I recently finished Leah Joki’s new book “Juilliard to Jail”. If you want an inside view of what the Arts in Corrections program was during its heyday, this is a compelling read. Leah was the Artist/Facilitator, first at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, in the middle of the desert, and later at the prison in Lancaster, near LA. Arts in Corrections was a unique encounter between some of California’s finest artists and its finest felons, and the book brings you close to the creative work that bloomed in the concrete jungle of our state’s prisons.  She does a superb job of portraying the rewards and challenges of the Artist/Facilitator job, being an intermediary between exuberantly creative artists and by-the-book correctional staff. As an actor and director, Leah’s perspective on bringing plays from script to production ranges from nail biting to outrageous humor.
“Juilliard to Jail” is available through Amazon. Check it out.
