KITES LIBRARY
Implementation Frameworks
This compilation includes implementation strategies, budget, and timelines. It also outlines initial ideas and distribution policies.
ABOUT
Elevator PitchKites: An Incarceration Archive Library is a collaborative zine series and interactive archive documenting the carceral culture and abolitionist theory, available for free download to grassroots organizations and the public, fostering a more intimate and accessible understanding of the justice system.
Kites Library: An Incarceration Zine Archive is a cultural project documenting the lived experiences of incarceration through system navigation and storytelling zines, creating a digital archive of carceral culture. This project bridges the gap between the perception and reality of incarceration, bracing us between how to navigate where we are now and what we hope to create as we work towards abolitionist futures. By providing free zine downloads, it empowers grassroots organizations, educators, and the public to engage in advocacy. The series addresses prison life, abolition, reform, and re-entry challenges. It will launch with 100 zines by Ra Avis, leveraging her extensive online presence and lived experience as a formerly incarcerated person to promote the project.A zine is a micro, DIY publication often distributed for free or low cost. These might include poetry, personal narratives, and data to provide a personal and cultural record of incarceration’s impact. Mini zines, a non-staple format, are easily distributed into prisons. This project is both an artistic endeavor and a tool for education and reform, making the justice system’s unseen aspects accessible, relatable, and—by the very nature of zines—tangible.
WHY ZINES
38% of websites that existed in 2013 have since disappeared. This integration of analog, achingly human, material offsets the likelihood of vanishment, while still embracing a digital presence. It allows for currently incarcerated people to be involved in the conversation, because zines (small paper DIY productions) are a medium easily and affordably accepted by prisons still using USPS.
This archive will use unique identifiers. Ideally, someone incarcerated could organize it using the system, without access to the website.Mini zines are a non-staple format that is easy distributed into prisons. It also creates a standardization in this work, and a micro view. The nation's reading level is below a 5th grade level, and small pockets of information are easier to translate.
3 Key Elements
Zine Series: A series of zines, each issue exploring different aspects of carceral culture and re-entry, featuring contributions from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as their families. Each zine could blend poetry, personal stories, and/or art with data and research on the criminal legal system. The content will not always be advocacy-based, but rather, a mix of personal reflections, cultural snapshots, and emotional experiences to give a fuller picture of carceral culture. In addition to its creative elements, each zine will be reviewed for ethos, and with varying literacy levels in mind.Free Download Platform: The zines will be available for free download via a dedicated website, making them easily accessible to grassroots organizations, educators, and the general public for self-printing. This platform will act as an archive of carceral culture. Submissions to this will be handled via mail or email.Periodic Showcases and Mini Free Living Libraries: The project will include periodic showcases and installations of two mini libraries in justice-aligned spaces. These mini libraries will feature printed zines from the collection, and a feedback mechanism, encouraging broader engagement and discussion within these communities.
The first 100
10 Prison History & Historical Culture
Brief History Of Prisons
Brief History of Policing
Brief History of Crime
Where do prison words come from?
Famous Letters from Inside
The Real Pipelines to Prison
Copaganda
10 Personal Narrative
10 Intersections (Prison makes everything worse)
Prison and Environment
Prison and Foster
Prison and Mental Health
10 Re-Entry
10 Abolition
10 Legislative Need-to-Knows
5 fill in the blank zines to send inside
5 Resource
5 PENPALLING OR WRITING INSIDE
How to
What to write
5 LETTERS/ART from currently incarcerated
5 impact on family
5 Rehabilitation and Coping
Breathing
NVC
5 Worldwide
Norway
Palestine
5 Kites Library Specific
What is this?
How does the catalogue work
Zine's radical history
Other Ideas
LEARNINGWhat is Intersectionality?
What is a non-reformist reform?
Understanding Abolition: What Does It Mean to Abolish Prisons?
What is Decarceration?
Systemic Racism: How It Shapes the Criminal Justice System
White Supremacy in the Carceral State
Restorative Justice: An Alternative to Punishment
Transformative Justice: Building a World Beyond Harm
The School-to-Prison Pipeline
What is Prison Industrial Complex?
The Impact of Capitalism on Mass Incarceration
Mutual Aid: What It Means and How to Practice It
What is Criminalization?
Disability Justice and Incarceration
Abolitionist Feminism: How Gender Plays a Role in Carceral Justice
What is Carceral Feminism?
Police Abolition: What Does Defunding the Police Mean?
Prison Labor: Modern-Day Slavery?
Dehumanization in the Criminal Justice System
Mass Surveillance and Its Role in Oppression
What is State Violence?
Anti-Blackness and the Prison System
The Role of Class in Criminal Justice
What is Settler Colonialism and Its Impact on Incarceration?
What is the Prison Abolition Movement?
The Role of Trauma in the Criminal Justice System
Environmental Justice and the Carceral System
What is Social Justice?
Queer and Trans People in the Criminal Justice System
What is Privilege?
Prison Gerrymandering: How Prisons Affect Political PowerFAMOUS LETTERS FROM USIANS/US PRISONS"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr.
"Letters from the Birmingham County Jail" by Angela Davis
"Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson"
"Letters from Incarceration" by Assata Shakur
"Letters from the Death Row" by Mumia Abu-Jamal
"Letters from Prison" by Leonard Peltier
"Letters from a Japanese American Internment Camp" by Gordon Hirabayashi
"Letters from Lompoc Prison" by César ChávezMISC5 Facts About Solitary Confinement
5 Tips on Staying Sane in Solitary
How to Connect with Someone in Solitary
5 Tips on Finding Work After Release
Rebuilding Trust with Family After Prison
How to Deal with Stigma Post-Prison
How to Talk to Kids About Incarceration
Parenting Tips from Behind Bars
Support Systems for Families of the Incarcerated
3 Reasons We Need Decarceration
3 Successful Prison Reform Models
How to Get Involved in Prison Reform
3 Questions to Ask About Prison Abolition
Is Prison Reform Enough?
Imagining Life Without Prisons
How to Find Legal Resources While Incarcerated
How Prison Education Programs Work
3 Ways Education Helps Reduce Recidivism
What Skills Can You Learn in Prison?
How Vocational Training Prepares You for Release
How to Access Vocational Programs in Prison
5 Key Moments in U.S. Prison History
How U.S. Prisons Became Racially Disproportionate
How Private Prisons Grew in America
How Art Heals in Prison
3 Famous Works of Literature Written in Prison
How Prison Art Programs Empower Incarcerated Artists
How Prison Films Shape Public Perception
3 Incarcerated Voices That Shaped Music & Art
How to Manage Anxiety in Prison
Daily Routines for Mental Stability
How to Access Mental Health Resources in Prison
What is Trauma-Informed Care in Prison?
How Group Therapy Programs Help
Finding Inner Peace Through Mindfulness
How Outside Support Networks Can Help You
Staying Connected with Loved Ones While Incarcerated
How to Join a Pen Pal Program
Benefits of Writing to Incarcerated People
Tips for Starting a Pen Pal Relationship
What Is a Solidarity Network?
How to Start a Solidarity Network
Staying Involved with the Incarcerated
How the Criminal Justice System Works
What is Mass Incarceration?
The Role of Courts in Prison Sentencing
How to Find Legal Aid for Incarcerated People
How to Volunteer with Prison Advocacy Groups
How to Advocate for Justice
What is Restorative Justice?
Examples of Restorative Justice in Action
How to Get Involved in Restorative Justice
3 Famous Poems Written in Prison
Themes of Survival in Prison Poetry
How Prisoners Use Poetry to Express Freedom
How Incarcerated Artists Create Visual Art
Famous Prison Artists and Their Work
How Art Therapy Helps Incarcerated People
Where to Find Resources After Release
How to Apply for Jobs After Release
Dealing with Social Stigma After Prison
How to Advocate for Prison Reform
How to Work with Local Government on Reform
Prison Reform Organizations to Know
How to Build Mental Strength in Prison
Finding Peace Through Meditation
Daily Practices for Mental Resilience
How to Apply Restorative Justice in Your Life
What Restorative Justice Looks Like in Practice
How Prisons Are Used as Political Tools
The Role of Prisons in Palestinian Resistance
How the World Responds to Palestinian Incarceration
What Makes Norwegian Prisons Different?
Can Norwegian Prison Models Work in the U.S.?
How Human-Centered Prisons Reduce Recidivism
How to Write a Letter of Hope to an Incarcerated Person
HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS
the number of zines created, distributed, and downloaded
the number of partnerships formed with grassroots organizations and bookstores
engagement metrics such as feedback and testimonials.
These measurements will reflect how effectively the project bridges the gap between the public’s understanding and the lived realities of incarceration.
DESIGN
Initial brand, templates, and zine layouts
A mix of in-house and freelance consultant design
Several fill-in-the-blank templates
Letters explaining the project and zines (for mailing into prisons and for the libraries)
Tablet friendly version for the zines
LIVING LIBRARIES
Set up & maintenance
Printing zines
Folding Zines
Necessary Signage
Direct mail to incarcerated individuals
Initial list purchase/rental
Printing/Shipping Costs
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
One-time expense
Freelance consultant design
Focus on cataloging capacity, a robust search, image downloads, and speed of the interface
Focus on SEO to help connect with micro grassroots organizations
WEBSITE HOST
Hosting (3 Years): $2,000
In-house maintenance
Extra large hosting capacity for the full sized images
PHYSICAL MAILBOX
PRISON ACCESSIBILITY MEANS SNAIL MAIL ACCESSIBILITY
Physical Mailbox (3 Years): $1,500
TRAVEL AND PROMO
Spread-the-word materials for local coffee shops and bookstores to find more micro organizations
Repeatable flier designs for pop-up events
Travel within Southern California
CONTINGENCY FUNDS
Collaborations with in-prison arts groups
Opportunity to travel outside of Southern California for partnerships
MISCELLANEOUS IDEAS
Send out 100 zines into various prisons and receive feedback on how they are received (ripped, opened, sent back).
A library of art, photography, and illustrations that could be included without review specifically for system-impacted contributors. For example, someone writes in a letter, and I can compile that into a zine and use the art on the cover without having to ask permission. I would love to talk to designers and artists to see what that could or should look like to make sure everyone is supported.
UNSURE
What about really dope existing zines that don't fit the formatting requirements?
How do I review the Spanish zines?
Is there ever a final book or collection?
Catalogue & Sequencing
Language indicator
State/Area
Author
Written by someone inside, or in collab, or an ally only piece? An org?
Inventory #
Indicators should be visual and take up the half the last page of the zine
POTENTIAL COLLABORATORS
Page Against the Machine
Chevaliers
PlayNice LB
Mass Liberation
Reparations Club
ALA
LibGuides: Zines and Zine-Making at UCSB Library: Social Justice Zine Collection
CONTRIBUTORS
Are contributors paid?
No. (This is because there's no coherent mechanism to manage this even if there was a budget.)
IDEATION
Framework development
Rough ideas for logos
Rough ideas for zine possibilities
Test zine content
Basic site layout
Submit to grants
Phase 1 (First 3 Months)
Content Development: This phase will focus on gathering content for the initial 100 zine series and creating a list of topics to be covered on the website (e.g., “How to Write a Postcard to an Incarcerated Person You Don’t Know,” “Getting Your Period When Locked Up and what we’re doing about it”, “What about Rape”, “How to Understand Crime Data on the News”). It will also involve explaining zines and zine culture.
Zine Creation: Design and develop the first set of zines, focusing on high-priority topics and themes related to re-entry, prison life, and the criminal justice system.
Website work begins.
Phase 2 (Next 3-6 Months)
Website Launch: Launch the Kites website, featuring the first zines available for free download, the list of topics for future zines, and the submission platform for additional content.
Zine Release & Distribution: Release the first batch of free and downloadable zines (about 20-50 issues) on the website.
Mini Free Library Installations: Begin installing the first mini free libraries in a partnered justice-aligned space, such as community centers, re-entry programs, and cultural hubs. These installations will feature the initial series of zines, a feedback mechanism, as well as additional resources related to re-entry and prison reform.
Content Expansion: Expand the list of zine topics on the website and continue to gather new content from incarcerated individuals, their families, and grassroots organizations. Aim to cover a wide range of personal, practical, and cultural topics.
Phase 2 (Next 3-6 Months)
Ongoing Zine Production: Continue producing new zines on a rolling basis, with the goal of reaching hundreds of zine editions. Ensure content is diverse, covering a wide range of topics from daily prison life to cultural reflections on the criminal justice system.
Periodic Showcases: Host periodic showcases featuring new zines and two mini library installations in different cities and communities. These showcases will serve as both promotional events and educational opportunities to foster dialogue around prison experiences.
Community Engagement & Partner Events: Continue collaborating with grassroots organizations and community spaces to host zine reading circles, workshops, and panel discussions. These events will facilitate broader engagement with the project’s content and encourage public discourse around justice reform.
Ongoing
Archive Growth: Expand the digital archive on the website, continually adding new zines and user-generated submissions. This phase includes increasing the number of downloadable resources and continuing to make the zines easily accessible to all.
Long-Term Expansion: Scale the project by installing additional mini free libraries in new locations and partnering with more organizations to distribute the zines. Regularly update the topics list and ensure continued content contributions from incarcerated individuals and their communities.