PKN 16 Presenters

Pecha Kucha Night SLO volume 16: 

Saturday October 22, 2011

Oddfellows Hall, 520 Dana St., San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401

Conversations start at 7:01pm

Presentations start at (20:20) 8:20pm

$5 donation at the door

Refreshments will be available for purchase

Presenters are:

Daniel L. Slusser

Specializing in mid to late nineteenth-century American history, Daniel has published articles on the caning of Charles Sumner and wrote his master’s thesis on the education of the Wright brothers. His interests within the subject of history are broad and include economic, political, and technical history. Daniel also enjoys cycling and metalwork. He currently resides in San Luis Obispo, California with his wife and two children.

Helen Swanagon

Helen Swanagon has worked as an RN in San Luis Obispo for the past 32 years. Thirteen years ago she became interested in the care of the dying and began a course of study through the Sacred Art of Living Center in Bend Oregon. For the past seven years she has worked at Hospice Partners of the Central Coast, the local MediCare certified not for profit hospice, where she has the opportunity to tend daily to the challenges of those facing the end of life.

Youssef Alaoui-Fdili 

Youssef Alaoui-Fdili is a Moroccan-American Polish Latino.  His family and heritage are an endless source of inspiration for his varied, dark, spiritual and carnal writings.  He has an MFA in Poetics from New College of California. His writings have appeared in Exquisite Corpse, 580 Split, Carcinogenic Poetry, Midwest Literary Magazine, Tsunami Books and Red Fez. youssefalaoui.tumblr.com

Justin Abraham Johnson              

Being a Central Coast native, nature has been an integral part of my life.  Discovering new environments have been exciting and rewarding experiences.  Whether the obscure world of some insect, the hilly landscape of SLO, or the world of my two sons, these encounters have shaped and continue to inform my artwork.  Working in various media, synthesizing the representational with the abstract, a print of the local environment shows through in some way. Justin received his BA in Art Studio from UC Santa Barbara in 2004.  He currently lives in SLO with his wife Heather, and sons Jude and Liam. justinabrahamjohnson.com 

Enrico Como

Italian born designer, Enrico Como, is co-founder of SPaCe Architects, with offices in LA, NYC, Boca Raton and Milan; specializing in high-end retail, high-end residential and restaurant design. SPaCe recently completed projects in Beverly Hills (MISSONI Flagship) and New York (the SCAVOLINI SOHO Gallery). Enrico received a Masters in Architecture from Cal Poly, Pomona through the Ecole Special d’Architecture (ESA) in Paris.  His thesis work focused on the rehabilitation of vernacular architecture of Ticino, Switzerland, where he lived and worked from ‘93-‘97. This Swiss experience led him to later co-found (along with architect/professor Tom Di Santo) STUDIO_TICINO, a study abroad program that is now entering its third year.

Elizabeth Scott-Graham

Liz has been involved in environmental and community issues for over 40 years. While Executive Director of the SLO Botanical Garden she got involved with the Botso film project as a volunteer fundraiser. She says, "Botso's story is so compelling I just couldn't say 'no'." 

http://botso.aspectstudios.com/

Dr. Wachtang "Botso" Korisheli Wachtang “Botso” Korisheli's life story has become legendary  -- including a wise goodbye from his famous father just before the latter’s execution in the Soviet Union when Botso was just 14, then his own imprisonment under the regimes of both Stalin and Hitler.  Botso’s new life eventually brought him to a Morro Bay, California, where he taught and inspired thousands of children on not just how to become great musicians and artists, but how to become remarkable human beings

Director/Producer Thomas Walters has produced and directed more than 50 educational films and two internationally distributed documentaries, "Therapeutic Community" and "Evolution of a Group."  A thirty minute version of his current documentary "BOTSO" won the coveted Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Fallbrook Film Festival.  

Writer/Producer Hilary Grant is a veteran documentary producer whose network television credits include the multi-Emmy nominated "Unsolved Mysteries," the Sci-Fi Channel hit "Sightings" and "Against All Odds." She is also a former circus clown and print journalist, with bylines in publications including "People," "Seventeen," "Ms." and "Westways."

Chris Burkard

I am 24 years old and live in the small town of Pismo Beach, California. I have served as a freelance photographer for various publications and a staff photographer for Surfer magazine and Surfline.com. My inspiration comes from landscape photography and unique lighting situations. I have always tried to capture a landscape perspective in my action sports images to show the natural arenas in which the athletes find themselves. http://burkardphoto.com/

The Lost Canyon Ramblers

The Lost Canyon Ramblers are: Roger Siminoff, Mandolin; Robert Keane, Guitar; Peter Morin, banjo; and Charlie Kleemann, bass. The group is known for its excellence in bluegrass music, with each artist bringing extraordinary musicianship to the mix. The group performs at various Central Coast venues, with traditional and contemporary bluegrass music.  “Extraordinary!” — The Daily Abrescoan, Monarch of the Lighter-than-air Dailies.