Today, for the first time in my life, I ate string cheese in bites instead of in strings. I have to say, I now understand the appeal.

Get back to compassion this season by becoming a pen pal with Letters for Liberation! We’ve got three September orientations to get you started: 💌 Sat 9/12 @ 2pm ET / 1pm CT / 12pm MT / 11am PT 💌 Tue 9/15 @ 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 6pm MT / 5pm PT 💌 Sun 9/27 @ 6pm ET / 5pm CT / 4pm MT / 3pm PT 🔗 ⤵️

Study, fast, train, fight. The month is almost over, but we can carry the intention and discipline of Black August with us all year. Want to learn more about the origins of #BlackAugust? Check out the @pslnational.bsky.social piece titled “Study, fast, train, fight: The roots of Black August.”

Karissa says picture books are art-for-everyone and I agree

Letters for Liberation@letters4liberation.bsky.social · 3w ago

45% of US adults and 1 in 7 kids have an immediate family member who’s been to #prison or #jail. Societally, we talk about prison precious little for how prevalent it is in our lives. These children’s books feature an #incarcerated loved one. We recommend them for everyone (not just kids)! 🔗 🧵 ⤵️

The message at the beginning of this newsletter was one that I needed. Strongly encourage anyone who wants some hope to give it a read!

Letters for Liberation@letters4liberation.bsky.social · 4w ago

We believe in the longevity of #PenPal relationships that span #prison walls. Check out the most recent Letters for Liberation #newsletter to read Karissa’s heartening message, and see what #abolitionist resources are inside! 🔗 ⤵️

Did you know sunflowers will swivel to face the sun as they grow? Seeking warmth and light is so natural, it goes beyond human instinct. When you join Letters for #Liberation, you can be a light in someone’s life and welcome their light into yours. 🔗 ⤵️

Reaching out to @schumer.senate.gov's office via contact form means 6 months later you'll get an email saying "Thank you for reaching out with your concerns! Here's a list of legislation I've introduced in the past that's sort of like what you were talking about. Anyway, we cool?"

the irony of AI companies getting mad when someone steals their shit

"Affirmations from the Universe and the Revolution from Within" will be my debut #poetry collection. You can find previews of its contents scattered across my page. #poems #poet #PoetSeeksAgent

Why should you become a #PenPal with Letters for Liberation? Here are our top 5 reasons! Check out our upcoming orientation schedule (🔗 ⤵️) and commit to joining our pen pal collective!

Last night I dreamed of a massive wolf that was at the top of a staircase in a wooded area. I needed something from up there, but I was afraid to risk it. I backed away to safety and the wolf didn't follow. 🧵

"Wildfires in Canada Again" #poem #poetry #poet

SNEAK PEEK 👀 Ever wonder what a #Letters4Liberation orientation entails? In just 60 minutes, you’ll learn how #abolition and #PenPal initiatives are related and get tips for starting a new friendship with someone inside the U.S. prison system. Within a few days, you’ll be matched with your pen pal!

All it takes is an hour, and then you’re ready to meet your new #PenPal! Join an L4L orientation to learn about becoming a pen pal with someone on the inside. Over 1,500 people in U.S. #prisons are waiting to be matched with an outside pen pal, and every new commitment makes that waitlist shorter.

BREAKING: UAW becomes largest Union to divest from Israel. UAW has long stood at the forefront of demanding justice, notably condemning Israel’s genocide on Gaza during the Biden administration. This is a huge step to force Israel to stop its apartheid & genocidal actions—all unions should follow.

"Hopeful Romantic" #poem #poetry #poet

"Assata" was poetry. "The New Jim Crow" is next on my list.

Letters for Liberation@letters4liberation.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Who are you learning from? Our latest Substack newsletter (🔗⤵️) contains a collection of abolition-related book recs that can be crucial to informing the way we choose to live our lives and struggle in community. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What would you add to this list?

DID YOU KNOW? The current waitlist for people in #prison who write to us to be matched is over 3 years long! We want to connect these folks with a #PenPal much sooner than that — and to do that, we need folks on the outside!

"Every one of us deserves to get as much joy out of this brief life as possible." I met @andreagibson.bsky.social soon after they died. I had never known that I had always known them. They've changed my life, my poetry, and my remaining time on this plane. andreagibson.substack.com/p/commencement

Unpublished Andrea Gibson Speech: Do Not Rule Out What Scares You

A commencement address from one of the proudest moments of Andrea’s life

andreagibson.substack.com

Make new friends!

Letters for Liberation@letters4liberation.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Every human being is worthy of friendship and connection. No human being is disposable. 1,500+ people in US #prisons are waiting to be matched with an outside pen pal through Letters for Liberation. Join the L4L community and connect with your new #PenPal this month! Get the details 🔗 ⤵️

Jails and prisons are not an alternative to mental health care. Thank you to @prisonpolicy.org for compiling the research, and to all those who advocate for #MentalHealth reforms in our society and systems. #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Communication shouldn't be a commodity. When our loved ones can make and receive phone calls without worrying about the cost, they experience more connection, real financial relief, stronger families, improved mental and physical health, safer facilities, and better odds of coming—and staying—home.

Worth Rises@worthrises.bsky.social · 4mo ago

NEW @worthrises.bsky.social REPORT! Critical Connections: The Power of Free Communication in Prisons and Jails We analyzed data from correctional systems that made calls free, covering 330,000 incarcerated people. The results are remarkable. Read the report at connectfamiliesnow.com/poweroffree.

Who's ready to help #StampOutHunger? The annual #NALC food drive is THIS SATURDAY! All donations go to food banks in your community. In 2024, Buffalo collected 425,000 pounds of food! No matter where in the US you live, May 9 is the day to leave out nonperishable food items for your letter carrier.

Yes I'm the one who puts together my band's newsletters, how could you tell? Follow @songbirdswny on FB, Insta, and TikTok 🕊️ #MayTheFourth #MayThe4th #IntergalacticStarWarsDay #FleetwoodMacTribute #SongbirdsWNY @songbirdswny

This spring and beyond, May you dedicate your energy to the things you wish to grow 🌷 There are over 1,500 people inside US #prisons who are waiting to be matched with an outside #PenPal through Letters for Liberation. If you’ve considered joining the L4L community, now's a great time to do it. 🧵⤵️

Every act of interruption contributes to the ongoing efforts toward structural change.

Letters for Liberation@letters4liberation.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Today we’re spotlighting the org Interrupting Criminalization and their Beyond Do No Harm Storytelling Media Project, which gathers and amplifies stories of individual #healthcare workers who are taking action to interrupt #criminalization in the context of care within the medical system. 🔗 ⤵️

This month's #newsletter highlights #abolitionist publications, including an op-ed written by Jean Casella of @solitarywatch.bsky.social and Dr. David Cloud of The Bellwether Collaborative for Health Justice) cataloguing the harms of #SolitaryConfinement & urging #prisons to eliminate the practice.

I wrote this for my dear friend Macklin, who has been a beautiful example of living truly to one's self and one's values. Mack is the model, the photographer, and the inspiration, and she asked me to share this for #TransgenderDayOfVisibility. #poem #poetry #poet

✨ CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS ✨ So many of our inside pen pals are #creators. Through writing, drawing, and a variety of artistic expressions, they bring color into a world desperate for glimmers of beauty. Here are two opportunities for folks on the inside to submit their work for publication ⤵️

Dr. Norman C. Francis lived a long life devoted to the advancement of civil rights in our nation, with a notable impact on higher ed. He advanced U.S. history as a lawyer, a man of faith, and the longest-serving president of Xavier University. #BlackHistoryMonth