Several weeks ago I had lunch with long-time friends, Dr. John Telford and author Collette Cullen. John, and his wife Adrienne, welcomed us into their lovely home overlooking Lake St. Clair. With these three dynamic personalities in the same room, all I did was sit back and enjoy the repartee.
Often called a “lightening rod for controversy” Telford shows no signs of changing his ways any time soon. At nearly 80 years old, this educator, activist and occasional Detroit mayoral candidate, has a new book coming out, “The Poet-Emperor of Earth: An In-Depth Dialogue with The Diety”, that he is calling an allegorical morality tale. And the Diety character, according to Telford, bares a remarkable resemblance to himself.
He had this to say about his latest project. “Much of the novella features
spirited debate between the Eternal Presence and the old poet-emperor regarding the comparative value of democracy vis-a-vis autocracy, with the old
activist poet stubbornly seeking to gain permission from the Presence to
incorporate some democratic processes in his style of imperial governance.
The book has a surprise ending--in fact, it has two.” Currently,he is looking to meet a publisher’s agent to help him get several other projects published. To learn more about Telford,his books and his many, many community projects, “google” Dr. John Telford.
Author,award-winning actress and veteran educator Collette Cullen walks the talk of promoting quality standards in educating our youth. She is currently touring southeast Michigan with her enlightening performance of her reenactment of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s famous teacher.
In “Annie Speaks”, the focus is to facilitate a conversation on
themes in education, motivation, community and engagement.
"After my decades in the trenches of education,” Cullen said, “I found myself pondering
if we have lost sight of the essential questions. Helen’s quote on her teacher seemed
the key, the missing ingredient of the discourse on the reformation of
education. Helen said, “The day I met my teacher was the day of my soul’s
birthday”.” In addition, Cullen is a playwright whose one-act play, “Between the Thorns”, was chosen last year to be produced by Random Acts of Theater, an organization that gives local directors an opportunity to present their work. The play is a story of Detroiters, diversity and dreams.
Is your school or civic organization looking for a motivational speaker with a most unique message and presentation? Find out more about “Annie Speaks” at www.anniesullivanspeaks.com
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