Ignite Asheville Speakers

	How To Challenge Your Assumptions Trevor Lohrbeer Assumptions often limit what we can achieve in our personal and professional lives. Learn techniques for challenging assumptions and fostering creative solutions to problems.
	What is the Opposite of War? Sara Bensman If war is not the answer, what is? The same tools that are used to mediate divorces and union negotiations are effectively applied to mega-issues (think the environment, racism, terrorism) and micro-issues (a fight with a partner.) It’s about giving voice, listening for beliefs, looking for common interests, weighing the cost, and patience.
	Rock Songwriters on the Creative Process Bill Kopp How to describe the creative process in music? Songwriters well-known and relatively obscure are sometimes equally eloquent on the subject. Drawing from his personal archive of one-on-one interviews with musicians in the rock idiom, music journalist Bill Kopp presents some of the most fascinating and thought-provoking quotes on songwriting.
	What Could You Do With $20,000 Blake Boles The average college family spends about $20,000 per year to put a kid through school. What could you do with that money-instead of spending it on tuition and dorms-while still giving yourself a higher education? This thought experiment reveals how self-directed learning offers a cheap, effective, and highly rewarding alternative to 4-year college.
	New Center for Tech Learning in Asheville Ian Riddell As an educator specializing in robotics, programming and electronics, I want to create a center for tech learning in AVL where students of ALL ages can explore the creative possibilities in technology and foster the next generation of ideas/businesses. We create opportunity by removing barriers to technology, providing access to equip and knowledge
	What Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 Can Teach Us About Life, Love, and Business Laura Hope-Gill There’s a reason these poems have lasted lifetimes. I’ll break it down, highlight the techniques and reveal why poetry is alchemy, the ancient science of transformation and creativity, and how this poem holds secrets to success and happiness. NOT your average high school teacher’s approach to poetry at all.
	How and Where to Learn about the Law…For Free Melissa English We all get into a little hot water sometimes. Or just need the answer to a vexing question like “can I pave my driveway using Powell Bill funds?” (no, but nice try). There are lots of places to learn about the law, for no money down. Write these down and put it in your wallet for those tight spots and rainy days.
	Life Is A Banquet – Lessons I Learned From Movie Characters Played By Rosalind Russell Jennifer Perry Patrick Dennis wrote of his beloved Auntie Mame, who was portrayed in the movie by Rosalind Russell. From wealth to financial ruin and back, she taught that “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” This and characters Russell played in other films are a source of great inspiration to me daily.
	How We Learn Now David Lindrum What best-selling non-fiction, Google, documentaries, Wikipedia, TED lectures, Good Eats, reality TV and NPR teach us about how we learn now, where we find credible information and what it means to be informed.
	My Life in 20 Slides Brett McCall Is five minutes enough time to tell the story of a whole life? Mardi Gras birthday boy Brett McCall wants to prove that with enough King Cake and sufficient morning workouts, he can tell a life story using only time, technology–and 20 slides.

Watch Ignite Talks at TEDxAsheville Salon This Thu, Feb 2nd

The TEDxAsheville Salon series takes a break from TED videos this week to showcase two Ignite talks. Come out to watch Ignite talks with others and join the discussion afterwards.

TEDxAsheville Salon will happen this Thursday, February 2nd in the upstairs back room at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge at 10 South Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. The event starts at 5:00p with mingling and introductions. Videos start at 5:30 with discussion afterwards.

The French Broad Chocolate Lounge will have table-side service for attendees from 5:00 until 5:30, so you can get your chocolate fix while you mix and mingle.

Your host this week will be Pam Lewis, the lead organizer for Ignite Asheville.

The event is entirely free. RSVPs are encouraged, but not required. To RSVP, please click here. For more information about TEDxAsheville, please visit their web site.

Pecha Kucha: Lightning Talks Next Friday

Get warmed up for Ignite Asheville by going out Friday, January 27th and seeing inspiring lightning talks at Asheville’s 5th Pecha Kucha night.

Afterwards, buy your ticket or propose a talk for Ignite Asheville on February 21st. The deadline to submit a talk for Ignite Asheville is Friday, February 3rd at 5pm.

Pecha Kucha is a lightning talk format similar to Ignite, where you spend an evening watching short, inspiring talks. Pecha Kucha uses a format of 20 slides each shown for 20 seconds at a time, for a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds per talk. Topics focus mostly around arts, creativity and design.

Asheville’s 5th Pecha Kucha night has a great roster of presenters including Kenn Kotara, Kitty Love, Lara Sturgis, Klim Kozinevich, Amy Milne, Jay Bartell & Nathan Roney, Jenny Greer, Ursala Gullow, Rob Seven, Eric Howell, Joseph Adams, Joe Minicozzi, Nicholas Pecoraro and Matt Fields.

Check out Pecha Kucha presentations at events held around the world here.

Pecha Kucha Night #5 will be held next Friday, January 27th at the Phil Mechanic Studio at 109 Roberts Street in the River Arts District from 7-10pm. The cover is $7 and includes some food and drink. To learn more, check out the Asheville Pecha Kucha web site.

Seeking Speakers for Ignite Asheville

Ignite Asheville seeks passionate speakers who want to present their ideas in a 5-minute rapid fire format.

Need ideas? Check out the lightning talks from Ignite conferences from around the world at Ignite Show.

Never given a lightning talk before? Watch this video on why you should give a talk:

Need help? Read these articles to prepare your submission and talk:

Ready to submit? Head over to the Speak page to submit your bio and a summary of your talk. We’ll be reviewing the talks early next year and scheduling a line up.

Don’t want to speak yourself, but know someone who’d be great? Send them an e-mail with a link to this site and tell them to submit a talk. We’re always on the look-out for great speakers.