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Volume 11 represents many of the causes and creations that have traditionally inspired the organizers of Pecha Kucha Night Louisville; however, since this volume falls on the Tuesday of Derby Week, we were obligated as self-respecting Kentuckians to spice things up! For one, we are proud to announce the first event produced under the new guest curator position, currently held by Abbey Smith. Abbey brings to this PK her focus on empowering women along with interests in local history, art, spirituality, community activism, and the environment. And two, we have selected the most amazing new building in the Metro area as our venue: the exotically local Gheens Foundation Lodge at the Parklands of Floyds Fork. So before you put on your fancy hats to play the ponies on Saturday, come put on your thinking caps to share the ideas of today.
Pecha Kucha Night Louisville Vol11 Presenters:
David Dominé is the author of numerous books about Kentucky. From ghostly tales to bourbon recipes, his writings bring to life a variety of spirits, many from Old Louisville. A staunch proponent of its enormous potential, he’s hands-on in the creation of annual events and heritage tours that showcase this fascinating neighborhood and garner it worldwide attention. Victorian masquerade balls, ghost walks, architectural tours, culinary evenings – it’s all fair game to him if it promotes urban revitalization and helps Louisvillians discover what’s in their own back yards. His future projects continue to draw the spotlight on this important historic district.
Jennie Cole is an archivist at The Filson Historical Society, and has previously worked at the American Jewish Archives and Princeton University Archives. Raised in northern Kentucky, Jennie is in love with her second home, Louisville, and is especially intrigued by all aspects of its past. Providing access to history is her favorite part of being an archivist. Jennie also enjoys cooking, reading, and long walks that put her 15-month-old to sleep.
Jennifer R. Jewell is a community organizer and social work professor at Spalding University. In 1998, Jennifer co-founded Women In Transition (WIT), a grassroots organization run by and for poor people, where she still dedicates a lot of her time. Get WIT it! Her research and teaching centers on community organizing; the intersections between race, class, and gender; and the profound impact of community work on disenfranchised communities.
Joe Autry is a multi-disciplined sculptor. He is also a yoga practitioner and instructor at Yoga East of Louisville. Joe began sculpting bronze when he was 17 under the tutelage of David Kocka of Laconia, Indiana, with whom he formed a spiritual bond. Joe went on to work in various trades: making wooden furniture, blacksmithing, metal sand casting, electricity, masonry, home remodeling, and working as a deck hand on the river boats—to name a few. Recently, Joe traveled to the Perm region of Russia to participate in ice festivals and the world’s first sylvinite festival. He has been sponsored by individual patrons and The Fund of Russian and International Sculptors.
Joni Tamalonis settled in Louisville after nearly 30 years in Seattle and a very transient childhood. The majority of her professional career has been in non-profit organizations, primarily in child welfare advocacy. She is a mom to a middle school daughter and a housemate and friend to two big mutts. Joni is an alumna of the University of Washington with a degree in Humanities. She is a work-incentives counselor at the Center for Accessible Living in Louisville and the founder of Read Ahead Kentucky—a non-profit children’s literacy organization. Joni is presently a coordinator at the Louisville Timebank and a member of the Compassionate Louisville Committee and the International Working Group on Compassionate Organizations.
Robert LeVertis Bell is a PhD Candidate in American Culture at the University of Michigan. His doctoral research focuses on what he calls “the cultural politics of neoliberalism”… and whether such a thing exists. With Paul Michael Farber he co-edited an acclaimed special issue of the journal Criticism on the television series The Wire. As a teen, he was the founding Vice-President of the BRYCC House, Inc. community center in Louisville’s Highlands. More recently, he began an ongoing “micro-salon” — called “Church of Louisville” — that attempts to merge the connectivist dream of hypertextual social learning with the non-hierarchal conviviality of a Sunday brunch; the topics are challenging and the mimosas are bottomless. He’s married and has three children.
Lara MacGregor was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30, 7 months pregnant. She turned this scary experience into a powerful movement of hope by sharing scarves and stories between survivors and newly diagnosed women. Lara founded Hope Scarves in 2012 as a way to pass along the hope and encouragement that had been shared with her while she was facing cancer.
Sally has been working as a violence prevention educator for the past several years at the University of Kentucky’s VIP Center and more recently at the University of Louisville with the PEACC Program. As a certified Green Dot trainer with a Masters of Theological Studies and graduate work in Gender & Women’s Studies, she loves empowering college students to recognize the role they can play in reducing sexual and relational violence on their campus. She is thankful for the opportunity to work daily for social justice through the Green Dot movement and other initiatives on campus. She is proud to live here in Louisville with her partner and beagle.
Sarah-Jane Poindexter is Archivist of Manuscripts and Co-director of the Oral History Center at the University of Louisville. With a graduate degree from Simmons College in Boston, Sarah-Jane moved to Louisville in 2007 to work at the Filson Historical Society where she fell in love with the character and depth of the city at the Falls of the Ohio. A steward of our community’s cultural heritage and memory, Sarah-Jane serves as Chair of the Kentucky Council of Archives and is an active volunteer with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and the Billy Goat Hill Community Garden. Sarah-Jane loves to geek out over historic architecture, maps, long-distance walking, and her ever charming & handsome dog ‘Bill.’
Scott serves as the Parks Director for The Parklands of Floyds Fork – a private/public partnership developing and operating a $120 million, 3,800 acre public park in Metro Louisville. Scott joined The Parklands team in 2010 after serving eight years as the Director of Commerce & Leisure Services in Franklin Count, Va and five years with Boise Parks and Rec. Department. Scott holds a MPA (Natural Resource and Environmental Policy) and BA (Political Science); both from Boise State University.
Councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh (D) was elected to the first Louisville Metro Council in November 2002, and re-elected in 2006 and 2010. Ward-Pugh currently chairs the Committee on Sustainability. Respected for her bipartisan problem-solving, Ward-Pugh led the Council to pass a Fairness ordinance and a Smoking ban. Ward-Pugh added environmental stewardship to her list of efforts in 2006. She’s convened local residents and businesses to develop a public/private partnership called Green Triangle to focus on sustainability. These efforts led to Ward-Pugh receiving the 2012 Joan Riehm Memorial Environmental Leadership Award. Ward-Pugh recently joined WaterStep as a volunteer as its Global Partnership Strategist. |
