Today Is Where Your Book Begins...
...and, in the words of English singer-songwriter Natasha Beddingfield, the rest is still unwritten. 2023 was an active year at BBB, and 2024 promises to be even busier.
2023 has been an eventful year at BBB, so we thought it’d be the perfect time to reflect on all that was accomplished.
In 2023, we sent more than 5,000 books to incarcerated individuals across New York State, responding to a 70% increase in requests compared with 2022.
We started the year off strongly in January with a book drive in collaboration with fashion designer Rachel Comey and the New York Review of Books, an event that was covered by the New York Times.
Above: Event in collaboration with Rachel Comey and the New York Review of Books
In March we had another book drive, hosted by the Parole Advocacy Project at Columbia University. We partnered with Merritt Bookstore and participants purchased books from our wish list, allowing us to send out lots of our most highly requested titles!
Above: Book drive hosted by the Parole Advocacy Project at Columbia Law School
In April, Jack Mok, AmeriCorps service member at CAL, ran to raise money for BBB in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon.
Above: Jack Mok runs to raise money for Books Beyond Bars.
In August, we said goodbye to our beloved Program Coordinator, Jade Mapp. Alexandra Schoenborn, an intern with BBB since March, came on as the new Program Coordinator.
In October, we interviewed Dr. Jeanie Austin and learned more about the history of library services to incarcerated people, and the current challenges in the field. Here’s a favorite quote from the exchange: “We have to provide information that helps people who are not directly and negatively impacted by incarceration understand that they’re still connected to it, and that if they’re not working in collaboration with people who are incarcerated or in their mutual interest, then they’re benefitting from incarceration.”
In November, we joined intern Greta Nagy for a day of volunteering at Rikers Island to help register incarcerated individuals to vote. The experience was incredibly valuable and an important reminder of why we do the work that we do. We even met a BBB client!
In December, we invited BTS Consulting to our office for a book packaging event. We’re grateful to them for donating their time in addition to offering their financial support, and we’re looking forward to similar collaborations in 2024.
Above: The BTS Consulting Team with Books Beyond Bars
Lately, we’ve had many new faces joining us and wanted to give a shoutout to some of the new interns:
Winifred Thompson: “I have had the privilege to attend demonstrations, write petitions and lead workshops that have shaped who I am today. Through these experiences, prison reform has become a topic of great interest to me. I truly believe in the power and importance of education in creating a more human justice system and forming a future generation with the tools to make lasting change. I’m so grateful and excited to be a part of Books Beyond Bars and for the steppingstone it can be to a better global future!”
Millie Jones: “When we limit people’s access to reading materials, we limit their access not only to knowledge but also to imagination, possibility, community, and enjoyment. Everyone should have access to books but, more importantly, everyone should have access to books they actually want to read. I am so glad to be a part of Books Beyond Bars, an organization that supports this access so purposefully and thoughtfully!”
Siobhan Lambert: “I got involved with Books Beyond Bars because I love reading and feel that everyone deserves access to the power and joy that books provide: an escape from daily life, a chance to learn new things, and the opportunity to explore different ways of thinking and new perspectives.”
Stephanie Gaitán: “Books Beyond Bars is a melding of the types of organizations I’d like to build a career around. It’s an organization that marries my love for bridging inequities by providing services to the underserved with my boundless love for books.”
Lindsay Mattia: “I joined BBB as an intern because of the purpose they serve. They give those who are currently incarcerated the chance to teleport to another place for a little while through reading and/or to gain broader understanding of all sorts of topics.”
We have some exciting events coming up in 2024, including our Reading Month Fundraiser in March. Stay tuned for an upcoming newsletter announcing the details!