Who We Are:
Wisconsin Books to Prisoners is a small all-volunteer non-profit organization founded in Fall 2006 that sends books to prisoners in the state of Wisconsin and elsewhere. Rainbow Bookstore in Madison, WI formally sponsors our work since only authorized booksellers and educational distributors can send books into prisons. WBTP believes that books are tools for learning and can help open minds to new ideas and fresh possibilities. By sending books to those in prison, we hope to foster a love of reading and encourage the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement.
What We Do:
Incarcerated individuals send us their requests for books directly. We provide what we can from our library of donated books. Since Jan. 2007 we've sent over 500 packages (containing 2 - 3 books) to 23 different prisons, centers, and jails in Wisconsin, as well as to prisoners in 13 other states. On average WBTP now receives between 20 – 30 book requests and thank you letters each week. Many of WBTP volunteers are involved in other grassroots efforts to challenge the prison industrial complex such as doing educational programs within prisons, working with former inmates and affected families on policy changes, and informing the public about alternatives to incarceration.
How You Can Help:
- Volunteer: Help us
respond to letters, verify contact information,
match up requests, package books, organize book drives and fundraisers,
and get the word out. Join us a few hours a month or even a few
hours
a year...every little bit helps.
- Brochures: You can
pass out Brochures!
- Donate books: The
most popular
requests are dictionaries, thesauruses, atlases, almanacs,
African-American history/literature, Native-American studies, gay &
lesbian literature, and languages (particularly Spanish). Other
common
requests include fiction, vocational-technical manuals, current affairs
& politics, anthropology, hobbies, arts, drawing, crafts,
psychology, health and fitness. While some prisons accept
hardcover
and slightly used books, the best donations are new softcovers.
Prisons will not accept books that contain any handwriting,
margin
notes, or highlighting.
Current Drop Off Sites for Donated Books Include:
Fair Ground Coffeehouse, 5901 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee WI 53208
Lakeside Press, 1334 Williamson St., Madison, WI 53703
Madison Infoshop, 1019 Williamson St., Madison, WI 53703
Rainbow Bookstore, 426 W. Gilman, Madison, WI 53703
Let us know if you have books to donate that need to be picked up or can offer a drop-off site in your community! - Donate supplies: We are always in need of materials for wrapping and shipping books (packing tape, padded envelopes, manila envelopes, brown paper bags), as well as sturdy book shelves!
- Contribute: Donations
are always greatly appreciated. Since we're an all volunteer effort,
our expenses are mostly postage and printing. Tax deductible
donations
can be made out to our fiscal sponsor "Family Farm Defenders" with "WI
Books to Prisoners" in the memo line.
You can send donations to:
Wisconsin Books to Prisoners
1019 Williamson St. #B, Madison, WI 53703
Questions? Call #608-455-2712 (Camy) or #608-262-9036 (John) or #608-257-6050 (Molly)
Wisconsin Books to Prisoners Project
c/o Madison Infoshop
1019 Williamson St. #B
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608-262-9036
email: wisconsinbookstoprisoners (at) yahoo.com
Rainbow Books
Lakeside Press
he Real Cost of
Prisons Project (www.realcostofprisons.org
) works to strengthen and deepen the organizing capacity of people and
communities struggling to end mass incarceration. Resources include a
website with useful up-to-date research, books, links to hundreds of
organizations, PDF’s of RCPP created materials including three
comic
books (“Prison Town---Paying the Price”, “Prisoners of a Hard
Life---Women and Their Children” and “Prisoners of the War on Drugs)
and the newest sections “Comix from Inside” and “Writing from
Prison.”
The Real Cost of Prisons also has a daily blog of news focusing on mass
incarceration (www.realcostofprisons.org/blog/).