There are more than two million people serving time in US prisons. It' s tough to feel sympathy for them, but author Janeen Ledford feels differently. She spent eighteen months as a teacher in a male prison and she quickly realized that many of her assumptions about inmates and correctional institutions were untrue. She met many extrordinary men who were her students in the prison. Her relationship with one particular inmate, who was academically and artisticically gifted, inspired her to write about her experiences in prison. Janeen Ledford comes from a family of educators and she has a diverse educational background as a reading specialist in the public schools. She describes dropping out of school as the first step on the educational path that leads to prison. 

Janeen Ledford holds a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA from the University of Colorado at Denver. She is a college professor at Metropolitan State College. She has had significant experience as a reading specialist in the Denver Public Schools.

Janeen Ledford is working on a new book, Street Stories, which also recounts her experiences as a teacher in a prison.

Ghost Tango
Ghost Tango is a compelling yet gritty account of a woman’s experience as a teacher in a male prison for violent felons. In particular, the book focuses on the mesmerizing relationship that develops between the teacher and one gifted student who is “a dangerous man with a beautiful mind.” The eerie dynamic between the prison teacher and “the Cuban” quickly holds the reader’s attention with its poetic, lyrical style. The story reveals the complexity of the mind of this inmate with a mix of intrigue and tension. Although the story conveys the starkness of prison life and the hopelessness of the character’s situation, it also illustrates the light a teacher finds in a sinister environment. Ghost Tango captures the essence of why prisons fail and is a read well worth your time.