FIGMENT demonstrates what the arts can be: participatory, bursting with creativity and completely free, born from the desire to share imagination and invention between artists and the public. And it is coming to Belle Isle again this summer as a two day event on Saturday July 21st and Sunday July 22. FIGMENT is a grassroots effort, organized and run entirely by volunteers as a gift to our cities. What are YOU bringing?

This story-telling format offers a simple leadership model built from a lifetime of 'laser' lectures delivered to my nieces and nephews. During the 5 minutes I will explain how 'pack an extra pair of underpants' became secret code for the most powerful leadership behavior on earth: the act of caring!

Aspirin. Trampoline. Escalator. Thermos. Once high-value name brands, these are now generic terms to describe any brand of salicylic pain relievers, jumping devices, moving stairways and insulated containers. Through "genericide," these companies were the victims of their own success. Why did these brands die, how are brands like Jell-O, Q-Tip, Kleenex and Realtor hanging on, and are brands like Google so super successful they don't have to worry?

We need more people making games -- especially in Michigan. But you don't have to make the next Angry Birds or Words With Friends; I'm talking about board games, card games or really any form of gaming. In the span of five minutes (yikes!) I'm going to try to convince you that you should totally make a game!

We all want the option of good public transit and our region's lack of a sensible system leaves us isolated in our own sector.

Yet our region has been unable to solve the planning, financial or political obstacles to implement a transit system over the last century.

Friends of Spaulding Court--the community based owner of the 20 unit Corktown townhouse complex--has been busy exploring the connection between housing and transportation. Through an aggressive discounting system for carfree households, our aim is to have an outsized effect on the transportation system.

I've got a 5 year old and an 8 year old daughter.

In five minutes, let me tell you why raising girls in the US in 2012 is a terrible crappy thing to do to a person. Why you may be part of the problem. And something we can all do to make it stink a little less.

How traveling across the country can open your eyes to curiosities' power to create opportunity. With each experience you take on with an open mind a new possibility will present itself. From finding jobs on the Mexican border, to staying on a mountain top in Sonoma something will come your way if you go through life with a willingness to learn.

Print and digital publishing are now accessible to everyone easily. Distribution has gone to single users on the same level as publishers. Self-promotion is as easy as a Twitter account.

I believe every person has a great book inside them. There's no reason to not turn Detroit into the self-publishing capitol of the world.

Imaginary lines give rise to labels, animosity and separate us from greatness. We don't need to learn how to color outside the lines – we need to erase them. This five minute talk will serve as a giant, fuzzy headed, pencil top eraser for the community and ourselves.

The decline of Detroit is often attributed to incompetence and menace: bad government, bad industry, bad schools and racism. In this talk, we'll flip that notion upside-down to explore how excellence and optimism created today's Detroit. Instead of being the laggards caricatured by international news agencies we'll see that Detroiters have been leading America and the world all along.

Just a quick 5 minute talk on how to spot severe weather, stay safe, and be prepared when the worst hits.

The times they are a changin’ and the lines drawn between men are shifting in an increasingly tolerant and empathic society. I am going to talk about how male homosocial relationships have taken on a new meaning, as we break down the walls of sexual and gender identity, and become more comfortable and true to ourselves.

We're abandoning the suburbs for a magnificent fixer-upper in Woodbridge and have absolutely no idea what we're doing. Our community of friends has rallied around us, and we've told some of our incredible stories on intoDetroit.com. This talk will cover 4 big things I've learned about irrational decisions, Detroit, home owning, and community.

In this time of endless distractions and "in our face" bad news, there is a need for us to persist in spite of our individual stories. Only as we persist as individuals can we achieve as a responsible, thoughtful humanity.

Everyone has a passion (or 7) and they should blog about it. I want to share my story on how I started blogging about music, got featured on VH1.com and how it led me to numerous concerts, backstage passes and pre-released albums. Or how I started blogging about cool websites that led me to free premium accounts and talks with founders of popular sites. I hope to ignite the crowd to just start writing about something they love and I bet they'd be surprised at what they're doing next!

How do people strengthen their careers and develop new business ideas in the digital age? They use The Combination Code. People combine creativity, technology and secrets from other industries to stand apart from the competition.

I’ll share what is working.