Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)

10/15/2026

If you’ve ever visited the Aull Center in Morgantown, WV, you know how compact (and beautiful) our office is. With limited space and a steady stream of donated, much-needed books, we can’t keep every book we receive. Some aren’t requested by incarcerated readers, and others can’t be sent because they aren’t allowed into prisons and jails for one reason or another.

So, rather than letting these books sit on our shelves, we’re finding them new homes and raising support for APBP!

This Saturday, October 17, 2026, the West Virginia University United Methodist Students organization is organizing a book sale to benefit APBP. Stop by between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. to browse the books and take home a few new reads.

Donate what you can. Grab as many books as you’d like. Cash and Venmo accepted.

Every book sold helps us make the most of our office space and continue our work connecting incarcerated people with the books they want to read.

P.S. If you're curious about the types of books we are looking for, check out our book donation guidelines: https://appalachianprisonbookproject.org/get-involved/donate/donate-books/

10/15/2026

See y’all TONIGHT!

Morgantown, WV, folks: Join our friends at the WVU Center for Prison Education and Research for a panel on employee and workplace hardship.

Many people face difficulties with securing employment, housing, and other necessities, especially when reentering society after incarceration. During this discussion, several community leaders will share their firsthand experience in helping others find a path forward.

Panelists include Carlee Collins, founder and reentry advocate at Fresh Start Haircuts. Carlee was a student in the HEPI associate's degree program at SCI Greene, and we're excited to hear more about his business and reentry journey.

This event, held October 15, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Mountainlair Rhododendron Room at WVU's downtown campus, is open to the public.

See you there!

10/14/2026

Reminder: Our October community wrapping party is next Wednesday! 🎉

Stop by Ascend WV anytime between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm on October 21, 2026, to help us wrap packages of books to send to incarcerated folks. No experience required.

Tell your friends! ✉️📖📦

10/12/2026

Morgantown, WV, folks: Join our friends at the WVU Center for Prison Education and Research for a panel on employee and workplace hardship.

Many people face difficulties with securing employment, housing, and other necessities, especially when reentering society after incarceration. During this discussion, several community leaders will share their firsthand experience in helping others find a path forward.

Panelists include Carlee Collins, founder and reentry advocate at Fresh Start Haircuts. Carlee was a student in the HEPI associate's degree program at SCI Greene, and we're excited to hear more about his business and reentry journey.

This event, held October 15, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Mountainlair Rhododendron Room at WVU's downtown campus, is open to the public.

See you there!

10/10/2026

Good morning! It's Lydia with another Special Request Saturday. 📚

We're looking for new or used paperback books that meet these needs:

✅ Yohannes in Virginia would like a book about Islam from a Shiite perspective.

✅ Robert in Virginia is looking for a paperback encyclopedia about horses.

➡️ Lloyd in Virginia wants a paperback second edition of Pathfinder.

✅ Terry in Virginia would like a copy of Shonen Jump Bleach.

✅ Eugene Bedford Angle 2000332 in VA would like an origami book

Please leave a comment if you can take care of a request so I can update the list! Requests with ➡️ are open, and those with ✅ have been filled.

**Reminder: Don't forget to include the "Special Requests" label on any donations!**

Mail book donations to

Appalachian Prison Book Project
c/o Special Requests Team
PO Box 601
Morgantown, WV 26507

If you are in Morgantown, WV, and want to drop off books at our office in the Aull Center, put them in the box in the closet labeled "Special Requests."

If you are interested in donating to help us mail these books to the folks who requested them, we accept monetary donations as well. It costs about $6.00 to mail a book, so we need around $24.00 to pay for postage that covers this week's special requests: [email protected]" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=[email protected]

We're so grateful to everyone who likes, shares, comments, and donates in response to these special request posts. Thanks to you, we're able to send incarcerated folks the books they want to read. We couldn't do this without your help! ❤️

10/07/2026

Thank you for sharing the love and supporting our mission of sending books to people behind bars!

📚 What is the Appalachian Prison Book Project?

APBP is a nonprofit that sends books directly to incarcerated people throughout Appalachia. Access to books can be limited in prisons, but reading can provide education, connection, and a chance to explore new ideas.

Want to help? Visit our APBP shelf at Wheatberry Books. You can purchase a book specifically for donation and leave it with us. We’ll make sure it gets to APBP, where it can be sent to someone who is asking for it. You can also support this cause by shopping at https://bookshop.org/lists/appalachian-prison-book-project-wish-list-wheatberry-books.

Books belong in the hands of readers—including behind prison walls. ❤️📚

10/07/2026

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

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

10/03/2026

UPDATE: All the special requests for this week have been filled. Thank you, everyone!

—

Good morning! It's Lydia with another Special Request Saturday. 📚

We're looking for new or used paperback books that meet these needs:

✅ Joshua in Tennessee wants a copy of Strong's Bible Concordance.

✅ James in Virginia is looking for a book about cat care, training, breeds.

✅ Yohannes in Virginia would like a book about Islam from a Shiite perspective.

✅ Gelpi in Virginia wants to read a book about Gnostic Christianity in Spanish.

Please leave a comment if you can take care of a request so I can update the list! Requests with ➡️ are open, and those with ✅ have been filled.

**Reminder: Don't forget to include the "Special Requests" label on any donations!**

Mail book donations to

Appalachian Prison Book Project
c/o Special Requests Team
PO Box 601
Morgantown, WV 26507

If you are in Morgantown, WV, and want to drop off books at our office in the Aull Center, put them in the box in the closet labeled "Special Requests."

If you are interested in donating to help us mail these books to the folks who requested them, we accept monetary donations as well. It costs about $6.00 to mail a book, so we need around $24.00 to pay for postage that covers this week's special requests: [email protected]" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=[email protected]

We're so grateful to everyone who likes, shares, comments, and donates in response to these special request posts. Thanks to you, we're able to send incarcerated folks the books they want to read. We couldn't do this without your help! ❤️

10/02/2026

From an incarcerated reader in West Virginia:

“I received the gardening book that you sent me about 3 weeks ago. Thank you very much. It is excellent and I have gotten lost in it for countless hours.”

Fellow readers, when's the last time you got lost in a book for countless hours? 📖

See more quotes from the letters we receive:

People behind bars are often silenced. At APBP, we're here to listen. Visit this page to read quotes and responses directly from incarcerated Appalachians.

10/01/2026

Attention Morgantown, WV, folks: Mark your calendars for our October wrapping party later this month! 🎉

Join APBP at Ascend WV on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, to help us send books to people incarcerated in Appalachia. You’ll wrap packages, read letters, and prepare books for the mail.

Stop by anytime between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. All materials supplied. New and experienced volunteers welcome.

We hope to see you there. Bring a friend! ✉️📖📦