Get Involved

There are a lot of ways to help the Internationalist Prison Books Collective put free literature and educational materials into the hands of prisoners. We are always in need of your support. Every bit of help counts, whether it be volunteering your time, or making a donation to the project. Feel Free to contact us for more information.

Ways to help out:

Donate Books

Most prisons do not allow hardcover books, therefore we can only send paperback books to prisoners. Donations must be in good condition. Also, we can use most non-fiction and fiction if it is in new or very good condition. These books can either be sold online or through book sales to raise money for postage. Each $2.50 that we raise is another prisoner that we can serve.

PLEASE DONATE. THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS ARE ALWAYS IN DEMAND:

  • Dictionaries (English, Spanish-English, and Law
  • Thesauruses
  • African-American history, politics, culture
  • The Autobiography of Malcolm X and/or books about MLK, Jr.
  • Latin American history, politics, culture
  • GED or Basic Education Materials
  • ESL books
  • Books in Spanish
  • Books about starting or running your own business
  • Yoga, meditation, and other spiritual disciplines (such as Wicca)
  • How-to books on art, carpentry, and other trades
  • Queer Studies
  • Health—particularly HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and Tuberculosis

Book donations can be dropped off at Internationalist Books and Community Center on West Franklin in Chapel Hill. Because of space limitations, please contact us if you are bringing more than six boxes (919-942-1740 or prisonbooks@gmail.com).

Volunteer

We constantly need help filling prisoner book requests. The work is very fulfilling: read a letter from a prisoner, find some books in our library and package them for mailing. If you would like to help, come by our workspace and we'll get you started. There's no need to sign up ahead of time and you can stay for as long as you wish. Workdays are Sundays at 1pm, and our space is located at 218 N. Graham St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Collective meetings are generally the first Sunday of every month, at the same time and place. If you're interested in helping out, but can't make a workday, drop us an email at prisonbooks@gmail.com We are always in need of help organizing fundraisers, teach-ins, and publicity.

Contribute Financially

We are a non-profit organization, relying solely on donations for our operating expenses, which primarily include the cost of postage for mailing packages. We are currently spending over $100 a week on postage alone, and are in desperate need of support. Donations can be made online. You can also write us a check, made payable to “Internationalist Books to Prisoners.” Checks can be sent to:


Internationalist Books
405 W. Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27516


Please specify that your donation is to go towards the Prison Books program.

Donate Other Materials

We are also in constant need of packaging materials. Please consider donating the following items:

  • Stamps
  • Sturdy, clear packing tape
  • Clean brown paper grocery bags (used to wrap packages of books)