Receive their stories.
Carry their humanity.
Thank you: The Letters from San Quentin Mail Club is a monthly mail subscription I created after spending years sitting with incarcerated writers and artists across the country. Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it. Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.
Postmarked San Quentin Village CA 94964 · $25/month
Launching July 2026. Be among the first subscribers.
And we want to share it with you." From inside San Quentin
They know what it means
to open a letter.
Now you will too.
Mail call is the most human moment of any day inside San Quentin. Laughter. Tears. The feeling that someone on the outside thought of you. Every month, they put that into an envelope and send it to your door.
Start Your SubscriptionWhat arrives at your door
A Letter
Written by or about the humans inside. Real words. Real stories. Nothing sanitized.
A Poem
Original work from inside the walls. Language that strips everything down to what is true.
A Recipe
Food made from what is available inside. Resourcefulness, memory, and taste. All in one card.
A Seeds of Change Card
Plantable seed paper. Read it. Plant it. Watch something grow from these words.
A Postmark
Every envelope is postmarked from San Quentin Village CA 94964. The origin is part of the message.
A Birthday Surprise
Tell us your birthday when you sign up. Something a little extra will find its way to your mailbox that month. Just because.
Seeds of Change
Watch them grow.
From inside these walls,
change takes root.
Each issue includes a plantable seed paper card embedded with wildflower seeds. Read it, then put it in the ground.
Choose your plan
Every plan gets the same letter. Choose what plan works for you. And gift to someone you love.
Cancel anytime. A new letter arrives every month, postmarked from San Quentin Village.
Give a subscription to someone else. Select Gift at checkout and enter their mailing address.
One month free. Lock in a full year of letters and support the project long-term.
All subscriptions ship anywhere in the world. First letter ships in July. Subscribers who sign up by June 15 receive Issue 1.
Your $25 funds one month of storytelling from inside.
Watch us compile Issue 1
From inside the walls to your mailbox. Every step, every hand that touches it.
"Mail call in San Quentin Village is one of the most human moments of any day inside. The laughter. The tears. The gratitude carried in a single envelope. The people inside know what it means to hold something real from someone who thought of them. Since 2017 I have sat with over 4,500 incarcerated people across the US and around the world. Letters from San Quentin is their chance to send that feeling to you."
Diane Kahn is the founder of Humans of San Quentin (HoSQ), a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Since February 2017 she has interviewed more than 4,500 incarcerated people in prisons across the US and around the world: Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, the Philippines, Norway, and beyond. Letters from San Quentin is her way of putting those voices directly into your hands, one letter at a time.
Letters from San Quentin is a project of Humans of San Quentin, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit (EIN 85-2636174). Your subscription is not tax-deductible, but your support funds this work directly.
Questions
When does the first letter ship?
Issue 1 ships in July. Subscribers who sign up by June 15 are guaranteed to receive Issue 1. After that, you will receive the next available issue.
Where is it mailed from?
Every envelope is postmarked from San Quentin Village CA 94964. That postmark is real and it matters.
Can I give this as a gift?
Yes. At checkout, select the Gift option and enter your recipient's mailing address. $25/month ships directly to their door.
Can I cancel?
Monthly subscribers can cancel anytime. Yearly subscribers are billed for the full year upfront. If something comes up, reach out to Diane directly.
Is this tax-deductible?
Your subscription is a purchase, not a donation. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to Humans of San Quentin, head back to our homepage. The Donate button is in the top right corner.
Receive their stories.
Carry their humanity.
$25/month. Postmarked San Quentin Village CA 94964. First letter ships in July.
Subscribe Now501(c)3 · EIN 85-2636174 · Founded August 2020
©2026 Humans of San Quentin. All rights reserved.
