. I really appreciate everything you do for guys like me. I can't wait to see what you choose for me this year. Hopefully you won't find the books I like too taxing to search for. Take care and happy hunting. You people are awesome! Your #1 fan. Books of Interest: I love graphic novels, the bigger the better. Otherwise, non-fiction only please. I'm a history nut. I love pretty much all kinds of history, ancient military all the way to modern. History books that contain lots of old photos, paintings or engravings are highly sought after. Time-Life or Nat Geo series books also wanted (no magazines). Time-Life's The Old West series is great. Coffee table books about famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, classic cars, motorcycles, famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright's works, nature, animals, etc. Lastly, I'd love a copy of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader if you spot one. Thanks again everyone! P.S. Knowledge is to be shared not held onto. That's why I donate all the books you send me to the prison library when I finish reading them." A cartoonish smiley face is drawn at the bottom.

Typed thank you letter to Books to Prisoners: "To The Staff: Just got the copy of "Gravity's Rainbow." You guys are too fucking cool! I've been wanting to re-read this one for some years now but I couldn't come up on a copy. How did you know to send it? The 'book gods' must be looking out for me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Please find enclosed two (2) stamps. I wish I could do more."

Today, we are thankful for every time the right book from our organization finds the right person. When a book in the right hands brings joy and contemplation and growth and a reprieve from the tedium and dehumanization of incarceration. #thanksgiving

Paper book ban sparks independent audit of Metropolitan Detention Center A new policy at MDC removing paper books and paper letters from inmates is under scrutiny.

“I’ve gotten reports from lawyers ...that there’s two tablets for the entire segregation pod. And so, people are getting like, 30 minutes a day with the tablet...that’s not just your reading material. That’s also how you read your mail, how you contact your family.”

www.kob.com/new-mexico/p...

Paper book ban sparks independent audit of Metropolitan Detention Center A new policy at MDC removing paper books and paper letters from inmates is under scrutiny.

We need to keep talking about the situation in Bernalillo County MDC, where ALL paper books--including personal possessions--were taken away from incarcerated people earlier this year. The proposed replacement is a tablet with extremely limited book options.

www.kob.com/new-mexico/p...

A photo of a GED certificate.

A photo of a handwritten letter. The text reads: “Dear Appalachian Prison Book Project, I am so very proud today to give you wonderful people a copy of my diploma. And why am I giving all you guys at APBP this copy? It’s because without you and all of your donations, I wouldn’t have been able to pass! Please don’t laugh guys, this is very serious to me. Over the years, you guys have given me math, physics, and also school books to help with my GED. I also want you to know that because of all of your help, I was able to keep a 28-year-old promise to my dad. You see, my father dropped out of school in grade school. So he never learned to read or write. I made a promise to him when I dropped out to go back and get my diploma when things got better. Well, 28 years later and here we are. Also, my 15 year old has ADD, and my youngest has autism, and I have ADHD myself. Well, because of you wonderful people at APBP, with your help in helping me, now you’re helping my sons also. Now they wanna be just like daddy . . . I thank each and every one of you so, so much. God bless you all. And go home and tell your husband or wife, children or friends that you changed a life for the better. I pray you can help me on my next venture in life also. See the next page. Thank you so much guys. For me, but most of all for my sons.”

We received a stunning letter (with something special attached) this week from a man incarcerated in Virginia. We want to share it with you all.

Tldr: Books change lives. BOOKS CHANGE LIVES. And we couldn’t have helped this scholar without you. Thank you for your support.

November is Native American Heritage Month We need donations of paperback Native American nonfiction and fiction by Native American authors year-round. We're especially low right now. We're looking for fiction, biographies and memoirs by and a...

November is Native American Heritage Month. We serve many incarcerated patrons who seek books written by indigenous people or concern the lived experiences of indigenous people. We need help to fill our shelves with materials to provide for these requests:

www.bookstoprisoners.net/post/novembe...

Thank you graphic for Banned Books Week 2025, made by Books to Prisoners Seattle. The top half has a bright blue background. On top of the background is light yellow scribbled text reading "THANK YOU!". The words are tilted at an angle. This text partially covers a sketchbook-style drawing of three stacked hardcover books. The books are outlined in black but they are colored blue, like the background. Beneath the bright blue section is a section with a white background. In the same font as above is written: "332 PAPERBACKS GIFTED TO BOOKS TO PRISONERS SEATTLE/$6,225 RAISED FOR NEW BOOKS". At the bottom right of the graphic is a line of light yellow text reading "BANNED BOOKS WEEK 2025". At the very bottom right corner is the orange and blue logo for Books to Prisoners Seattle, which is a square logo with an open book in the middle whose pages are turning to birds flying into the sky.

The numbers are in from Banned Books Week 2025! Together, you donated 332 paperbacks and unlocked $6,225 in matching funds to help us purchase even more books. We are so grateful for your kindness and for your unwavering commitment to the people who need these books and this program.

Greg helped out with some work related to prison book bans I did with @bookstoprisoners.bsky.social several years ago. He was fantastic.

The trap of Florida’s prison food For-profit deals between prisons and private fast food companies force incarcerated people to pay for their own poor health

For-profit deals between prisons and private fast food companies force incarcerated people to pay for their own poor health. Story via @prismreports.org.

Down with prison book bans!

Wisconsin woman challenges prison's book ban after warden blocks humorous gift A Wisconsin woman is speaking out after a state prison warden refused to allow a book she purchased as a gift to reach an inmate, despite the book being shipped from an authorized vendor.

She's voicing important things about prison censorship:

1. Oversight to stop harmful decisions needs to happen NOW.

2. Mailrooms claim ANYTHING on a book is "drugs". Proof? Who cares!

Thank you for speaking up. It coincides perfectly with #PrisonBannedBooksWeek2025.

www.tmj4.com/about-us/lig...

Promotional graphic for Prison Banned Books Week 2025. The background is olive green. At the top left corner is the black and transparent logo for PBBW (a bird flying over four stacked rectangles reading PRISON BANNED BOOKS WEEK. At the top right corner in charcoal gray scribbled font: OCTOBER 19-25. Spanning the middle is a photograph of a rejected package of books from Books to Prisoners. Scrawled on the shiny wrapping material, in thick black Sharpie: USED BOOKS NOT ALLOWED. At the bottom, inside a drawing of a black and transparent wavy banner, in black scribbled font: BOOKS NOT BANS.

Today is the 1st day of Prison Banned Books Week, a week examining the catastrophic impact of censorship on information access in carceral facilities. Go to prisonbannedbooksweek.org for updates & actions this week, and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BOOKS TO PEOPLE IN PRISONS GROUP via books, $, volunteering!

Join us October 19 for a panel on book censorship Panel: Banned Books: What’s the Story?Oct 19, Sunday, 2-4, pmSeattle Central Library, (Room: Level 4, Rm 1)1000 4th Avenue, Seattle MC: Anna Bálint. Panelists: Nancy Rawles, Rena PriestWe're co-sponso...

We are co-sponsoring a panel on Sunday, October 19 about banned books in the United States organized by @ravenchron.bsky.social

Join us from 2-4 pm at Seattle Downtown Library!

www.bookstoprisoners.net/post/join-us...

Amazing! We had no idea that box existed. This has now been turned on for our account. Thank you again for taking the time to help.

This is always a good and necessary reminder! If you check our post history prior to this post, we do try to do alt text on every picture. This is a post that this step was forgotten, unfortunately, but it absolutely should have been included. Your attention & repost with caption is appreciated.

Today, Oct. 11, is the LAST DAY of Banned Books Week 2025. Purchase 1 book for incarcerated readers from special in-store displays & online wishlists, and our patrons will receive 2 books!
www.bookstoprisoners.net/post/double-...

(p.s. - Left Bank Books in downtown Seattle is also participating!)

Without proper oversight, unregulated inmate management funds become guard and admin salary funds, and library resources are already one of the first budget lines cut in prisons and jails.

"The library used to have around 20 newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Those have dwindled to only six."

Double your donation when you buy a book for BtP during Banned Books Week, Oct 5-11 2025 “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” That's the theme the American Library Association and the Banned Books Coalition have chosen for Banned Books Week 2025. Their focus is on censorship in ...

It’s BANNED BOOKS WEEK & @bookstoprisoners.bsky.social is teaming up with indie bookstores. Buy a book for BTP from 10/5-10/11 & they will receive a 1:1 match from a family foundation. BTP is a fantastic organization & I love volunteering for them. 📚 www.bookstoprisoners.net/post/double-...

Graphic for a matching grant for Banned Books Week 2025. 5 partnering bookstores are listed on top of a photo of a blue sign saying BOOKSTORE OPEN. The bookstores are: Queen Anne Book Company, Third Place Books, Phinney Books, Couth Buzzard, and Charlie's Queer Books. The graphic also lists the dates of Banned Books Week (October 5 through October 11).

Banned Books Week 2025 starts on October 5. As part of this week focusing on public actions to stop censorship, a generous donor is partnering with several Seattle-area stores to DOUBLE book donations made to Books to Prisoners!

Read more on our blog: www.bookstoprisoners.net/post/double-...

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.

In our fight for intellectual freedom and the First Amendment rights of all, we cannot forget people experiencing incarceration. A phenomenal guest post from @bookstoprisoners.bsky.social on what's happening in prison censorship right now (& what you can do!): bookriot.com/books-to-pri...

Kansas prison officials cite drug-soaked paper as reason for modifying newspaper subscriptions • Kansas Reflector Drug-soaked paper was smuggled into at least one Kansas prison, according to state officials, who cited the ordeal as the reason for changing print newspaper subscription policies.

All Kansas prisons now prohibit programs like ours, which send donated books to incarcerated readers, & have banned print newspapers from publishers. For what? Vague claims about drugs on paper. Yet they can't & won't provide evidence. Basically: "Trust us, bro."

kansasreflector.com/2025/09/18/k...

Page 1 of a rejection letter from Florida Department of Corrections, addressed to Books to Prisoners Seattle. Dated May 2025.

Page 2 of a rejection letter from Florida Department of Corrections, addressed to Books to Prisoners Seattle. Dated May 2025.

"How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way". A book deemed so harmful by the Florida DOC that even a review committee upheld the ban on the grounds that learning to draw comics somehow presents a threat to the safety of the prison. Even worse, per policy (p. 2), books banned like this are often destroyed.

Bernalillo County jail confiscated books, stopped mail to curb contraband -- is it working? Aug. 29—More than a month ago, the Metropolitan Detention Center confiscated personal possessions like books, letters and photos from inmates in an attempt to stem the flow of contraband in the jail —...

Betteridge's Law of Headlines states that any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered with the word no.

Now readers in this jail are stuck with paltry options that don't help them--unless they pay for e-books. Guards, not books, deliver contraband.

www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Thank you so much for your support!

Volunteer opportunities are currently in person, but there are remote options to support us! We need help finding copies of certain highly requested but infrequently donated books, as well as financial support for postage. Also, boosting these posts is incredibly helpful for supporting our mission!

A smiling, 5'10" man is laying on wood flooring next to 5 stuffed containers of envelopes. He is wearing a white t-shirt with a vintage logo for Books to Prisoners Seattle, tan short, brown socks with red and yellow stripes, and brown shoes. The containers stretch from the top of his head to the bottom of his shoes.

Our intrepid Executive Director, Andy, wanted to give a visual representation of our current 3-month backlog of requests. We've worked to catch up since moving last year, but the unanswered letters are still as long as Andy! Can you help? Sign up to volunteer at www.bookstoprisoners.net/volunteer!

Rejection letter to Rogue Liberation Library from FCI Marion, a federal prison in Marion, Illinois. The rejected book is a Batman graphic novel and the letter is dated March 24, 2025. It is typed in black ink on white paper. The reason is listed as follows: "Due to recent attempts to introduce prohibited substances through incoming publications, we will be implementing a policy to reject incoming publications including graphic novels, manga, comics, comic-strip books, coloring books, and any other cartoon-related books."

Our friends at Rogue Liberation Library have begun receiving comic book rejections from FCI Marion in Illinois. Despite successful operations nationwide for 50+ years, our programs are frequently scapegoated re: contraband, and we're all frustrated about the resources we're forced to spend to fight.

Handwritten letter. Black ink on white paper. Letter reads: "I was lucky enough to be the recipient of your donated HVAC textbook. I want to write to thank you so much. I could get out in December. I was making about $14.00 an hour as unskilled labor at construction sites. With the knowledge of HVAC and other climate control skills my market value has been raised to about $20.00 an hour. I lived in a homeless shelter in Reno, NV because $14.00 can't pay the rent, never mind other expenses. Now I can get out and make an honest living. I love doing maintenance & engineering work. Now I can have the skills with other things I study to succeed. You were a large part of that with your donation! So thank you again."

Vocational training materials are some of the most impactful books that we provide upon request. These books can help people plan their futures and increase confidence about re-entry, as expressed in thank you letters like this one.

Interested in helping? 📚
www.bookstoprisoners.net/donate-books