It’s already been three weeks since our last PechaKucha Night. Since we’ve already made a lot of headway getting the next set of speakers together for the September event at SPARKcon it feels more like months ago, though!
I wanted to take a moment to relive and reflect on that night.
It was such a great event though that I can still feel the energy in the room. I remember the smiles as guests, organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and even curious passerbys walked into Relevance’s snazzy loft office space to grab some wine or beer, Mediterranean appetizers, and mingle with old and new friends. I remember the silence as everyone focused intently on the first three presentations about dealing with stress in our lives, issues of modern civil rights right here in Raleigh, and how our life should be more like the bees (packed full of graphic honey bee photographs). I remember the room full of laughter as up-and-coming improv comedian Nathania Johnson bashed the modern education system. I remember seeing some people even start taking notes after the first intermission during the presentations on business, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. I remember the flutter of excitement & chit-chat during the breaks. And finally, I remember seeing tears as Gabrielle talked about the 10 lessons she learned from her grandma who had recently passed away, a tribute of sorts. As one attendee said, “the circle is complete.”
All in all, I was genuinely impressed by the entire evening. As an organizer I was probably more ecstatic about how smoothly everything went (especially compared to the March event) than all of the guests. Having a private space with amazingly helpful sponsors (Relevance, Lonerider Beer, NC Wine and Grape Council and Saladelia Cafe) and volunteers (Cyn Mallard, Janet Stracke, Brianne Villano, Kartik Bhavsar, Rianna Mallard, Shannon Prue, & Jeff Brenman) certainly helps. On the other hand, my one regret as an organizer is that I was so preoccupied with organizing that I wasn’t able to give all of the presentations my 100% undivided attention. Ahhh the sacrifices we make.
Nonetheless, there were a few presentations that really stood out for me personally that I’d like to share:
Nathania Johnson’s We Don’t Need No Education: Why the Worst Students are the Brightest Thinkers
HILARIOUS. I knew that she’d be bashing traditional education, but I was completely unprepared for the level of hilarity that ensued. Sometimes the best way to get your point across is to be as ridiciulous as possible. She succeded. I don’t think anyone could have left the room that night without rethinking their own educational choices, the education their children are getting at school, or how society got so far out of hand.
Thank you Nathania, for saying what a lot of us are thinking, but in a completely different way.
[you can watch the video of her presentation on her website here—and you really should!]
Gabrielle Kaasa’s Love, Life and Friendship: 10 Lessons From My 99 Year Old Great-Grandma
I didn’t realize it until nearly the end, but Gabrielle’s “mama” as she calls her, only recently passed away earlier this year. The fact that she was able to give tribute to her great-grandmother so soon after her passing was courageous, if nothing else. Not only that, but there was some real substance to the lessons she shared with us. My own grandmother was in the audience that night a few seats away and I immediately felt a closer connection with her than I had earlier in the night. She brought the audience a little bit closer to their families that night. Gabrielle reminded the audience not to take their family for granted and that if you listen closely, they might even have some words of wisdom to pass on.
[read how she was glowing after the event on her blog here]
Steven Keith’s Epiphany Farming
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Steven having never met him before, but with a title like Epiphany Farming I was intrigued. It was either going to be a huge bust or inspire an epiphany of my own. His slides ended up being the simplest of the evening: all the same background with one word on each, and of course there were 20 slides as necessary. At each slide he talked about one important point or tip for encouraging the flow of ideas, or epiphanies. With no tears, laughter, or captivating slides to distract me I paid attention to every word he said. The outcome? This man needs to mentor me.
I spoke with some of the other attendees and organizers after the fact and we’re intent on starting our own Epiphany Farming Meetup for young people who want to brainstorm or flesh out ideas with others. Can’t wait to see where this goes!
To see more photos of the event, check out the Facebook photo albums:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16168&id=127784347243885
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2465064&id=2717888&l=44545d7f1e
