Gain insight into the life of Ira Gershwin, the man behind some of the most memorable lyrics of the Great American Songbook. Biographer Michael Owen reveals the life of this remarkable American, the son of first-generation immigrants, who has often been in the shadow of his brother George Gershwin.

The first lyricist to win the Pulitzer Prize, Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) has been hailed as one of the masters of the Great American Songbook, a period which covers songs written largely for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s. Now, in the first full-length biography devoted to his life, Michael Owen draws on extensive archival sources to craft a rich portrait of the modest man who penned the words to such well-loved songs as “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Embraceable You,” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” Owen’s book celebrates George and Ira Gershwin’s collaboration and Ira’s extensive work with other songwriters. Ira Gershwin: A Life in Words brings the publicity-shy lyricist into the spotlight he deserves.

Michael Owen is a historian, researcher, and archivist. He is the author of 'Go Slow: The Life of Julie London', and the editor of the forthcoming volume 'The Gershwins Abroad'. He currently resides in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

“We are over-protecting children in the real world while under-protecting them online” says Jonathan Haidt, author of THE ANXIOUS GENERATION who maintains that the environment in which kids grow up today is hostile to human development. Haidt traces the current mental health crisis to the mid-2010s when smartphones and social media began to reshape the social landscape for adolescents. Cambridge Forum explores these troubling developments in The Anxious i-Generation.

Furthermore, Haidt argues that smartphone technologies have led to over-parenting e.g. constant notifications and GPS tracking of children’s whereabouts. This in turn, has robbed an entire generation of the resilience, coping skills and independence needed to navigate everyday situations and in turn, created unprecedented levels of societal anxiety. The dramatic decline in mental health in teens has been accompanied by decreases in academic scores for math, reading and science. CF asks what happens when we take phones out of schools and replace screen time with normal extracurricular activities that encourage independence and healthy risk-taking? Well, some forward-thinking teachers and psychologists have been doing exactly that with very promising results.

Our panel consists of Catherine Price, science journalist, founder of Screen/Life Balance and author of How to break up with your phone; Camilo Otiz, Associate Professor of Psychology at Long Island University and licensed psychologist in private practice; Lenore Skenazy, president of the nonprofit, Let Grow and author of Free Range Kids plus Shane Voss, Head of Mountain Middle School in Durango, CO. where he has created a phone-free school environment since 2013.

Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence which she helped co-found. Her 2008 newspaper column “Why I Let my 9 year-old ride the subway alone” landed her in the limelight and lead to her writing Free-Range Kids, a book that started a movement. She claims, “Our kids are safer, smarter, and stronger than our culture gives them credit for.”

Camilo Ortiz, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at Long Island University-Post. He is the developer of Independence Therapy, a revolutionary new approach to treating child anxiety through “mega-doses” of child independence. Ortiz received a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the U. Mass. Amherst. He also maintains a private practice.

Catherine Price is a health and science journalist, founder of Screen/Life Balance and the author of How to Break Up with Your Phone and The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.

Shane Voss, is Executive Director of Mountain Middle School in Durango, CO. which is featured as a model school in “Anxious Generation” - the NYT bestseller by Jonathan Haidt. Voss was named Colorado's Charter School Leader of the Year in 2024. He earned his B.A. from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. and his M.A. from Northwestern University, Evanston IL.

Amanda Palmer is a best-selling author, songwriter, mother, feminist, community leader, pianist and ukulele-enthusiast who simultaneously embraces and explodes traditional frameworks of music, theatre, and art. She has taught at both Wesleyan and Bard Universities, written for The Guardian and The New Statesman and other press outlets of note, and she is a long-time affiliate of the Berkman Klein Institute for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

Representatives from Native communities and tribal serving organizations make the case for revamping school mascots, the state seal and flag, and addressing other important issues necessary to strengthen the fabric of Massachusetts and its Indigenous communities.

With Nicole Brewer-Lowry, MSc, Boston Site Director, Native American Lifelines, Melissa Ferretti, Chairwoman, Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, J. Cedric Woods, PhD, Director, Institute for New England Native American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Tara Mayes, GBH Associate Communications Director, will facilitate the discussion.

This virtual program is supported by: Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, Institute for New England Native American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Native American Lifelines, Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band, City of Boston Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition, the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, and MassHumanities.

As the Associate Director of Communications at GBH, Tara oversees the communications for the network's children's programs and educational initiatives. With a passion for fostering engaging and impactful content, she manages the communications for beloved shows such as Arthur and Molly of Denali.