Our Zoom speaker on 27th May was Jill Gonzalez, who told us about the Women’s Storybook Project. The Women’s Storybook Project (WSP) is a mall local non-profit, which works statewide but is housed in Austin. WSP connects children with incarcerated mothers through the joy of literature. The group has grown from 5 volunteers to 250 and has expanded from one female prison to 10 female prisons in Texas. Mothers are who incarcerated and have children between the ages of 0 and 14 can earn their way into the program through good behavior. It is a four-month program – meet once a month for four meetings. Moms can reapply to the program if they maintain good behavior. Jill described how the program works. A mother will pick out a book for each child and then sits with a volunteer and reads out loud while it is being recorded. The recordings and books are then provided to the children. The program has helped build back up relationships between mothers and their children. They use 4000 books a year, brand new and donated. WSP is working to expand into the two remaining women’s prisons in Texas. They are also working on program for mother’s leaving prison called S.T.R.I.V.E. – to help maintain the bond formed by reading – teach them how to read in person. The program has paused during COVID-19 but volunteers are writing letters to moms and offering to send books with notes to the children. Trying to reach every child in program and send them books. You can find more information at www.storybookproject.org.