Past Events

Join JCC Greater Boston for a compelling evening of conversation with one of the nation's leading writers and political commentators, as part of our Jonathan Samen Hot Buttons Cool Conversations discussion series.

David Brooks is an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, a writer for the Atlantic and a regular on the PBS Newshour. He is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Second Mountain and The Road to Character.

David Brooks discusses his latest book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. He offers a practical, heartfelt guide to the art of truly knowing another person in order to foster deeper connections in every aspect of our lives. Getting to know and understand others is particularly relevant given the current state of our country and the world.

At the beginning of an uncertain New Year, Cambridge Forum considers America’s position on the international stage with the help of Professor Joseph Nye, one of the country’s foremost thinkers on American foreign policy. For the past eight decades, we have lived in “the American Century” – a period during which the US has enjoyed unrivalled global power – be it political, economic or military. Born on the cusp of this new era, Nye has spent a lifetime illuminating our understanding of the changing contours of America power and world affairs. His many books on the nature of power and political leadership have earned him his reputation as one of the most current & influential world scholars.

Joseph Nye shares his own personal memories of living through the American century. From his early years growing up on a farm in rural New Jersey to his time in the State Department, Pentagon and Intelligence Community during the Carter and Clinton administrations where he witnessed American power up close, shaping policy on key issues such as nuclear proliferation and East Asian security. After 9/11 drew the US into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Nye remained an astute observer and critic of the Bush, Obama and Trump presidencies. Today Nye brings a fresh and insightful perspective about America’s future role in the world; its primacy may be changing, but is it for the better?

Musician Jonathan Suazo is a Puerto Rican saxophonist, composer, cultural seeder, and educator. His music treads a beautiful line between intensity and delicacy with notable influences from artists such as Kenny Garrett, David Sánchez, Miguel Zenón and John Coltrane. His formal debut album RICANO is OUT NOW on all platforms and The New York Times named it one of the top ten Jazz albums of 2023.

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

In this dual biography of two famous women whose sons changed the course of the 20th century, the award-winning historian Charlotte Gray breathes new life into Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt. Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons offers a fulsome portrait of how leaders are not just born but made. 

Sara Delano, the mother of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Jennie Jerome, the mother of Winston Churchill, were both born into upper-class America in 1854. A vivacious extrovert, Jennie married Lord Randolph Churchill, a rising politician and scion of a noble British family. Deeply conventional Sara Delano married a man as old as her father. As mothers, both woman turned their energies toward enabling their sons to reach the epicenter of political power on two continents. Set against one hundred years of history and filled with intriguing social insight, Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons reveals how these two remarkable individuals with dramatically different personalities shaped the characters of their adoring sons, men who would go on to change the world. 

Join GBH Music in welcoming the Ulysses Quartet as its first-ever quartet in residence with a free performance at the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library.

The Ulysses Quartet's season-long partnership as quartet in residence furthers GBH Music's ongoing effort to connect with listeners of all backgrounds and ages. The partnership will span over fifty performances and events throughout the year, including with the Boston Public and Massachusetts schools.

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

Photo credit: Lara St. John

This event is presented with support from CRB and the Ulysses Quartet.

The Ulysses Quartet’s residency at GBH is made possible by a generous contribution from the Mattina R. Proctor Foundation.

Celebrating one of America’s greatest female novelists, this biography brings to life Willa Cather -- her artistry and endurance, her immigrant family and the prairies on they lived, and her trailblazing success as a journalist and writer.

In the early 20^th century, Willa Cather leapt into the forefront of American letters with the publication of her novels O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the Lark (1915), and My Antonia (1918). At the time, she was well into middle age. Her success followed years of working in journalism in Nebraska, brief spells of teaching, and editorial work on magazines. Chasing Bright Medusas is her story told by of another mature and highly accomplished writer, the award-winning biographer Benjamin Taylor, a lifelong lover of Willa Cather’s work. Taylor’s elegant exploration of her artistic endurance and of her early years and family, bring us back in time to portray vividly the challenges of being an immigrant family, a woman, and a literary trailblazer -- one the greatest authors of the twentieth century.

Advances in the preservation of tissues, organs, sperm/eggs are revolutionizing medicine. Mehmet Toner is an international pioneer in this field. He describes the significance of the preservation-revival research, the different methods, and how the new breakthroughs will save lives and restore damaged tissue. Methods include specialized forms of supercooling and drying. Some of the models for these developments come from nature: organisms that transition to frozen or dehydrated states for extremely long periods –and then revive.

Ahead of the PBS premiere of The Cost of Inheritance: An America ReFramed Special, join us to Meet the Makers! Director Yoruba Richen, producers Mehret Ayalew Mandefro and Lacey Schwartz Delgado and executive producer Darryl Ford Williams will talk about the making of the film, what reparations can look like across the country and where they think the conversation is going next. Watch the film's trailer now.

The Cost of Inheritance premieres Jan. 8 at 10/9c on PBS, the PBS app, PBS YouTube and worldchannel.org, and on Jan. 15 on America ReFramed.

Join the cast of All Creatures Great and Small for a sneak preview of the Season 4 premiere followed by a live Q&A.

FEATURING
Nicholas Ralph
Actor, “James Herriot”

Samuel West
Actor, “Siegfried Farnon”

Rachel Shenton
Actor, “Helen Herriot”

Anna Madeley
Actor, “Mrs. Hall”

Melissa Gallant
Executive Producer, Playground

MODERATOR
Kathryn Van Arendonk
Critic, Vulture and New York Magazine

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
It’s Spring 1940 and with Europe at war, the community in Darrowby are pulling together more than ever before. With Tristan away serving, Siegfried and James bring in some extra hands to help around the practice: although not everything goes as smoothly as planned. Happily married Helen and James begin to think about their future, and new and familiar animals abound, including a ferret and some feisty goats.

Season 4 premieres Sunday, January 7 at 9/8c on MASTERPIECE on PBS
@MasterpiecePBS #AllCreaturesPBS

The GBH studio at the BPL is hosting 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.