Ep. 6: Walker Vreeland

In this special holiday edition of Classy, Gayle Danley goes solo, gifting us with part poetry reading, part sermon and part workshop, helping you turn the broken ground under your feet into your own, unique brand of art. Truly, an opportunity to hear a spoken word master in her element, this riveting episode will renew your faith in the human spirit and the healing power of self-expression.

This is a special episode because instead of featuring one teacher, we’re featuring several. This thanksgiving we wanted to spotlight the teachers who have made a difference in our lives and say THANK YOU. So we’ve invited some teacher friends to talk about their most important teachers… the teachers who changed the trajectory of their lives..and often inspired them to become teachers. This is a celebration of gratitude for these patient, multi-tasking, multi-talented heros who touch every aspect of society and shape future generations. Featuring Anton Davis, Ayanna Gallant, Lisa Gelzer, Geoff Godfrey and Joan Weber. Classy is brought to you by Lessons in Poetry. Learn more at lessonsinpoetry.com

In this episode, Gayle invites her producer Walker Vreeland to have a sit down conversation about the inevitable highs and lows that come with living your dream. They talk about the importance of loving what you do, the trap of expectations, trusting yourself, and finding purpose while weathering the personal and professional setbacks that threaten to derail us. Classy is brought to you by Lessons in Poetry. Learn more at lessonsinpoetry.com

In this episode, Gayle talks to Restorative Justice warrior Cyn Jones, who will soon be taking on the role of Climate Manager in a Kensington elementary and middle school in the school district of Philadelphia. In this conversation, Cyn talks to Gayle about their passion for community building and racial equity work, what they consider “home,” and how they try to be the empathic listener they would have wanted as a kid. Classy is brought to you by Lessons in Poetry: Empowerment Through Words. Find out more at lessonsinpoetry.com

In this revealing interview, Academy Award winner Milton Justice talks about his full life: from growing up white in the segregated south, in a family where no one showed emotion…to getting his start in Hollywood… to Broadway… to his career as a documentary film producer and celebrated acting teacher. Despite being a gay man at a time when it was widely unacceptable, there were the life-changing lessons he learned along the way: never say no to a new opportunity, pick yourself up and go back to work after a major loss, look to the untethered spirit of Aretha Franklin to help you ‘let yourself go’. Their differences notwithstanding, Gayle and Milton find much common ground in this intimate conversation, as teachers, and students of art and life. “It’s scary and exciting to me that when it comes to something I’ve been doing for 35 years— teaching acting—that I don’t have all the answers. I’m 74 and I’m so pleased that I ended up with a life that constantly allows me to grow and not have it yet. I think that’s cool.”

Halfway through taping this episode with teacher and writer Azya Maxton, Gayle decided she wanted a WWAD wristband: What Would Azya Do. That’s because regardless of where she is or who she’s teaching, Azya leads with heart. Her superpowers are compassionate listening and offering a hug to any kid who feels alone. In this episode, Azya shares stories from her latest book: Before I Burn Out: Tales, Trials and Triumphs of a City School Teacher. She speaks honestly about the lows that made her examine what’s beneath a child “acting out,” her frustrations working within the Baltimore Public School system, and the highs that kept her there for so long.

In Episode 2 of Classy, Gayle talks to poet, singer, artist, teacher and Baltimore Goddess Chin-Yer Wright. In this conversation, Chin-Yer dives deep into what it means to be a teacher in the Baltimore Public School system, her love for the city, her psychic powers and how she faced cancer one day at a time. She talks about loss, addiction, the hills and valleys of grief, and striking the balancing between her “umbrella of fine” and keeping her tears on the outside. “There’s nothing scarier than being a poet.” Chin-Yer says. “You know you’re doing it right when you’re slightly uncomfortable. If I can move myself when I’m writing, I feel ok.”

On this first episode of Classy, Gayle sits down with the man, the myth, the arts education legend Michael Bell. He's a renowned artist, author, TED speaker, and three-time national award-winning Teacher of the Year. In this conversation, Michael talks about why he wears ballin suits, how his past relates to his present, the time he channeled Gayle, and how he's become the mentor he'd have wanted as a kid. Michael currently serves as Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts, World Languages and Media for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools in Maryland.