Novel approach

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This article was published 17/06/2023 (1192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Having worked as a librarian for decades, Kirsten Wurmann knows the value of a good book. With that spirit, she founded the Manitoba Prison Libraries Committee eleven years ago to share her love for the written word with incarcerated Manitobans.

“It’s rare to find pockets of humanity when you’re incarcerated. With the Prison Libraries Committee, that is what we try to do with books,” Wurmann said. “When we’re just talking to folks about a book, that’s all we’re talking about. We don’t care about why you’re even here — we’re talking about who you are, and respecting that lived knowledge and lived experience.”

To help support their operations, two organizations — Bar None and the Manitoba Prison Libraries Committee — joined forces on Saturday at a book sale in Winnipeg’s West End.

Dozens of book buyers patronized the basement of the WestEnd Commons building on St. Matthew’s Ave. Eyeing the selection, they came prepared with large canvas tote bags and cash to put towards a good cause.

The joint book sale, which restarted last year after a two-year hiatus, has become a key funding stream for both organizations, which are geared toward helping incarcerated Manitobans and their families. For Wurmann, deciding to work together was a no-brainer.

​​“Both of our organizations believe we have to be treating all of our community members—and that includes our incarcerated community members—with humanity, with respect, with love,” Wurmann said.

None of the books sprawled out on the table came with a price tag. Instead, the organizers opted for a pay-what-you-can model, removing cost barriers for lower-income buyers and allowing those with the means to donate more dough.

“A lot of people come here and they know what we’re about and are really generous,” Rowan Moyes, an organizer with Bar None said. “It allows people that can’t afford to spend money on new books all the time to come and grab a bag of books.”

Since 2015, Bar None has operated a prison rideshare program that connects volunteer drivers to individuals wanting to visit family members in prison. Most of Manitoba’s prisons are located rurally, so families without access to a vehicle cannot visit their incarcerated loved ones.

Moyes said most of the funding will go towards covering the gas costs that volunteers incur.

The book sale is also a critical funding stream for the Prison Libraries Committee, which operates on a meagre $500 grant from the Manitoba Libraries Association, donations from supporters and the labour of volunteers.

Without the efforts of the Prison Libraries Committee, incarcerated Manitobans might have limited or no access to books while behind bars, Wurmann said.

“I think the general public is really surprised to hear they don’t have a library. Most of them don’t,” Wurmann said. “It’s not legislated. It doesn’t say you have to have a library. Meanwhile, to me, that’s the easiest thing you could do because it gives folks something to do. It expands their horizons.”

Proceeds from the sale will go towards purchasing books, facilitating writing workshops and publishing the second volume of an anthology of writings from incarcerated women, Wurmann said. Currently, the program operates in six institutions across the province.

If funding allowed for it, she would also like to hire a paid library worker to help lighten their volunteer workload.

“These institutions are reaching out to our group asking for help from volunteers. It’s just not right. If these institutions exist, they have to have libraries, and there has to be the funding for it,” Wurmann said.

While the prison rideshare program remains their central project, Bar None will soon start a pen pal program that connects prisoners with community members.

“That’s another very tangible way people can show their support, especially if you don’t drive,” Moyes said.

cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca