How can you have a book club in a place with no library? Rosebuds Reading Collective is answering that question at the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers Island, New York City’s island jail.

Founded by comedian Nora Fried in 2025, Rosebuds Reading Collective provides select books to the women of Rikers Island and gives them a place to not only talk about the books but to share their own stories as well.

The first book the group read was Tara Westover’s Educated, with nine women plus Fried attending the meeting. Now they regularly see over 30 attendees at their meetings.

Jails are constantly moving inmates in and out as sentences are given and inmates are transferred or released. Fried estimates 80-90% of the club’s attendees are new at each meeting, making the club’s growth even more impressive.

The process to get books approved and in the hands of inmates is lengthy and must be done well in advance of the meetings. Between the approval process and turnover rate at Rikers, not everyone receives a copy of the book before the meeting.

Regardless of whether they’ve read the book or not, no one is left out of the discussion. Discussions also rarely stay centered around the books for long.

“Women cry, share personal stories about their cases,” Fried said in a 2026 interview with Ms. Magazine. “I always make it very clear that what happens in this room stays in this room.”

Actress Julia Fox became involved with the group after they read her memoir Down the Drain. Fox, whose brother was being incarcerated at Rikers at the time, visited the group.

“It made me think to myself, I would do this every weekend,” Fox told Ms. Magazine. “I love these girls. I’ve been there,” she added. “I have been in trouble with the law. I was facing a lengthy jail sentence if I didn’t turn my life around… We’re cut from the same cloth, but I got really lucky. I want to make sure that they’re awarded the same opportunities and grace that I was given.”

Now in addition to Fried’s book club, Fox runs a monthly creative writing workshop. Fox aligns prompts with books the group has read, like Cheryl Straid’s Wild about reinventing your life. Fox paired the book with the prompt “You wake up in your dream life. What does it look like?”

Following the writing portion, the women are encouraged to share what they’ve written with the group. Fox says the women’s ability and willingness to show vulnerability, especially in a place where it can be seen as a weakness, is awe-inspiring.

Fried and Fox hope to continue expanding Rosebuds and partner with more organizations in the future to offer more inmates a safe space where they can connect and feel seen.