PechaKucha San Antonio will host its 23rd installment on the August 23 at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St.
The arts and culture series hosts local speakers who discuss their passions in six minutes and 40 seconds, or the time it takes to click through a 20-slide presentation that changes pictures every 20 seconds. News 4 San Antonio anchorman Randy Beamer will be the night’s emcee.
The theatre doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a happy hour with a cash bar and small bites from Say.she.ate, Box Street Social, Luke, Bakery Lorraine, Folc, The Good Kind, Pharmtable, and Sweet Chela’s. The presentations begin at 7:30 with a brief intermission half way through. After the last speaker has left the stage, there will be an after party downtown at Juniper Tar.
A $5 donation gets attendees in the door, payable online here or at the door with cash or credit. The event is not expected to sell out, however seating is first come first serve.
This month’s speakers, which include a male doula and a “yogipreneur,” have a diverse range of expertise, but a vague theme of “health and wellness” has emerged among them, said PechaKucha San Antonio co-chair Vicki Yuan.
“We are trying to be diverse to showcase all the interesting people who live here,” she said.
Below are brief biographies of the PechaKucha San Antonio Volume 23 presenters composed by event organizers in alphabetical order:
Kory Cook, Musician
Born in Iowa, raised in Oklahoma and a Texas resident for 20 years, Kory earned his bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Oklahoma State University in 1996. Kory served as Assistant Music Director at KUT-FM in Austin for seven years and is currently the Music Director and Chief Announcer at Jazz 91.7 FM KRTU in San Antonio. Kory also is an instructor in the communications department at Trinity University. Kory’s parents Victor and Kathy Cook, former members of ’60s organ/drums duo Pebbles and Bam Bam, raised him to be a musician. Since his teens, Kory has performed with countless musicians including psychedelic rock pioneer Roky Erickson, songwriter Todd Snider, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and San Antonio’s own Sons of Hercules. Today, you can hear Kory performing with local artists Royal Punisher, We Leave at Midnight, Mockingbird Express, Dark Planes and his own project The Whale, among other jazz and improvising musicians. You also can hear Kory host a daily jazz program from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. live on Jazz 91.7 FM KRTU.
Kristal Cuevas, Yogiprenuer
A San Antonio native, Kristal graduated from St. Mary’s University in 2004 and found success in the corporate world, but soon left to sell stretchy yoga pants. She quickly realized her true passion – teaching yoga. In 2009, she started teaching private and corporate yoga classes and in 2010, she opened the doors to Southtown Yoga Loft in downtown San Antonio. Five years later, she has two thriving studios, one beautiful daughter (who also practices yoga), and oversees more than 30 instructors, two teacher training programs, and an upcoming yoga retreat in Tulum, Mexico in April.
Zach Garza, Chef
After spending his youth in San Antonio, Zachary Garza traveled to New Orleans, New York, Park City, Dallas, and Lubbock, earning a culinary arts certificate and associate of occupational studies from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 2008 and 2009, respectively, and a bachelor of science in restaurant, hotel, and institutional management from Texas Tech University in 2011. In 2012, Garza served as Sous Chef for the opening of Nao, and before re-joining the CIA staff as Executive Chef, Garza was Chef de Cuisine at Primero Cantina, The Fruteria, and The Monterey, and served as Executive Sous Chef at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch in Boerne.
Barbara Ras, Poet
Barbara Ras has published three poetry collections: “Bite Every Sorrow,” “One Hidden Stuff,” and “The Last Skin.” Her fellowships include grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Artist Foundation of San Antonio. She has published poems in the New Yorker, Tin House, Granta, as well as in many other magazines and anthologies. She edited a collection of short fiction in translation, “Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion.” Ras lives in San Antonio where she is the founding director of Trinity University Press.
Brian Salmon, Doula
As the father of Eva, 11, and Daisy, 7, Brian the Birth Guy is no stranger to the world of babies and parenting. Both of Brian’s daughters were born by emergency cesarean delivery. Brian assisted his first birth at 19 years old and knew this was his calling. Brian holds a degree in radiology, studied biology and chemistry with an emphasis in pathophysiology, and owns BabyVision Ultrasound, San Antonio’s leader in 3D and 4D pre-natal imaging ultrasound. Having worked with more than 19,000 expectant families, Brian has taught many childbirth classes and currently teaches the incredibly popular Dad’s childbirth class “Rocking Dads” and couples birth class “Facilitating Fearless Birth.”
Lorie Solis, Urban farmer
Lorie is a nature-loving adventurer who values travel and hard work. She has worked on a Russian shrimp boat, as a horse wrangler in Hawaii, and as a professional interpreter for the Deaf. Currently, she manages the Renewable Republic‘s urban farm and San Antonio’s first Urban Farm Camp for kids and adults. This fall, she’ll travel to Vashon Island in the Puget Sound to become a certified Forest School teacher and to complete a slaughtering, butchering, and charcuterie class with the intention of bringing back more ways to inspire us to turn off the TV, get outside and connect to our food, to nature, and to each other.
Jeremiah Teutsch, Artist
Jeremiah Teutsch is an artist living in San Antonio. He was born and raised in Lubbock, but he received his BFA from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver. He is a painter, sculptor, political illustrator and caricaturist, chalk artist, set-designer, musician, sound designer, puppet maker, prop maker, courtroom sketch artist, writer, art teacher, and occasional tinkerer. For money and fun, he works at the McNay Art Museum as the matting and framing technician, and he helps run the Agora artspace. Jeremiah Teutsch is a nut, and that’s him in a nut-shell.
Robert Vogt, Auctioneer
Rob grew up in the auction business, calling his first auction at his elementary school. He is now the Director of San Antonio’s Vogt Auction Galleries, focusing on branding and online marketing as well as performing appraisals and numerous charity auctions. Earlier in his career Rob was a television anchor/reporter, a senior producer at Yahoo!, and an editor for the San Antonio Express-News. Mr. Vogt holds a journalism degree from Pepperdine University.
For more information about PechaKucha, click here.
Disclosure: The Rivard Report is a media sponsor of PechaKucha San Antonio.
Top image: The Empire Theatre hosted the 19th round of PechaKucha. Photo by Scott Ball.
RELATED STORIES:
PechaKucha 22 Swings Into Yanaguana Garden
PechaKucha to Take Over Yanaguana Garden
