The Storey Institute hosts this TEDx with world-class guest speakers, discussing contemporary issues that affect us all.  Join in the debate and have your say on each different monthly topic. Lancaster's TEDx talks will offer free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and will combine a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.

Date: Thursday 4th February: 7.30pm - 9.30pm
Where: The Storey Lecture Theatre
Ticket: Donations Only
Book:  Free tickets available at: http://tedxlancaster.eventbrite.com

The two Guest Speakers:

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

Each first Thursday of the month will be a different topic, so come and give your opinion on the cultural, ethical and moral aspects and technological advances in the world today!

For more information on their website, visit: www.thestorey.co.uk/whats-on

For more information about TED across the county, visit: www.ted.com

To get involved in this discussion, you just have to turn up – you don’t have to have a degree or special knowledge of the subject matter, you simply need to be enthusiastic and may want to give an opinion. This session is open to anybody, however it is recommended you book your free place at http://tedxlancaster.eventbrite.com/

Background Information on the Guest Speakers:

Sir Ken Robinson, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources. He has worked with governments in Europe, Asia and the USA, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government. ‘All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education’ (The Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999. He was the central figure in developing a strategy for creative and economic development as part of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, working with the ministers for training, education enterprise and culture. He was one of four international advisors to the Singapore Government for its strategy to become the creative hub of South East Asia. Books by Sir Ken

Elizabeth attended New York University, where she studied political science by day and worked on her short stories by night. After college, she spent several years traveling around the country, working in bars, diners and ranches, collecting experiences to transform into fiction. These explorations eventually formed the basis of her first book - a short story collection called PILGRIMS, which was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award. During these early years in New York, she also worked as a journalist for such publications as Spin, GQ and The New York Times Magazine. She was a three-time finalist for The National Magazine work, and an article she wrote in GQ about her experiences bartending on the Lower East Side eventually became the basis for the movie COYOTE UGLY.

In 2000, Elizabeth published her first novel, STERN MEN (a story of brutal territory wars between two remote fishing islands off the coast of Maine) which was a New York Times Notable Book. In 2002, Elizabeth published THE LAST AMERICAN MAN - the true story of the modern day woodsman Eustace Conway. This book, her first work of non-fiction, was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity - Subscribe for more fascinating talks http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector