Past Events

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.

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

We are here every Thursday bringing you local musicians to make noise at the library!

Valerya, a 23-year-old musician from Mexico City, has dedicated herself to honing her craft and becoming a force to be reckoned with. Her unique sound blends elements of R&B, indie, and Latin music, creating a sound that is uniquely her own. Valerya is committed to using her platform to inspire and empower others. She is passionate about promoting sisterhood and inclusion in the music industry and hopes to be a positive influence for future generations of Mexican femme musicians.

Join us for an evening of music, wine, and food. Registration is encouraged for this free event.

Many people think that America is coming apart at the seams, for a variety of reasons. Most glaringly, polarization has split entire communities, dividing friends and families from each other so that prospects for the next election look grim. However, there might be some good news on the horizon. Literally. Recent research shows that one way to improve voter activity, decrease polarization and boost municipal bond rating is to inject community news into people’s lives. Local news, it would seem, acts as a binding agent for democracy.

Charles Sennott, founder and Editor of The GroundTruth Project discusses with a panel of journalists and media entrepreneurs from around the country how delivering local news can glue democracy back together.

American Experience presents a virtual PAST FORWARD conversation exploring the state of educational equity in American schools nearly seventy years after Brown vs. Board of Education. This conversation is inspired by our two new films The Busing Battleground and The Harvest: Integrating Mississippi's Schools.

Panelists will discuss the meaning of educational equity, the state of equity in American public schools and the avenues through which to pursue it, examining what is lost when students of all backgrounds are not offered the same opportunities to thrive. They will also consider the roles that class and location play in determining who supports and opposes policy that supports educational equity. The panel will discuss whether these factors reflect the success or failure of the decision in Brown and in the broader movement for school integration.

Panelists:

Dr. Ivory Toldson, Ph.D. is the national director of Education Innovation and Research for the NAACP, professor of counseling psychology at Howard University and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education. Previously, Dr. Toldson was appointed by President Barack Obama to devise national strategies to sustain and expand federal support to HBCUs as the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is also the author of Brill Bestseller, No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People.

Dr. Adrienne Dixson Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Education and Civil Rights Initiative, and a Professor of Educational Leadership Studies. Her research primarily focuses on how race, class and gender intersect and impact educational equity in urban schooling contexts. She was recognized in Rick Hess Straight Up Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings in 2021 and 2022 in the top 200 education scholars in the country. In 2021, Dr. Dixson was inducted as a Fellow in the American Educational Research Association.

The discussion will be moderated by Sonya Douglass, Ed.D. Sonya is Professor of Education Leadership and Vice Chair of the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research examines educational leadership, policy, and politics with a focus on race and the history of Black education in the U.S. She is author of the award-winning book, Learning in a Burning House: Educational Inequality, Ideology, and (Dis)Integration (Teachers College Press, 2011).

The event will be streamed live on our YouTube and Facebook pages.

Photo credit: Credit: Boston Globe/Getty

In celebration of 2023 Boston Book Festival, GBH's Callie Crossley of Under the Radar with Callie Crossley talks with Tiya Miles, a public historian and creative writer whose research focuses on African American, Native American and women’s history during colonial America.

Miles is the Michael Garvey Professor of History at Harvard University, the author of five prize-winning works on the history of slavery and early American race relations, and a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship recipient. She was the founder and director of the Michigan-based ECO Girls program. Her New York Times bestselling book All That She Carried won the National Book Award.

Miles’s latest book Wild Girls, examines how Harriet Tubman, Zitkála-Šá and Louisa May Alcott, among others, found self-understanding in the natural world and became women who changed America. This beautiful, meditative work of history puts girls of all races—and the landscapes they loved—at center stage and reveals the impact of the outdoors on women’s independence, resourcefulness and vision. For these trailblazing women of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, navigating the woods, following the stars, playing sports and taking to the streets in peaceful protest were not only joyful pursuits, but also techniques to resist assimilation, racism, and sexism.

Check out all the 2023 Boston Book Festival Headliners and Keynotes at bostonbookfest.org

Dr. Garlick is known especially for developing stem cells for tissue engineering, specifically for advanced treatments for oral health, cancer, scleroderma and complications of diabetes. He established the Center for Integrated Tissue Engineering at Tufts to accelerate the discovery and clinical application of new drugs using 3D tissues. Dr. Garlick has been equally committed to communicating science to the public. This discussion covers his pioneering stem cell research and how that led to his leadership in science communication.

The costs of the war in Ukraine can be measured first and foremost in human lives lost, in destroyed communities and infrastructure. But environmental damages are also widespread and will continue to impact Ukrainians for decades to come.

In early June 2022, the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River burst, unleashing much of the water from a reservoir roughly the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Large swaths of the reservoir dried up, while towns and villages south of the dam were flooded. Floodwaters contaminated with sewage, oil and land mines swept away houses and forced evacuations.

This incident sparked global attention on the environmental impact of the war for the first time. But damage to the environment has been ongoing since February 2022, when the war started.

The World's Environment Correspondent and Editor Carolyn Beeler will be hosting an online conversation about the environmental impact of the war in Ukraine.

She'll be joined by Ukrainian environmental scientist Kateryna Polyanska, from the NGO Environment People Law, who has been traversing the country to document the environmental damage the war has caused, and Doug Weir, from the Conflict and Environment Observatory, who has been researching the environmental legacy of armed conflict around the world since 2005.

Join the event on Facebook and on The World’s website.

You can also send your questions for the panelists ahead of time to myworld@theworld.org.

Step into the shoes of those who rebelled against the British Empire and immerse yourself in the captivating world of the American Revolution alongside our esteemed guest expert, Brooke Barbier. With an unrivaled passion for history and a profound knowledge of the social and cultural aspects of this transformative era, Brooke will transport you to the heart of the Revolution, breathing life into the stories that shaped a nation.

Prepare to be enthralled as Brooke weaves together vivid storytelling and captivating anecdotes, focusing on her areas of expertise that delve into the cultural fabric of the American Revolution. From popular protests against taxation to the influential figures of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Abigail Adams, and George Washington, Brooke will shed light on the fascinating dynamics and pivotal moments that defined the revolutionary period.

During this engaging discussion and interactive Q&A session, you will have a unique opportunity to explore the untold stories of our American heroes, discover the invaluable contributions of women to the resistance, gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and triumphs that shaped the United States of America, and reflect on the legacy of the revolution to twenty-first century Americans. Secure your spot today.

Brooke Barbier received her PhD in American History from Boston College, researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. She is the author of the new book, King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father (out October 10 from Harvard University Press) and Boston in the American Revolution: A Town Versus an Empire. Because she believes beer makes history even better, she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours in 2013, offering spirited tours of Boston’s Freedom Trail.

This event will be moderated and hosted by GBH News and Morning Edition, David Epstein.

This event is presented with support from Ye Olde Tavern Tours.

Photo credit: Tim Mossholder

This event is presented in partnership with Ye Olde Tavern Tours.

At Ask the Expert, get access to experts specializing in a wide variety of topics, learn something new about a subject you are passionate about or discover a new interest. GBH invites you to drive the conversation by asking questions during the live event directly with our expert. It’s always interesting, and it’s always free!

How it works:

This virtual event will take place via Zoom Webinar. Zoom is free to the public but requires a computer download. You can download Zoomhere.

By RSVPing for this event, you agree to receive timely news and updates on events, films, and special offers from GBH. ---
Do you need any additional accommodations that we should be made aware of to participate in this event? If so, please contact us a minimum of one week in advanced of the event. We will do our best to accommodate your request. Reach us during regular business hours M-F, 9am-5pm at 617-300-3300 or via email: info@wgbh.org.

If you have questions or can no longer attend, please contact Audience and Member Services Department. Audience and Member Services can be reached during regular business hours M-F, 9am-5pm at 617-300-3300 or via email: info@wgbh.org.

In partnership with:




This event is presented in support from Liberty Mutual Insurance

What might optimistic—yet realistic—scenarios for New England’s climate future look like? As our summers get hotter, storms get stronger, sea levels rise and other consequences become more apparent, climate change is top of mind. Hear from a panel of three renowned climate experts on their transformational visions for New England – and reasons for hope.

Discover the specific impacts that may affect New England the most, and how we can rise to meet these challenges. This inspiring evening will leave you with an understanding of not only the threats but the positive actions that can help our communities, region and nation address climate change.

Learn what you as an individual can do, how to talk with your children about the climate future and how to discuss climate solutions with your neighbors, relatives and friends – even the skeptical ones– in a productive and empowering way.

This event was presented with support from Museum of Science.

By the fall of 2022, Iran was in a state of turmoil due to widespread protests against government-enforced wearing of the hijab, a failing economy, an ineffective new president, and the looming succession of the country’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Abroad, renewal of the Iran nuclear deal seemed doubtful and tensions remain high between Iran, Israel, and Arab states. Many Iranians have lost hope of a better future, and the country seems at a crossroads. How should the United States deal with it?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Tara Kangarlou, Global Affairs Journalist, Award-Winning Author, Professor at Georgetown University, and Founder of Art of Hope.