Please visit idealist.org to see our postings: one is for the position of Executive Director, the other for general support in helping us inventory and classify books, then select books to be sent to persons who have requested them, create book packages, and then ultimately take the packages to the post office. We also hope to spread the word about our organization and the work we do to help incarcerated persons in Missouri.

Also please note that we plan once again to send books to persons incarcerated in Missouri state prisons. Over two years ago the Missouri Department of Corrections blocked organizations like ours from sending books, so we instead answered requests from persons incarcerated in Illinois and Indiana. Now, thanks to a lawsuit brought by the First Amendment Clinic of Washington University, MODOC has accepted the terms of an agreement that should allow us to resume book deliveries in early 2027.

Washington University’s First Amendment Clinic with support of the MacArthur Justice Center has filed suit to overturn the current MODOC book ban. To read the full text of the press release, please click on the following link. https://www.macarthurjustice.org/book-ban-in-mo-prisons-violates-first-amendment/

Happy New Year from MPB

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our friends and supporters for the contributions of books and money this past year! We are immensely grateful for the support we received!

Please check out our newsletter below.

In Solidarity and Gratitude

The MPB Team

Great News: As of January 15, we are serving the neighboring Midwestern states of Kansas, Illinois, and our almost neighbor Indiana. As the year progresses, we might consider adding other states in our region.

We very much appreciate everyones patience with this transition as well as the great support shown for our Kids’ Books Initiative in December! We figured that sending books to young readers on the outside was the next best thing to sending books to adult readers on the inside.

Somewhat less great news: Just as we are starting to resume our service, postal rates for media mail will be going up by 12% on January 21, 2024. Any help in dealing with the additional cost of mailing would be truly wonderful. Our donation page on this website has a paypal button. Thank you so very much!

In Solidarity,

The MPB Team

Last month, MPB received a large donation of great children and teenage books in excellent condition. As we are preparing to move from serving incarcerated readers in MO to sending books to surrounding Midwestern states, we asked folks in MO prisons to let us know about their kids (or kids in their families) who might enjoy receiving some of those books.

We are prepared to honor requests that come in during the month of December and plan to send books both before the holidays as well as in early January.

If you would like to help with postage for the Kids’ Books Initiative please go to our donation page. Our goal is to honor every request, and any contribution to do so is much appreciated.

All our best and Happy Holidays!

In Solidarity,

MPB Team

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Dear All!

Unsurprisingly, we received an extraordinarily large number of requests from incarcerated readers during the weeks prior to the September 25 MODOC deadline. We managed to send everyone books with the deadline in mind.

At this point in time, we are no longer able to send books into Missouri Prisons despite our efforts to appeal to MODOC in Jefferson City as well as wardens in individual facilities in an attempt to be put on the authorized vendor/distributor list.

While a number of wardens were sympathetic to the loss of resources for our readers the fact remains that free books from a volunteer organization are viewed as likely vehicles for contraband and drug infiltration.

We were glad to receive three substantial book donations in October. These will set us up well for moving our efforts to neighboring Midwestern states in 2024.

While we are establishing new out-of-state connections for 2024, we are sending children and teenage books upon request to kids of some of our MO readers during the month of December. Stay tuned for more info on that initiative.

Sharing this excellent article here about book bans & drug problems.

We are in the middle of Prison Banned Books Week, October 25-31.

Earlier this month, Banned Books Week drew attention to the myriad of books being targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools.

Incarcerated folks deal with frequent book bans specific to their situation.

This week celebrates the right & freedom to read while incarcerated, and spotlights carceral censorship.

Check out the two articles below written by readers and writers inside.

https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2023/10/24/incarcerated-writers-prisons-banned-book-week/ideas/essay/.

https://inquest.org/misadventures-in-mail-censorship/