Big Ideas To Be Shared In Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH, NH — Big ideas will be shared in Portsmouth on Friday, with 16 speakers participating in the annual TEDx Portsmouth talks. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people and ideas together for an experience like the official TED Talks. In Portsmouth, the annual event is where the Seacoast community gathers to explore topics like science, arts, environment, humanity and entrepreneurship.

Friday's event is called "Point of No Return," and will be held at the Music Hall in Portsmouth. Among the 16 speakers will be a snow scientist and a student-artist who is crafting a nontraditional education, according to Eversource, one of the event sponsors.

"We share TEDx Portsmouth's value of diverse thought and innovative solutions to the challenges that affect the communities we serve," said Eversource NH President Bill Quinlan. "Supporting this community-organized event that brings our neighbors together to consider new perspectives and inspires them to enact positive change is one of the many ways we are working together for a better tomorrow."

TEDx Portsmouth is a daylong event that provokes conversation about the issues in the local community. Those in attendance are exposed to new perspectives, inspiring them to think differently about the topics discussed. In addition to the speakers, there will be artistic performances, local food and more.

"The Point of No Return" is being hosted by a Kathleen Soldati, author, marketer and former executive director of the Portsmouth Historical Society, and her son Emmett Soldati, a local entrepreneur and founder of Teatotaller, a Somersworth café that has become a hub of LGBTQ programming and community gatherings.

At this year's TEDx Portsmouth, those in attendance are asked to bring a reusable water bottle or coffee mug to help make the event "zero-waste." For more information and tickets, visit tedxportsmouth.com.