Prisoners Literature Project

Prisoner Letters

A wonderful new thank-you letter!

Sadly, PLP is still out of action because COVID-19 means we can’t meet and pick/pack books.

But a couple of co-ordinators are going in individually to send out just a few packages, & Gina kindly passed along this wonderful thank-you letter from a prisoner. (The start is attached, and the rest transcribed below.)

“To whom it may concern, Wow: first off, I would really like to thank you all for the amazing gift of these books. You will never know how much this has meant to me to receive not only the books, but your thoughts and wishes.

I am a lifer – I’ve been down now almost 19 years, and these are the very first books I’ve gotten…

Just the simple fact that you take the time out of your busy day to do this for convicts who are viewed by the public as unfit or not worth trying to help or educate is truly uplifting to the to the hopeless ordeal I find myself inI’m in a max prison with only my thoughts and these books to keep me company, so I would hope you can truly understand the need I have for such a blessing like this. So thank you once again…

I just recently read a few books that have not only lifted my spirits but changed my outlook on life, so please keep them coming.”


New PLP ‘thank you’ letters

Two wonderful new ‘thank you’ letters from prisoners who successfully received books from PLP recently! (Updated December 2019 with an extra letter!)


Thank you letters – early 2019.

Here’s a new set of thank you letters from prisoners, as discovered at a recent Prisoners Literature Project session.




Brand new thank you letters from inmates, Thanksgiving 2018

Here’s a couple of thank you letters from prisoners that the Prisoners Literature Project received recently. More info…


Thank you letters from prisoners – Summer 2018 update!

Here’s a couple of truly appreciative recent thank-you letters from incarcerated prisoners that the Prisoners Literature Project has sent free books to.  More info…


New art from grateful prisoners!

We’ve been sending out a lot of ‘how to draw’ guides to prisoners recently by request – here’s some neat thank-you pictures we received last week! More info…


A thank you poem to remember!

Here’s a wonderful ‘thank you’ poem from a grateful prisoner. It’s addressed to Prisoners Literature Project & sister bookstore Bound Together Books, which is the address prisoners have to mail to get a reply from us! 

More info…


New art from grateful inmates to the PLP

As the Prisoners Literature Project powers through the rest of 2017, we wanted to highlight a couple of new pieces of art recently sent in to us. More info…


PLP’s letters from prisoners – Pt. 2.

As we move into 2017, here’s a fresh set of thank-you letters from prisoners. More info…


Hand-drawn ‘thank you’ letters for the PLP!

Here’s a couple of hand-drawn ‘thank you’ letters we recently received from prisoners! More info…



About the Prisoners Literature Project

The Prisoners Literature Project is an inclusive, all-volunteer, grassroots nonprofit whose purpose is to encourage reading, the pursuit of knowledge, and self-determination among incarcerated people. By sending free reading materials to those behind bars, PLP aims to foster learning and critical thinking and help people prepare to lead successful lives after incarceration. We believe that all people have a right to read.

Please consider donating to the PLP or volunteering your time (if you live in the Bay Area, CA!) to help us answer letters from prisoners who write us from all over the United States.

Prisoners – want books?

Mailing address for U.S. prisoner book requests: Prisoner Literature Project c/o Bound Together Books 1369 Haight St San Francisco, CA 94117 There's more info here on what else prisoners need to include with their requests.