Creator of the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, John Koenig, ventures into the unmapped corners of the human mind. He returns with words that give form to our darkest, yet all-too-familiar thoughts. In this talk, he highlights our passive coexistence with words, and challenges us to embark on a conquest of reclamation - of written language, and of the human experience.

AV and event video provided by http://repertoireproductions.com.

John has spent the last decade building a home in every creative field he can find, working as a graphic designer, video editor, voice actor, illustrator, photographer, director, and writer. He has spent the last six years writing an original dictionary of made-up words, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, which fills gaps in the language with hundreds of new terms for emotions, some of which (‘sonder’) have entered the language outright. His writing has been published in countless tattoos, novels, and band names - but never on paper, though he is currently working on publishing a book adaptation. “Koenig is a writer to be reckoned with. He’s enormously creative, and he understands the power, life force, and funniness of sadness. The Dictionary is the kind of thing you want to print and bind, and refer to often.” - Business Standard

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx