In an attempt to grasp the ungraspable, poet Jessica Chapnik Kahn began writing her poetry book MADRE in the midnight hours of early motherhood. In this intimate talk, she invites us to consider ‘mother’ as a powerful force of transformation that lives in all of us. Accompanied by a six-piece vocal ensemble, Jessica shares selected poems from her book, brought to life through soaring choral arrangements by composer Anna Hirst Friedman. Performance Credits: Vocal Ensemble: Hilana Alouani-Roby, Jesse van Proctor, Em Gosbell, John L’Estrange, Damien Noyce, Astrid Girdis Composer: Anna Hirst Friedman Video Design: Ceinwen Berry Jessica Chapnik Kahn is an Argentinian Australian writer, actor, singer-songwriter and poet. She has performed on stage, TV and film, and worked with some of Australia's finest artists, including Ben Lee and Sarah Blasko. She released two solo albums under the moniker Appleonia and sang all the songs for the soundtrack album to Australian film "The Square", which went on to be nominated for an ARIA. Along with co-writing the biography "A Repurposed Life", which was longlisted for an ABIA award for Biography Book of the Year 2021, Jessica has also written children’s book "Lenny and the Ants" and poetry book "MADRE". She created this book of poems and drawings in the depths of postpartum, stirred by the birth of her son, Lev. Inspired by this work, composer Anna Hirst Friedman arranged several of these poems into majestic choral works sung by a six-piece vocal ensemble, bringing Mother to the foreground of the sublime. Jessica and Anna’s upcoming commission, "The Fire Always Says Yes", will debut at the Sydney Opera House in 2025, performed by the international chamber music group Hourglass Ensemble. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx