International bestselling author and self titled poet-philosopher Noah benShea will speak at City College on Thursday, May 9 to promote his work and reach out to the Santa Barbara community.
Hosted by the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, benShea will be presenting an hour-long talk about leadership, followed by a question and answer session and interactive discussion with the audience.
The first 100 attendees will receive free copies of his latest book “The Journey to
Greatness And How to Get There.”
“We’re all really stoked,” said Nanuk Rennert, vice president of Phi Theta Kappa. “Usually if you want Noah to speak it’s at least around 10,000 dollars and he agreed to do it for free.”
Among other accomplishments, benShea has written 22 books translated into 18 languages, 12 of which have been bestsellers
“The Journey to Greatness and How to Get There” serves as a guide to help readers embark on a personal journey towards a fulfilling and happy life. The book promotes self-assessment and aims to enlighten readers, teaching them that “greatness isn’t ahead of you; it’s within you.”
Occasionally called the “Guru’s Guru,” benShea has been a public speaker for 35 years. He was published by the New York Times Regional Network and served as national lecturer to The Executive Committee. He has been broadcasted over regional PBS.
He has also lectured at some of the country’s top schools including UCLA, MIT and Harvard.
Sam Terrell, president of Phi Theta Kappa, said what makes benShea remarkable is that he strives to be an individual from whom others can draw strength.
“He’s an interesting cat,” said Terrell. “He’s a theologian, but he understands that life is something beyond the pursuit of spiritual guidance and allows you to take away your own interpretation of his teachings.”
Those unfamiliar with his work may have experienced his wisdom through one of the 30 million Starbucks Coffee Cups that featured his quotes. Or on one of over 70 million “Sugar for the Soul” sugar packets also printed with his words and found at all the eateries on campus.
BenShea lives in Santa Barbara, California with his family, including his son Adam benShea who is a political science instructor here at City College.
Dr. Eskandari-Qajar, chair of the political science department at City College is responsible for getting in touch with benShea. The two know each other from being on the advisory board of The Justice Project, an interactive organization that strives for educational, environmental, economic and social justice. BenShea is now the Executive Director of the project.
BenShea’s lecture will be held at 2 p.m. in the Administration Building room 211. The event is free and open to anyone interested.
Phi Theta Kappa is anticipating at least 100 attendees and hoping for a mix of students as well as other community members.
Rennert believes the event will be especially interesting for young people.
“The aspect of leadership and how you can draw from within is something college students can really feed from,” he said.
Terrell also urges students to take advantage of this opportunity.
“It’s going to be a chance to experience an individual who has dedicated his life to understanding the world and himself,” Terrell said. He added, “If you love education, I think it’ll be highly valuable.”
