APPENDIX L: Free Book Programs
Books Through Bars & Free Book Programs
There are many unaffiliated chapters that send books to prisoners for free or low cost. Most places request that you let them know which category of books you are interested in, so if they don’t have a specific book you are asking for, they can send you something similar. Be aware that it may take several months to receive books due to the volume of requests. Unless otherwise noted, the programs ship books to prisoners anywhere in the U.S. The addresses and information were current as of this printing.
Appalachian Prison Book Project
P.O. Box 601, Morgantown, WV 26507
Ships books to WV, VA, MD, OH, KY, and TN.
Asheville Prison Books Program, c/o Downtown Books and News
67 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, NC 28801
Ships books only in NC, SC, GA, and TN.
Books Through Bars – Philadelphia
4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19143
Will only send books to prisoners in: PA, NJ, NY, DE, MD, VA, and WV.
Books Through Bars – New York City
To request specific books, you can write to:
NYC Books Through Bars, c/o Bluestockings Bookstore
116 Suffolk St., New York, NY 10002.
They fill requests from all states except AL, FL, LA, MA, MI, MS, NC, PA, OH, and WI, with a priority for NY. Send only requests.
Books to Prisoners c/o Left Bank Books
Sending books to people in prison since the 1970s. Write to: 92 Pike St., Box A, Seattle, WA 98101
Chicago Books to Women in Prison c/o BeyondMedia
4001 N. Ravenswood Ave., #204C, Chicago, IL 60613
Ship books to women in prison only.
Cleveland Books 2 Prisoners
PO Box 602440, Cleveland, OH 44102
Ships books only in OH.
Inside Books Project c/o 12th Street Books
827 W. 12th St., Austin, TX 78701
Ships books only in TX.
Lesbian and Gay Insurrection
Provides a free bimonthly newsletter to prisoners, "ULTRAVIOLET." To get ULTRAVIOLET in the mail, send your snail mail address to us at 3543 18th St. #26, San Francisco, CA 94110.
LGBT Books to Prisoners
Sends packages of books, educational materials, and other LGBTQ resources to incarcerated LGBTQ people across the U.S. Write a letter requesting the genres of books you would like and giving your full name, prison identification number, and address to:
LGBT Books to Prisoners, c/o Social Justice Center Incubator
1202 Williamson St., Suite 1
Madison, WI 53703.
Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners
3157 Gentilly Blvd. #141, New Orleans, LA 70122
Ships books only in Louisiana.
Midwest Books to Prisoners c/o Quimby’s Bookstore
1854 W. North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
Ships books to IL, WI, MN, MO, IA, KS, IN, and NE.
Midwest Pages to Prisoners
PO Box 1324, Bloomington, IN 47402
Ships books to AR, IA, IN, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, OK, SD.
Prison Books Collective c/o Internationalist Books
405 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Ships books mostly to prisoners in MS, AL, and NC, maintains an extensive radical ‘zine catalog, and publishes prisoners’ art and writing.
Prison Book Program c/o Lucy Parsons Bookstore
1306 Hancock St., Suite 100, Hancock, MA 02169
Prisoners Literature Project c/o Bound Together Bookstore
1369 Haight St., San Francisco, CA 94117
Prison Library Project c/o The Claremont Forum
915-C W. Foothill Blvd., P.M.B. 128, Claremont, CA 91711
Tranzmission Prison Books
Offers free books and resources to LGBTQI+ identified folks. Write to: Tranzmission Prison Books, P.O. Box 1874, Asheville, NC 28802
UC Books to Prisoners
Box 515, Urbana, IL 61803
Ships books only in IL.
Women’s Prison Book Project c/o Boneshaker Books
2002 23rd Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55404
Ships to women and transgender people in prison only.