Grantee Partner Spotlight: Chicago Books to Women in Prison (CBWP)

A Q&A with CBWP's Grace Ebert, Stephanie Clemson, and Colin Palombi

Grace E.: Volunteer and Vice President; Stephanie C.: Volunteer; and Colin P.: Volunteer

Chicago Books to Women in Prison (CBWP) has been around since 2002. Tell us a little about the need to get books for people who are incarcerated. Also, please share with us why the organization chooses to focus on women’s facilities.

One important note is that we have a curated collection, but we don’t curate based on our own political beliefs or ideologies. We believe that the people who are requesting books know what’s best for them and they know what they need. 

So, if they ask for a Bible or affirmations, devotionals, or something else religious, or romantic – it’s up to them to ask for that and it’s up to us to send it to them.

How long have each of you been involved in this important work? What brought you to it?

Tell us about Prism/Prison, the project for which Illinois Humanities funding was provided. Paint a picture for us of the magazine, its goals, who it is intended for, and how it helps to break isolation and build community.

Colin Palombi: We might each answer that differently. Bringing my experience as an artist and working with artists to raise money for scholarships and other causes in the past, I became interested in the art and craft book requests we receive. Whenever I filled a book request that included a coloring book, we always seemed to have a limited supply. I thought maybe I could help publish a coloring book specifically for CBWP that would meet the demand. I raised the idea, I think at a board meeting, and it kind of sat there, until I heard from Grace months later that it might be a possibility and there might be interest. Other people in the organization were thinking about a similar publication that could include writing and pages for journaling. So, we met in the middle and got it organized.

Stephanie Clemson: That sounds right. I got interested because when we fill requests, we have to balance the many diverse restrictions on what you can and cannot send. There is one facility where you can never send coloring books at all. There are facilities where you can send journals, but they can’t have blank pages; they have to be lined. Others require numbered pages. Thankfully there are people on our board who keep a list of the restrictions, but it’s a constant work in progress, depending on who’s in the mailroom or who is the warden of the facility. So, I kept saying oh my gosh couldn’t we just self-publish a journal that meets as many of these requirements as possible? It’s a terrible feeling to have someone want to do a journal or to write and not be able to offer it to them. We know how fundamental that is. 

Grace Ebert: We published a pretty traditional literary and art magazine, Bound Struggles. It was started by folks who were previously involved in the organization and were soliciting submissions from people inside and publishing a zine. We offered it for sale as a fundraiser for the organization. And it was shared with people on the inside who were looking for poetry or art or stories, that sort of thing. But one issue we had with the magazine was that artists were not paid inside; we felt that that was ethically not okay to do again. We wanted to recalibrate that, and that’s how we came up with Prism/Prison. We wanted to not just showcase work but connect people on the inside and outside. So, when Colin talked about commissioning artists on the outside to create something for people on the inside, something that they could color in, that felt like a great way to offer something really tangible but also to connect with someone who had made something for them. Not just talking about the experience of mass incarceration from such a heavy and grave place. 

"We really wanted room in the magazine for all of their humanity," said Grace. "Yes, the expression of the whole person was something we wanted to be part of this project. This is how it grew to be something bigger than we originally thought," responded Colin.

Colin Palombi: But this is what is exciting about it. The name prism speaks to a whole spectrum and not just the traumatic. There is a vibrant comic and zine community in Chicago, so that’s where we reached out to find the original 10 artists. They’re women and trans artists from the comics and self-publishing world. 

Stephanie Clemson: We’ll pay people for their labor and build these new connections. This is not something we’ve done before. 

Grace Ebert: It’s a learning experience. 

Would you like to add anything?

Grace Ebert: The convening [that Illinois Humanities hosted] was so impactful, and we’re so grateful. I’ve told many people about it and am still recovering.

Stephanie Clemson: It was an intense day, but so well planned, designed, and thought-provoking. I’ve tried to describe it to people, but it’s hard to do. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scope of mass incarceration, but after hearing about such incredible work going on and talking with formerly incarcerated women, now in a reentry program, and hearing her say “Oh, no, the books are so important to us.”, reminded me of how important this work is. 

You take this one piece, and how impactful it is, and frankly it is meaningful but also not as overwhelming as thinking about what it would take to actually end mass incarceration.

Suggested Readings

• For a general overview of CBWP, click here.
• For Illinois-specific information on access to books in prisons, click here.
• This is a more general personal story about the impact of sending books to incarcerated people that highlights the many – and often arbitrary – restrictions that prisons impose on reading materials (this should be a gift link from the Washington Post).
• This podcast from Connecticut Public Radio features an interview with Reginald Dwayne Bates who founded a group called Freedom Reads.
• If people are looking to take local action at the legislative level, there is currently a movement in Illinois to scan all incoming mail at Illinois prisons. Legislators have proposed digitizing all mail for Illinois prisoners and Restore Justice is leading the campaign to stop this legislation from getting any further.
  • Article from WTTW
  • The Restore Justice site has background information on mail scanning for those who would like more details on why mail is essential to incarcerated people, their families, and the community on the outside.
  • Contact your representatives about this legislation.

About Chicago Books to Women in Prison (CBWP)

CBWP's work directly addresses the inequities of mass incarceration as it provides vital materials like GED prep, dictionaries, and books about physical and mental health that are essential but inaccessible in prison. Information about law and legal issues to help people navigate and fight an unjust system is provided, as well as issues specific to women: domestic abuse and parenting.

In addition, building a connection between people inside and people outside is one of CBWP's main focuses. In our volunteer training, public outreach, and conversations with donors, CBWP strives to educate people outside about the impact of mass incarceration and the essential role access to books plays in expanding opportunities for people on the inside and, crucially, once they leave prison.

Get involved and follow @CBWP: Website | Facebook | Instagram