Past Events

Dr. Anamarija Frankic explains the biomimicry approach for oyster habitat restoration to recover marine health and resiliency. Looking at the work of the Green Harbors Project (GHP), we can examine several successful oyster reef restorations in urban areas that had lost this essential habitat and its related ecological functions, as well as ask what we can learn from this success for restoring our planet.

Dr. Crittenden describes the complex neural mechanisms that make ordinary movement possible. She explains how neural disruptions cause Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and other dysfunctions. This research uses sophisticated analysis, very advanced technology, and genetic engineering. Image: Belmont Media Center

"Catching the Wind" is the first volume of Neal Gabler’s two-volume biography of Edward Kennedy. Though he is often portrayed as a reckless hedonist who rode his father’s fortune and his brothers’ coattails to a Senate seat at the age of thirty, the Ted Kennedy presented by Gabler is one the public seldom saw. He entered the Senate with his colleagues’ lowest expectations, a show horse, not a workhorse, but he used his “ninth-child’s talent” of deference to and comity with his Senate elders to become a promising legislator. Following the deaths of his brothers John and Robert, he was compelled to become something more: the custodian of their political mission. BPL President David Leonard moderates this program as part of the [**Arc of History: Contested Perspectives**](https://forum-network.org/series/history-talks-boston-public-library/) series. This conversation is part of the esteemed Lowell Lecture Series at the Boston Public library.

When LivableStreets was founded 15 years ago they set a bold vision for urban streets -- and it’s time for them to do that again. From expanding transit access, to transforming housing policy, listen to this conversation with national leaders about what is needed in the next 15 years in transportation to combat climate change, tackle systemic inequity, and make our streets work for everyone. Co-hosted by Executive Director of the LivableStreets Alliance, Stacy Thompson, and GBH News Transportation Reporter Bob Seay.

The book "Cross of Snow" is the result of more than twelve years of research, including access to never-before-examined letters, diaries, journals, and notes. Author Nicholas Basbanes reveals the life, the times, the work--the soul--of the man who shaped the literature of a new nation. In this dialogue between Basbanes and Diana Korzenik, learn about the life and work of Henry and his multi-talented second wife, Fanny Appleton Longfellow (1817-1861) at various stages of their lives. Diana Korzenik is an author, artist, professor emerita (Massachusetts College of Art), and compiler of five research collections housed at libraries and museums nationwide. Her first book, Drawn to Art: A Nineteenth-Century American Dream, won a Boston Globe Literary Award. Since the Basbanes biography was released, reviewers have taken particular note of the modern feminist approach Basbanes has employed to give full biographical attention to Fanny, taking in her work as a brilliant artist, diarist, correspondent, and chronicler of her times. Presented as a partnership between the American Inspiration author series by American Ancestors NEHGS and the State Library of Massachusetts, produced by GBH Forum Network.

In 1959, the Bolshoi Ballet arrived in New York for its first ever performances in the United States. The tour was part of the Soviet-American cultural exchange, arranged by the governments of the US and USSR as part of their Cold War strategies. _Ballet In The Cold War_ explores the first tours of the exchange. American fans lined up overnight to buy tickets to the Bolshoi, and Soviet audiences packed massive theaters to see American companies. But the tours also began a series of deep misunderstandings. American and Soviet audiences did not view ballet in the same way. Each group experienced the other's ballet through the lens of their own aesthetics. Americans loved Soviet dancers but believed that Soviet ballets were old-fashioned and vulgar. Soviet audiences and critics likewise appreciated American technique and innovation but saw American choreography as empty and dry. Drawing on both Russian- and English-language archival sources, this book demonstrates that the separation between Soviet and American ballet lies less in how the ballets look and sound, and more in the ways that Soviet and American viewers were trained to see and hear. It suggests new ways to understand both Cold War cultural diplomacy and twentieth-century ballet. Image: Book Cover

Respect for a free press is the cornerstone of democracy. But after all the fake news and tweeted lies, what will it take to restore public confidence and trust in American journalism? Charlie Sennott, founder of The Ground Truth Project, will share his ideas and we will hear from a couple of his young journalists working for "Report for America" who are injecting fresh energy into the field, on assignment around the country. Matt Taibbi, celebrated Rolling Stone correspondent, will talk about challenges facing the press and his recent book, "HATE INC.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another”; and Charlie Sennott, founder of The Ground Truth Project, introduces young journalists from "Report for America" who are injecting fresh energy into the field. Do you agree?

Boston Public Library President David Leonard talks with Adam Davidson, creator of [NPR's Planet Money podcast](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money) and award-winning writer, to discuss his new book, "The Passion Economy." Davidson writes about how the twenty-first-century economic paradigm offers new ways of making money, fresh paths toward professional fulfillment, and unprecedented opportunities for curious, ambitious individuals to combine the things they love with their careers. He delineates the ground rules of the new economy, and helps us see how we can succeed in it according to its own terms--intimacy, insight, attention, automation, and passion.

It goes without saying these are unprecedented times that are also reflections of the past. Join the Museum of African American History Boston and Nantucket for their series Race in the Public Dialogue, sponsored by Liberty Mutual. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley participate in an in-depth examination of the impact of women in the 2020 election. Historians Dr. Kerri Greenidge and Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson will provide a historical perspective from the 18th and 19th centuries on Black women’s suffrage and Black voting rights. Finally, we’ll look towards the future and the role young women activists will play in the next elections. Moderated by Dr. Christina Greer, Associate Professor, Fordham University. Also featuring Renee Graham, Boston Globe columnist.

Combatting illegal immigration is a priority for the Trump administration. The Northern Triangle of Central America, made up of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, is a special target of the administration, which hold those nations responsible for the large flow of migrants from Latin America to the U.S. [In 2019, the administration redirected approximately $405 million of aid intended for the Northern Triangle to other foreign policy priorities](https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IF10371.pdf), according to the Federation of American Scientists. Lisa Haugaard is the Executive Director of the [Latin America Working Group](https://www.lawg.org/), an organization focused on mutual respect, justice, and a shared commitment to the human rights of all the peoples of the Americas. She shared her view of the current migration crisis and answered many audience questions.