TEDxMacon aims to meld Macon minds
A conference Saturday aims to bring some of Macon’s best minds together.
TEDxMacon “co-conspirator” Makenna Held said she’d found people with good ideas in Macon tend to share them with the same six people.
“I have found that there is a lack of opportunity for really smart, intelligent dialogue,” said Held, who teaches at Mercer University, Macon State College and Wesleyan College.
Held said she’s particularly interested in Frank Dixon’s talk, which will cover South Africa’s “truth and reconciliation” process and how that could be used to bridge gaps in Macon. Other talks include local rapper Floco Torres on “The Responsibility of Being Local” and Travis Blackwell on “Rethinking Poverty: Place-Based Strategy in Macon.”
Chris Nylund, the other lead co-conspirator (organizers resist terms like organizers) said the TEDxMacon conference could bring together a meeting of the minds. Nylund said he hopes Saturday’s talk will become a regular, twice-a-year event that brings together interesting people with interesting things to say.
TEDxMacon is an independently organized TEDx talk, which itself is an offshoot from the TED conference series. Videos from Macon’s talks will be placed online.
The TED talks started off with a single California conference that stood for Technology, Entertainment and Design. TEDx talks are run by local people. The most popular TEDx video is of Thomas Suarez, a middle-schooler who develops iPhone apps that has received more than 1.9 million hits.
TED limits the first TEDx talks to 100 participants, and organizers have received applications for more than 70. The deadline to apply is Wednesday. The conference will begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Cox Capitol Theatre. Registration through the application process includes lunch for $25. Any available seats will be sold Saturday morning for $20.
To fill out an application, visit bit.ly/TEDxMacon online. More information is available through the TEDxMacon Facebook page.
To contact writer Mike Stucka, call 744-4251.
This story was originally published May 1, 2012 at 5:14 PM.