Inside/outside Reading (and listening) group
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Update 04/02: We have had a HUGE response from the outside and we have more than enough outside readers. We will email outside people about how to contact their inside partner this week.
If you're excited about talking with an incarcerated person, learn more about being a consistent pen-pal to one person on an open-ended basis. |
Launch: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 Priority Sign Up: Friday, 4/3 *please sign up ASAP Readings Start: Wednesday, 4/22 |
We are excited to launch an inside/outside reading group this April to July. Small groups will read three short works on a chosen topic. Our topic areas are Writing from the Inside; Citizenship and Civic Responsibilities for the Living and the Dead; and 12 Step Recovery, Meditation, Healing.
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Each group will receive 3 readings that are 10 pages (5 sheets of paper) or less. We will provide people on the outside with PDFs of the readings, and mail packets to incarcerated people. If you require paper copies for accessibility, please let us know when you sign up. If you need an audio option, we are considering recording readings. Please tell us on your form if you require this.
All groups reading the same topic will read the same pieces. Your group will decide whether to communicate by phone, email, or letter. You get to decide what to discuss and how, but we will provide questions about the readings to help start the conversation
Sign up by April 12, 2026 at the latest. The number of outside participants will set the number of inside participants possible. AMP will match 2-3 outside participants with 1 inside AMP member to ensure consistency of connection. Please sign up ASAP. Check out the project guidelines and sign up below. |
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Guidelines
1) Expectations:
-Everyone will do their best to participate fully.
-These reading groups will run from April to July 31.
-Groups will correspond by phone, letter, or Corrlinks at minimum once per reading
-Groups can decide how to meet and what to talk about for each reading.
-At the end of the conversation in July, directly and clearly ask your group members if they want to continue corresponding or if they want to end when the reading group ends.
2) How we hold each other: we lift up 3 of AMP’s values to guide this experiment
-Commitment & Consistency
-Empathy & Care: Real Recognizes Real
-Holistic Authenticity: Clean Hands, Clear Conscience
By this we mean: do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. Be kind, recognize each other’s humanity, and come with good faith. Make sure to communicate with your group or us if you have problems
-Everyone will do their best to participate fully.
-These reading groups will run from April to July 31.
-Groups will correspond by phone, letter, or Corrlinks at minimum once per reading
-Groups can decide how to meet and what to talk about for each reading.
-At the end of the conversation in July, directly and clearly ask your group members if they want to continue corresponding or if they want to end when the reading group ends.
2) How we hold each other: we lift up 3 of AMP’s values to guide this experiment
-Commitment & Consistency
-Empathy & Care: Real Recognizes Real
-Holistic Authenticity: Clean Hands, Clear Conscience
By this we mean: do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. Be kind, recognize each other’s humanity, and come with good faith. Make sure to communicate with your group or us if you have problems
Reading group FAQs
Q. How short is a short reading?
A. Incarcerated people can only receive 5 sheets of paper at a time. So all our readings will be 10 pages or less, with some creative margin-moving. Outside readers will receive a PDF and inside readers will get paper packets. If you require a paper packet for accessibility, tell us when you sign up.
A. Incarcerated people can only receive 5 sheets of paper at a time. So all our readings will be 10 pages or less, with some creative margin-moving. Outside readers will receive a PDF and inside readers will get paper packets. If you require a paper packet for accessibility, tell us when you sign up.
Q. I don't live in Massachusetts. Can I still participate?
A. Yes! Anyone in the US or Canada can participate, but if you're from Canada please let us know and sign up ASAP. This is because prisons make rules that make international communication difficult, and many members cannot afford international stamps.
A. Yes! Anyone in the US or Canada can participate, but if you're from Canada please let us know and sign up ASAP. This is because prisons make rules that make international communication difficult, and many members cannot afford international stamps.
Q. What is my time obligation to my inside partner?
A. You are required to write/receive a call from your partner at least once for each reading between April-July. Most incarcerated people want to write once a week and do not have other people to discuss with, so we suggest adopting this schedule during the group. Whatever your availability is, communicate it to your partner and then stick to it.
A. You are required to write/receive a call from your partner at least once for each reading between April-July. Most incarcerated people want to write once a week and do not have other people to discuss with, so we suggest adopting this schedule during the group. Whatever your availability is, communicate it to your partner and then stick to it.
Q. What do I say?
A. We will provide some discussion questions, but this is a chance to meet someone living a very different life than you. Embrace it by sharing your genuine self in your reactions to the reading. Ask follow-up questions, and reply to messages within 1 week.
Q. What are the different ways to communicate with an incarcerated reader?
A. Most incarcerated people want to talk by email or phone, but you can also communicate through paper mail. Learn more about each of these communication methods here.
Q. I have accessibility needs. Can you accommodate them?
A. We will do what we can. We are working with texts from a lot of different sources, including self-published, so screen-reader accessible text is patchy. If people require audio versions, we will record ourselves reading the texts and make this available to inside and outside participants. If you need a paper copy of the readings instead of a PDF, mention this when signing up and provide your mailing address. Please explain any accomodations you may need in the form below.
Q. I cannot participate if I am matched with people convicted of certain crimes. How do I make sure I am not matched with them?
A. We are abolitionists who believe convictions never tell the full story. And we know many people come to abolition having survived harm. If you are unable to communicate with people with specific charges, please mention when signing up. We do not know what most of our members are convicted of and we do not Google people (we ask you don’t either), but we will try to match you thoughtfully.
A. We are abolitionists who believe convictions never tell the full story. And we know many people come to abolition having survived harm. If you are unable to communicate with people with specific charges, please mention when signing up. We do not know what most of our members are convicted of and we do not Google people (we ask you don’t either), but we will try to match you thoughtfully.
Sign up form
We have enough readers and have removed the sign up form. Check back in the fall! You can sign up for emails to be looped in on future rounds.