When I first heard about the live presentation series called Ignite, I was intrigued. Mission: have people show off what they do, know, or have learned in just five minutes. Oh, and you’ll be doing so by talking through 20 PowerPoint slides of your choosing, but ones that automatically advance every 15 seconds. Ignite talks have ranged from why Bridge is the best thing for your brain, things you should know about living in a hippie commune, and Anil Dash’s incredible presentation called “Defending the Indefensible” (he defended: Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, Tea Partiers, and PowerPoint itself).

At a recent Ignite NYC event, I told the story of the Six-Word Memoir project. I’ve done many talks about SMITH Mag and the Six-Word Memoir project, but this may have been the most nerve-racking yet. Here’s what happened—and happened fast.

Tags: Ignite, IgniteNYC, six-word memoirs