It's the Japanese word for "chit-chat" (say "peh chak cha"). It's also a kind of rapidfire creative show-and-tell governed by a simple rule: you show 20 images; you talk about each one for 20 seconds.

Invented by a pair of architects who wanted to hear about their colleagues' work yet avoid "death by PowerPoint," a Pecha Kucha event features about ten presenters hewing to a strict time limit. Wired magazine calls it: "Say what you need to say in six minutes and 40 seconds of exquisitely matched words and images and then sit the hell down." We call it an evening of fun, sociability, and a little larnin' thrown in. (Here's an example presentation on YouTube.)

Philly's Pecha Kucha Night takes place at Studio 34: Yoga | Healing | Arts (4522 Baltimore Avenue in West Philly, right on SEPTA's Route 34 trolley line). $5 suggested donation.

For the date and slate of the next Philly Pecha Kucha, head to http://pecha-kucha.org/cities/philadelphia. You can sign up for our email newsletter there, too; it's the best way to get informed about upcoming PPKs.

On March 7, 2009, Philadelphia became the 174th city — right after Gdansk, Poland — to host a Pecha Kucha Night. The global PK movement is coordinated by PK inventors Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein, with help from architectural software maker Autodesk, at pecha-kucha.org.

Interested in presenting at PPK? Drop us a line and pitch a topic. (Note: you need to let us know in advance; no just showing up with a speech and a thumbdrive.) Want to comment? Give a presentation? Get involved? Head on over to our Facebook group or email us at .

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Presenters at Philly Pecha Kucha have included:

• Morgan F.P. Andrews, Puppet Uprising curator and author (http://puppetuprising.org/): "Jana Sanskriti: Forum Theater in Rural India"
• Alex Mergold and Jason Austin, architects of Austin+Mergold LLC (http://austin-mergold.com): "On Balloonology and Jelly Works"
• Azeem Hill, Co-captain, West Philly Hybrid X Team
• Danya Henninger, Partner, Imagic Digital, "Deconstructing Dub"
• Dave Rosen, Igor's Egg band (http://www.myspace.com/igorsegg): "The Ultimate Tuh Album"
• David Kanter, Temple U. assistant professor (http://bioq.temple.edu): "Designing Technological Tools for Learning"
• Diana Pankevich, Aquarium volunteer diver, "The Characters I Meet...Beneath the Surface."
• Dustin Johnson, Illustrator
• Eric Smith: Writer, English professor, avid video gamer
• Jonny Goldstein (http://jonnygoldstein.info): "Snake-o-Phobia: Jonny Explores His Fear of Snakes Using Original Illustrations"
• Kevin Werbach, assistant professor, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (http://werbach.com): "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in World of Warcraft"
• Nicolas Esposito
• Ruth Schanbacher: Founder, Handmade Philly
• Sara Selepouchin: Owner, Girls Can Tell printery
• Thomas H. Keels, local historian: "Rainbow Cities: Philadelphia's Three World's Fairs"
• Tommy Up: Promoter, restauranteur
• Zoe Cohen: Artist, activist, art educator www.zoecohen.com: "Building an Urban Chicken Coop on a Budget"
• Frank Chance, president of Friends of Clark Park: "Toward a Better Clark Park"
• Dustin Fenstermacher, of Dustin Fenstermacher Photography: "Cat Show"
• Elisabeth Dubin, architect at SMP Architects: "Are We There Yet? Looking Back on the Future of Architecture"
• Julie Beckman, architect and principal at KBAS: "Six Years: Designing the Pentagon Memorial"
• Alexa Bosse, designer at SMP Architects; & Ari Miller, landscape designer at Viridian Landscape Studio: "How Low-Tech Design Can Change How We Live"
• Michelle Holshue, nursing-midwifery student at UPenn: "Angels, Handmaidens, Tyrants, Whores: Nurses in the Media."
• Nathaniel Popkin, essayist and author of "The Possible City": "Living in Ruins"
• Jonathan McEuen, neuroscientist and biotechnology consultant at UPenn: "Two Scientists Walk Into A Military Base..."
• Amy Freeman, city parks columnist for Phillyist: "Squares of Philadelphia"

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Studio 34: Yoga | Healing | Arts is a 5,000-square-foot space in vibrant, diverse West Philadelphia, Studio 34 offers classes in yoga, Pilates, tai chi, African dance, and much more. They also offer healing services and host arts events and community programs.