It's the end of the semester, and if you have a lot of unused print quota in the computing labs, please consider printing some things for Pages to Prisoners.

Things to print:

• Form Letter - The form where you record the inmate information and books and then write a personal response.  This is the printed material that Pages runs out of the most. Be sure to print double sided.

On February, 26, the New York Times published an essay about an alternative sentencing program in Massachussets that allows some sentenced offenders to avoid going to jail by participating in a book group.

Some of the essay's insight about the role of reading for prisoners reminds me of why Pages to Prisoners is so important.

Reading has always provided a lifeline for prisoners, whether for utilitarian purposes or for spiritual searching. (In 2006, when Beard v. Banks upheld a prison’s right to deny inmates access to printed matter, religious and legal texts were among those excepted.) A broader literary tradition stretching from medieval English dream visions to Solzhenitsyn’s novels situates the most intense and uninterrupted reading in prison. (Waxler points out that “cell” can refer to the space in which monks write as easily as to a room in jail.) Traditionally, books have offered virtual escape from physical confinement. In alternative sentencing programs, though, books provide a more literal alternative to incarceration; and the authorities’ job is not to censor books, but to supply them.

...

There’s nothing surprising about the idea that certain books teach lessons, whether the Bible or “The Last Lecture.” Here, though, the medium becomes the message: the act of reading changes — or, as we used to say, converts — the reader, even when the texts being read contain no explicit moral injunctions."

Read the full article.

Save the date for Bloomington's best party and Pages' biggest fundraiser of the year, the Rock N' Roll Prom!  This year, it will be on April, 18.

A lot of help is needed both the night of the prom and getting ready for it.  Here is a rundown of some of the things that need volunteer help:

prom help! these things will be on the sign-up bulletin board at boxcar soon.

decorating committee!
sign up at the bookstore soon to help plan, shop for, and create decorations during some upcoming decoration making nights at the bookstore.  we need a lot of input during these nights--please come once they're set, or come in on off times to add/contribute!

decorating-day of
also, sign up for decorating the day of prom, and for clean-up the day after prom.  large attendance at both of these is necessary!

party favor research!
research cheapest possible prices for customized writing on pens and pencils, cheap pocket protectors, cheapo nerd glasses, and other nerd related items.

timekeeper!
we need a responsible, not drunk, prompt person to keep everything on schedule during the prom. you should know most people in bands, mc's, dj's rollergirls, etc--just so you know who to yell at to be on stage or ready at a certain time.

publicity!
we need people to help flyer when the time comes- poster/flyer deadline march 18th.

pages facebook and myspace postings!
need someone with access to publicize through pages digital thingys.

photobooth sign-up! 11pm-2am
$1 per person, per session
11-11:30 _________________
11:30-12 _________________
12-12:30 _________________
12:30- 1 _________________
1- 1:30  _________________
1:30- 2  _________________

photobooth flyers!
need someone to make 1/6 sheet flyers to pass out at the photobooth, explaining to the drunk people where they can view their photobooth pictures online after the prom.

bakdoor attendants!
we're thinking of having some backdoor attendance because of all the people who snuck in previous years. i'm emailing dave from the bluebird to see what he things/ if he might be able to put a bluebird staff person on the back door, and/or if it would be worth using wristbands for people that have paid.  but we might have a sign-up for backdoor-cop watching in the future.

let me know if you have any questions or concerns or if i'm overlooking things!

thank you!

-seven

If you can help with any of these, please e-mall steven [at] boxcarbooks [dot] org.

Unless you are

• decisive but also a good listener!
• committed to social justice!
• someone who likes working with people!
• someone who can juggle lots of different projects and pieces of information!

Are you already underpaid in a managerial position?   Then we have a managerial position where you'll be severely underpaid (actually, not paid at all), but make a huge difference in the life of incarcerated people.  The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project is seeking a new general coordinator and you could help steer this grassroots community project.  While the project is all volunteer run and attempts to share responsibility and decision making throughout the volunteer base, a general coordinator is still needed to act as a nexus for information, ideas, and logistics around all the volunteer efforts.

The general coordinator does things like:

• Schedule planning meetings
• Identify and troubleshoot problems with the project
• Responds to media inquiries
• Answers e-mail directed to the project
• Meet and develop collaborations with other community groups
• Delegate other volunteers to take on pending tasks
• Act as a point person for Indiana University students taking part in service-learning coursework
• Act as the go-between between Pages and its partner organization, Boxcar Books
• Stay abreast of the progress of filling letters, sending packages, returns, and other aspects of the project.
• Write grants

If you like challenges like these and like doing things you may have never done before, you might be the right person for this very important volunteer role.  The ideal candidate will have some experience working with nonprofits, grassroots community organizations, or social justice movements.  Familiarity with issues surrounding the prison industrial complex is preferred and formerly incarcerated people or those with family or other loved-ones who have been incarcerated are strongly encouraged to apply.

Someone is needed to fill the position in June 2009, but training should start ASAP.  This position requires a 4-10 hour a week time commitment and the ability to check and respond to e-mail on a frequent basis.  A minimum 1-year commitment is needed for this position.

If you are interested, please e-mail mwpp [at] pagestoprisoners.org

The Bloomington Alternative recently published an article about Karen McEwen, one of Pages' core volunteers.  She's quoted eloquently

"Everybody knows what it's like to be alone," she said. "I don't know of anyone who's more alone than prisoners, and to be able to offer something, a book, to me it doesn't really matter what they've done or not done or whatever. But just to give them something that gives me total joy in my life that is a focus of my life and to be able to share it. It's something."

Link

All spaces for this volunteer event has been filled!  Thank you for your interest and support.

If you have signed up for this event, you should have already received a confirmation e-mail from us, or will receive one soon.

If you would like to volunteer with the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project on a date other than January 19, please see more information about volunteering at http://www.pagestoprisoners.org/volunteering

In conjunction with the City of Bloomington's Martin Luther King Jr Day celebration, the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project is organizing a pack-a-thon to help select books, write letters, and package the books and letters to send them to incarcerated people.  This will happen on Monday, January 19 from 10am-12pm and from 2pm-4pm at the project space.  Because our new space is smaller, you must register for this volunteer project on the Bloomington Volunteer Networks web portal.

Thanks for all the hard work that you have put in volunteering with the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project this fall.  As many of our volunteers will be out-of-town during the holidays, we have modified our volunteer schedule for the coming weeks.

Monday, December 8: 7-9pm
Thursday, December 11: 7-10pm
Sunday, December 14: 2-5pm
Monday, December 15: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Thursday, December 18: 7-9pm
Sunday, December 21: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Monday, December 22: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Thursday, December 25: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Sunday, December 28: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Monday, December 29: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Thursday, January 1: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Sunday, January 4: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Monday, January 5: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Thursday, January 8: 7-9pm
Sunday, January 11: 2-5pm
Monday, January 12: NO PAGES VOLUNTEERING!
Thursday, January 15: 7-9pm
Sunday, January 18: 2-5pm

After this, pages resumes its normal volunteer schedule:

Monday 7-9pm
Thursday 7-10pm
Friday 2-5pm

Watch your inbox for special Get Stuff Done! volunteer sessions that might happen over the holidays.

Best,
Geoff

It's that time of the semester again - finals are looming and most are looking forward to a much needed break from school and all the hard work you've been putting in at Pages. Before you enjoy the winter break, you can do a few things to continue to help out Pages!

Donate Your Unused Print Quota

If you have unused print quota in the labs, please consider printing out a few copies of important documents that we use at Pages, so we can direct our funds at sending books instead of making copies.

Please print these documents double-sided. For help doing this, please see: http://kb.iu.edu/data/aprm.html

Here are some documents that could use some printing:

• Pages to Prisoners pamphlet: http://www.pagestoprisoners.org/sites/pagestoprisoners.org/files/Pages%20Pamplet%202008.pdf (Remember to print double-sided)
• National Prison Resource List: http://www.prisonbookprogram.org/nprl.pdf
• Jailhouse Lawyers Guide: http://www.jailhouselaw.org/CCRNLGJHL.pdf (and a new Women's Appendix: http://www.jailhouselaw.org/JLH%20Appendix%20for%20Women.pdf) (It's long, so remembr to print double-sided)

Donate Textbooks

Can't sell back the textbooks you used this semester? Or, do you want them to become far more valuable than the $10 you might get back at the bookstore? Donate them to Pages and we'll put them to use!

Since pages is not always open during the day, printing and textbooks can be brought to our partner Boxcar Books during any of the hours that they are open.

Boxcar Books <http://www.boxcarbooks.org> is located downtown at 408 E. 6th St. next to the Runcible Spoon and behind the downtown Bloomingfoods.

Thanks for your help,
Geoff