Women’s Storybook Project, a nonprofit based in Austin which serves children across the state of Texas and the nation, will hold its 5th annual fundraising luncheon via Youtube Live on Thursday, April 29, hosted by Joy Diaz from NPR’s Texas Standard, featuring Christina Soontornvat, author of The Ice Princess series and Angelica Zaragoza, a former incarcerated mom who benefited from WSP’s programming.

At Women’s Storybook Project (WSP), the mission is to connect incarcerated mothers with their  children through the joy of literature. Incarcerated moms are given the opportunity to earn (through good behavior) the ability to record themselves reading a book, which is then mailed to their child. The result is that a child gets to hear their mom reading them a bedtime story. 

As recently as January, there were 8,598 women incarcerated in Texas, with 80% being mothers. In 2019, WSP was able to serve approximately 11% of incarcerated mothers — 1,600 — and their 3,000 children.

Amid coronavirus, since WSP volunteers are unable to visit the prisons, the organization continues to connect incarcerated mothers with their children (and caregivers) through a creative letter-writing campaign. The simple sharing of a storybook can have a big impact on a family dealing with parental incarceration. These stories can strengthen and heal damaged relationships and build hope for the future.