it's hard to explain how much better mail makes a day in jail.
i would love to hear from you and anything you want to write me about is great! don't feel like you have to tell me only happy things. and don't feel bad about telling me all the fun things you've been doing, it's not rubbing it in, i want to hear it. i'd also love to hear about good political stuff happening in the world and in guelph, things i might want to get involved with when i get out, and the political debates and arguments happening on the outside. just remember the guards are reading your letters, so be sure to keep yourself and your friends and allies safe. in fact, due to the nature of this case (the surveillance, the massive cost, the alleged political conspiracy) it's quite likely that anything you send me will be recorded along with your name and address. so be careful, be smart, err on the side of caution, and only write things you'd be happy to have put away in a file somewhere.
apparently letters should be "not too long" (it's unclear what that means). nothing with staples or a binding will get in, and they probably won't let stuff in if it has glue or paint on it either.
in terms of other things you can send in the mail: photos are nice - apparently i can only get two at a time and can't get photos with my face in them. short stories and articles would be amazing. and logic puzzles!
if you're unsure whether you should send something or not, you can always try calling the jail at (905) 876-8300. they may or may not give you an answer, and what they say may or may not be true.
my address is:
Amanda Hiscocks
Vanier Centre for Women
655 Martin Street
Box 1040
Milton, ON
L9T 5E6
my goal is to answer every letter, but it might take me a while. in the meantime, you can keep tabs on me through the blog. some letters just don't ever make it through, and not necessarily for any good reason, so if you don't hear back from me that's probably what happened. if you want to know if your letter made it in you can check in at mandyjailmail@gmail.com.
finally, if you're interested in another pen pal i can try to hook you up. a lot of people don't get any mail at all and i bet they'd love to get a letter once in a while.
thanks!
