BWO Letter Project Project Guidelines: ● All letters must be received and mailed from The Beat Within office ● A mature approach to the contents of the correspondence must be maintained ● Letters will be screened prior to reply ● Writing Mentors are responsible for typing (or writing) and mailing outgoing letters ● A writer can choose correspondent or be assigned by Beat Within staff ● All incoming mail and responses will be photocopied ● The Beat Within is not to be held responsible for any writing or actions derived from the writing if continued beyond The Beat Within walls ● Continue community outreach for Writing Mentors ● A letter must be answered within two weeks, and a Writing Mentor must never leave a writer hanging (notify writer and let BWO know) ● NOT a pen-pal service ● Writing Mentors must be 21 years or older ● Inmates will not receive anything but a complimentary issue ONLY if co-written work with Writing Mentor is submitted; letters will not be published in magazine ● Writing Mentors’ information will and must be kept confidential Writing Mentor Guidelines: ● Writing mentor assigned a correspondent ● Type or scan letter ○ Maintain maturity ○ Promote further writing, thinking, and education ○ Keep tone optimistic and letter short ○ Send only writing, publishing, or art related materials printed on paper ● Make photocopies of original letter, print or photocopy extra copy of response letter, and staple together; place in LP file ● Mail letter response in a Beat Within envelope with inmate’s return address on envelope. Letters will be initially screened for The Beat Within’s protection Writing Mentor Don’ts: ● Don’t respond to physical descriptions of inmate, racism, sexism, violence, etc. or requests for your physical description ● Don’t spray perfume or cologne on the letter ● Don’t visit your inmate ● Don’t send gifts, money, and/or pictures ● Don’t write more than 3-4 pages in response ● Don’t attach anything to the letter or envelope (i.e. glitter, stickers, etc.) ● Don’t provide your last name, home address, phone number, or any other personal information Failure to follow the above stated will result in your automatic termination and refusal of future participation.