West Virginia Universitys Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) is hosting its annual Fall Carnival and Cakewalk from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the Stansbury Hall gym on the Downtown Campus.
The event will feature a variety of games for children, includingGuess Who I Am,in which the children will ask a series of questions in order to guess the identities of characters from fairy tales or educational television shows.
Three of Morgantowns renowned childrens theater actors will also present the interactive dramaThe Three Never-Wrong Fortunetellers.Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes.
Admission is $3 and includes a ticket for one walk in the cakewalk.
The cakewalk is actually a series of walks set to music.If a contestant lands on a winning number when the music stops, he or she will win a cake.
Some of this years cakes include orange-lime angel food cake, cheesecake, pineapple upside-down cake, and pumpkin cake with maple frosting.
Additional cakewalk tickets will be available for $1 each.
The event will also feature a sale of hardcover books, which are not accepted by most prisons. Money raised will be used to distribute paperback books free of charge to inmates, particularly in West Virginia and other regions of Appalachia.
In West Virginia, 277 out of every 100,000 residents are behind bars,said Mark Brazaitis, an APBP member and associate professor of English in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
Were talking about a large population, a population that, in most cases, will reenter society at some point. By sending prisoners books, we give them a lifeline to their imaginations and intellects. The power of a book to transform a life shouldnt be underestimated.
APBP grew out of a graduate prison literature class taught by Katy Ryan, assistant professor of English, in the fall of 2004.
The project is now an official student organization at WVU , but members also include professors and members of the Morgantown community. Today the project has more than 4,000 donated books, which are being stored in the Garlow House beside the Morgantown Public Library on Spruce Street.
For more information about the APBP or on becoming a pen pal to someone in prison, e-mail appalachianpbp@gmail.com .
For more information about the carnival and cakewalk, contact Katy Ryan at 304-293-3107, ext. 33424 or kohearnr@wvu.edu , or Mark Brazaitis at 304-293-3107, ext. 33402, mbrazait@wvu.edu .