A truly gifted and lyrical poet, Shawn Chick takes us on a journey through heartbreaking tragedy but ultimately towards redemption. I am a…quick learner, lover of pizza, always on the lookout for the next opportunity for jokes.Shawn is from Enid, Oklahoma. He found himself in prison at 17 after a brief layover in Patrick County, Virginia. His mom will tell you he’s 45, but he prefers his age in dog years, which is 6. He is a self-taught, award-winning artist, a writer, and -- apparently – a public speaker. He is a kid at heart and has an affinity for music, movies, coffee, and Saturday morning cartoons. He considers himself privileged to have trained and bonded with dozens of rescue dogs inside prison as well as out, and he loves that work. Having taken full advantage of prison libraries, Shawn has read thousands of books and considers himself a literary critic/book nerd. He continues at every opportunity to honor the memory of his sister, Shelly Vessell Gravely, and he dedicates his TEDx presentation to her and his family. 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