The Springs Take Center Stage

This Saturday afternoon (10/24), I will be one of 12 speakers at TEDxJacksonville's 2015 event "Into The Machine." I will share a talk titled "Illusions: A lens into our fragile freshwater." Basically, my "idea worth spreading" (the take-home "nugget" of every TED or TEDx talk) is that underwater photographs can help reconnect us to our threatened freshwater. I will take the audience on a tour of the underwater world that has captured my heart, from sparkling spring bowls to the winding aquifer hidden beneath our feet. I will tell you more of the details on Saturday, don't want to give too many away yet!

To my friends and family in far away places -- if you don't have a ticket, don't worry! The talk will be live-streamed at http://YouTube.com/TEDxTalks; you can click on this link between 10 am and 6 pm on Saturday (10/24) and watch from the comfort of your home... or perhaps on your cell phone while you're out and about. If you happen to be in Jax, you can also join viewing parties at the University Park Branch Library or the Webb Wesconnett Branch Library. My talk is part of the last session of the day, which will run from 4:30-5:50 pm EST, but I highly recommend checking out the live-stream at other times throughout the day, because the diverse line up of speakers and performers is incredible!

A tiny preview of the 12 speakers, as listed on the TEDx Jacksonville's website (http://tedxjacksonville.com/attend/). There are also 4 musical performances that will take place throughout the day and bios of the performers are listed on the same TEDx Jax page, just below the speaker bios.

I am incredibly grateful to the amazing team of volunteers at TEDx Jacksonville who have worked countless hours over the past months and have been so supportive throughout this entire creative process -- from developing and fine-tuning my message and idea, communicating this idea in a way that is coherent and understandable to a diverse audience, and now practicing to the point where I fall asleep every night reciting it in my mind. It is because of their generosity and dedication that this event is possible, and I feel very lucky to have been a part of the training, coaching, and sharing of ideas that has been ongoing since July. I am excited to let the springs take center stage and to have the opportunity to share my favorite underwater world with a wider audience. I look forward to hearing from the other speakers and performers and to writing more thoroughly about the entire TEDx Jacksonville experience after it's done -- now to get back to practicing!


Thank you all for your continued support!

A lens into our fragile freshwater...