Past Events

GBH Amplifies is a community conversation series focused on expanding the reach of local voices from Greater Boston and beyond. The series features community leaders hosting public conversations in the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, providing a platform for inclusive perspectives on the issues that matter most to New England communities. GBH Amplifies happens weekly on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm at the GBH BPL Studio. This event is free and open to the public.

The monthly schedule is:
First Thursday of the Month: James ‘Jimmy’ Hills, Host of Java with Jimmy
Second Thursday of the Month: Ron Mitchell, Publisher and Editor of The Bay State Banner
Third Thursday of the Month: Alberto Vasallo III, President and CEO of El Mundo Boston
GBH Amplifies is also being supported by the Barr Foundation.

The Cambridge Forum holds a discussion on America’s cultural identity becoming inextricably linked to the automobile, examining how what began as a convenient, and often essential, mode of transportation has morphed for many into a tyrannical obsession symbolizing success and power.

In the past twenty years, cars have grown larger, heavier and more intimidating. Mimicking the appearance of military vehicles with names to match, massive SUVs dominate the landscape and the statistics are not pretty. Globally, cars directly take the lives of more than a million people annually. They also harm others through air pollution and environmental hazards, and increasingly they have the potential to be used as attack weapons.

Our growing dependency on cars is draining the earth’s natural resources, their carbon emissions drive climate change and they create unsafe streets and congestion, making the planet unlivable. We know this, yet we continue to ignore the negative consequences of our indulgent behavior and worship at the altar of the auto. Cars dominate our lives and we just love the personal comfort and distraction afforded by the gadgets behind the wheel.

The question for this panel: How long can we ignore the true costs of our driving habits on others and the planet, without paying the price?

GBH hosted its first Ralph Lowell Annual Lecture, honoring the legacy of GBH founder Ralph Lowell, whose life’s work was devoted to educate and inform the public, inspiring in each of us a life of service for the common good.

Harvard University scholar and political philosopher Michael Sandel delivers the inaugural Ralph Lowell Lecture. Extending his 1996 work "Democracy's Discontent," celebrated by Alan Brinkley when first published as, “...a remarkable fusion of philosophical and historical scholarship,” Sandel will offer a long view of America’s civic struggles, from the 1990s to the present, recalling moments in the American past when the country found ways to hold economic power to democratic account.

From a 2025 vantage point, he will discuss how Democrats and Republicans alike embraced a version of finance-driven globalization that created a society of winners and losers and fueled the toxic politics of our time—and why the American people must reconfigure the economy and empower our citizens as participants in a shared public life.

This program is presented in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

About Ralph Lowell
For the launch of this lecture series, GBH Archives curated a special exhibit looking back at the 20th century developments spearheaded by Ralph Lowell that established a coalition of support for educational broadcasting in the U.S. and ultimately led to the founding of WGBH in 1951. From support for public lectures, to radio and television programming and digital streaming, the Lowells have continued Ralph’s original mission to support the free dissemination of knowledge as an important foundation for an informed and free democratic citizenry. Visit our Historypage for more.

About our Event Partner
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is the non-profit partner to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, providing financial support, staffing, and creative resources. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The Library and the Foundation seek to promote, through educational and community programs, a greater appreciation and understanding of American politics, history, culture, the process of governing and the importance of public service.

For our second GBH Jazz Night of the season, enjoy the musical storytelling of Brazilian saxophonist and composer Felipe Salles.

GBH Jazz Nights showcase the incredible range of jazz talent in the Greater Boston area. The series is co-hosted by JazzBoston and GBH Music, taking place on the second Thursday of every month from September through May. Tickets are free, but registration is encouraged. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, so arrive early! By registering, you agree to receive email communications from GBH Music.

GBH Jazz Nights are made possible by the Goldstein Family Fund.

GBH Amplifies is a community conversation series focused on expanding the reach of local voices from Greater Boston and beyond. The series features community leaders hosting public conversations in the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, providing a platform for inclusive perspectives on the issues that matter most to New England communities. GBH Amplifies happens weekly on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm at the GBH BPL Studio. This event is free and open to the public.


The monthly schedule is:

First Thursday of the Month: James ‘Jimmy’ Hills, Host of Java with Jimmy

Second Thursday of the Month: Ron Mitchell, Publisher and Editor of The Bay State Banner

Third Thursday of the Month: Alberto Vasallo III, President and CEO of El Mundo Boston

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

Limited seating is available on a first come, first serve basis. If you require a seat, we encourage you to arrive before the start time of this event.

Tiya Miles' scholarship examines enslavement in the U.S. South. In this lecture, she discusses the stories of several enslaved, Black women who drew upon their experiences and relationships with the natural world to find hope and help them achieve the lives they imagined.

Miles has consulted with colleagues at historic sites and museums on representations of slavery, African American material culture, and the Black-Indigenous intertwined past, including, most recently, the “Fabric of a Nation” quilt exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

She is a MacArthur Genius and an award-winning author who has published eleven books, essays and reviews in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, as well as other publications. Her time-bridge novel The Cherokee Rose, is a ghost story set in the plantation South.

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This lecture is co-sponsored by Boston College History Department, American Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, Women’s Studies, Environmental Studies, the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, and the Forum for Racial Justice in America.

The Lowell Humanities Series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, Boston College's Institute for the Liberal Arts, and the Provost's Office.

The American Ancestors American Inspiration series and Boston Public Library present the 2025 Pulitzer Prize–winning author Kathleen DuVal to discuss her book, "Native Nations."

The GBH BPL studio will host Outspoken Saturdays, a spoken word poetry event for emerging artists. Every first Saturday of the month, the series will be created in collaboration with spoken word artist Amanda Shea. Join us!

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

GBH Amplifies is a community conversation series focused on expanding the reach of local voices from Greater Boston and beyond. The series features community leaders hosting public conversations in the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, providing a platform for inclusive perspectives on the issues that matter most to New England communities. GBH Amplifies happens weekly on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm at the GBH BPL Studio. This event is free and open to the public. The monthly schedule is:
First Thursday of the Month: James ‘Jimmy’ Hills, Host of Java with Jimmy
Second Thursday of the Month: Ron Mitchell, Publisher and Editor of The Bay State Banner
Third Thursday of the Month: Alberto Vasallo III, President and CEO of El Mundo Boston
GBH Amplifies is also being supported by the Barr Foundation.

Join USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan for an unforgettable evening as she takes us beyond the page of her brand-new psychological thriller, All This Could Be Yours, releasing September 9, 2025.

Known for her pulse-pounding plots and powerhouse prose, Hank is the award-winning author of 16 thrillers, an Emmy-winning investigative reporter, and a true master of suspense. Her latest novel delivers a chilling and captivating look at the dark side of success, when a glamorous book tour becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Be among the first to hear the inside scoop behind this highly anticipated release that the Library Journal called Hank’s “best book to date.” Plus, enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at her career and writing process in an evening that promises twists and turns.

This event offers two ticket options:

• Attend the event: $0
• Attend the event + receive a SIGNED copy of All This Could be Yours + GBH Membership: $60 

Please note that books will be shipped out following the event.