Prison Book Program October e-Newsletter

Prison Book Program

e-Newsletter

October 2011

"I am hoping that you will see how positive I am thinking in changing my life so that I can also give back to the community. I am seeking information or help to give myself a chance in life. Thank you very much."

-A prisoner from Fairton, New Jersey

It's Book Drive Time!

BRING US YOUR BOOKS - AND YOUR FRIENDS' AND NEIGHBORS' BOOKS TOO

DATE:
Saturday, November 5th (10am - 3pm)

PLACE:
The Non-Profit Center
89 South Street
(near South Station)
Boston, MA

The Prison Book Program, along with the City Mission Society and Better World Books will be hosting the Fifth Annual Great American Book Drive. The books we collect that day will either be sent to prisoners or sold to support the programs of PBP and the City Mission Society.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Clean off your bookshelves. Your friends, relatives and co-workers have books they need to find a new home for too! Help them out and help PBP at the same time! Hold a book drive and bring the books to the Nonprofit Center in Boston on November 5th.

We'll help you! We've put together a kit with all the info you need to run your own drive - flyers, email text, etc. Visit www.prisonbookprogram.org/bookdrive
for complete information.

Annual Online Dictionary Drive

HELP US BUY 1000 DICTIONARIES - $2.74 EACH

Our dictionary drive is still going strong. As of October 3rd, we have received donations to buy 440! Help us reach our goal of buying 1000 dictionaries by Thanksgiving! Our current supply is running very low and we are hoping to send out many in time for the holidays.

In the hands of a struggling reader, a dictionary grants access to knowledge that would be otherwise inaccessible. See our Prisoner Writings Blog where an inmate calls the dictionary a "significant asset in prison."

For less than the cost of coffee and a bagel, you can support a prisoner in improving his reading skills and understanding of the world. Click a link below to make an online donation through PayPal today!

Saturdays are Back!

SATURDAY VOLUNTEER SESSIONS RESUME

After a summer hiatus, Saturday volunteer sessions are back. If you can't make it on a Tuesday or Thursday evening, join us on a Saturday. We'll be picking and packing from 10-4.

October 15th
November 19th

Visit Us At the Boston Book Festival

Date:
October 15, 10-5

Place:
Copley Square, Boston

PBP and Better World Books will be hosting a booth at the third annual Boston Book Festival. The largest literary event in New England, Copley Square will be alive with more than 100 world-renowned authors and thought leaders, workshops and participatory events like Writer Idol and Flash Fiction, exhibitors, live music, booksellers and book signings, activities and presentations for children, and delicious food. If you're around for the festivities, stop by and say hello!

For more info on the Boston Book Festival, see www.bostonbookfest.org

AskPhilosophers Supports PBP

PBP RECEIVES UNEXPECTED GRANT

AskPhilosophers.org puts the talents and knowledge of philosophers at the service of the general public. Send in a question that you think might be related to philosophy and they do their best to respond to it. They also share their proceeds with educational charities, especially those that make education available to the under privileged. Prison Book Program is honored to be chosen along with Reach Out and Read to receive a $3000 grant.

For more info on AskPhilosophers, visit www.askphilosophers.org

GED Program Update

50 GED REQUESTS SENT OUT

Volunteers packing GED requests.

We are well underway distributing GED books to qualifing prisoners made possible a grant from Better World Books' LEAP program. We are pleased to report we have sent 50 prisoners GED program materials (a comprehensive GED study manual plus an English dictionary).

Are you interested in helping us with this GED project? We need volunteers to track progress and make contact with program participants periodically. Do you know an incarcerated person who would want to receive GED materials? Each prisoner needs to complete our GED questionnaire (you can download it here) in order to be considered. We will continue to distribute GED materials until we exhaust the LEAP grant, and at this time we anticipate sending materials to at least 150 more participants.

Prisoner Book Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

BY NATHANIEL ALLAN LINDELL, BOSCOBEL, WI

The last book I completely read was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I hope I spelled hallows right?). The reason I picked it was because J.K. Rowling proved she's a great writer, which I aspire to be; so I studied her style and technique. I found the beginning a little jerky, rough, the middle interesting, and the denouement bearable, with a possibility for the struggle between good and bad magic to continue. Thought some parts were too obviously promoting a political view, which weakened the story. But I enjoyed reading it. I believe what makes Rowling's writing so poular is that Harry Potter is struggling, often against all odds, to do right and make the world right, and actually gets bits of love for this, which many people trying to make the world better don't get. J.K. Rowling's stories thus give downtrodden people hope, particularly because supporting characters like Hagrid are...cuddly, comforting, which we all want.

Prisoner Poetry

BY CEDRICK HATTEN, JASPER, FL

When it comes to books,

I have came a long ways,

for I remember the days,

when mysteries and suspense,

was all I crave.

When urban and horrors were only a fades.

Man, I have come a long ways.

For now I read,

Things of many means

Like history and politics

Current events,

dealing with things I've seen.

See through books I have found

a world of dreams,

to engross my mind,

and set me free.

This wisdom I learn,

from the things I read,

give me the desire,

to better me.

Now these are some of the reasons,

that I love to read,

but it's hard to explain,

what books does for me.

Yet as time shall pass,

and I turn each page,

I am force to acknowledge,

that I came,

a long ways.

Prisoner Essay: How Has Prison Changed You as a Reader?

BY PAT NEILSON, BOISE, ID

Books have allowed me to continue my education, as well as retain a level of sanity in the face of an unsettled environment. Books allow a sense of escape from the abundance of spare time, and allow me to broaden my understanding of favorable topics. I find myself drawn to subjects such as the westward expansion of European Americans and loss of native lands.

More Prisoner Writing

DID YOU ENJOY THE PRISONER WRITINGS ABOVE? THERE'S MORE ON OUR BLOG