TEDxAsburyPark Returns
Catch Wooden Walls Artist Michela Martello Create Mural Ahead Of Saturday Talks On Passion At The Paramount Theatre
TEDxAsburyPark returns from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday with its ideas worth spreading storytelling showcase at the historic Paramount Theatre, located on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.
The event is a culmination of an all volunteer crew spending months vetting the many applicants, organizing the signature open mic audition and rehearsals – all held before a live voting audience, to help newcomers polish their talks. 
The end result is an amalgamation of nationally renowned talents, area thinkers and creatives, who will speak on the sixth edition of the local TEDx talks’ passion theme.
“Passion drives ideas, people, and communities to action,” founder Brian Smiga [at right] has said.
Legendary local singer JT Bowen, Arlan Feiles and Emily Grove will perform, and Wooden Walls artist Michela Martello returns to create a TEDxAsburyPark mural inside the Grand Arcade at Convention Hall. The Italian native is known for her use of symbolism to marry the traditional with the contemporary. Catch the artist at work through Saturday.
There are 25 storytellers on TEDxAsburyPark talk bill, including:
Feiles, a musician, songwriter, and activist, whose music is featured in a variety of film and television programs, including the Academy Award-winning Dallas Buyers Club. He offers ‘Songwriting, Activism and the Passion to Create for a Better World’ during the 1:30 p.m. block.
Asbury Park’s own activist Felicia Simmons offers a spotlight on her life and efforts as a community organizer, former BOE member, Monmouth/Ocean County National Action Network President, Asbury/Neptune NAACP Education Chairman, and Proper Foundation Founder, to bring forth a unified community in ‘This Smile,’ also being held during the 1:30 p.m. block.
Christopher Powell kicks off the day with ‘Don’t Be A Spectator,’ a frank presentation of how his passion found him after years of stumbling through life. In January, the marketing guru participated in the South Pole Energy Challenge expedition led by Robert Swan.
And in between Sebastian Terry’s ‘100 Things – What’s on Your List,’ there are poignant, witty, and frank talks on everything from how running a marathons changed Annica Lin’s life to Boston College’s Peter Gray’s address on ‘How Our Schools Thwart Passions.’
For more about the TEDxAsburyPark lineup, click here, and tickets, $70, are still available via tedxasburypark.com.
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