Join American Ancestors for the tale of one family spanning centuries and continents. Inspired by the discovery of a mysterious manuscript in an old Massachusetts farmhouse, the celebrated author John Kaag follows eight menbers of the Blood family from seventeenth-century England through the founding of the colonies and the American Revolution to the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Bloods were one of America’s first and most expansive pioneer families. They explored and laid claim to the frontiers—geographic, political, intellectual, and spiritual—that would become the very core of the United States. They were active participants in virtually every pivotal moment in American history, coming into contact with Emerson, Thoreau, John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Victoria Woodhull, and William James. The genealogy of the family tracks the ebb and flow of what Thoreau called “wildness,” the untamed spirit of Americans. John Kaag’s remarkable account reminds us of the risks and rewards that were taken in laying claim to the lands that would become the United States and shows how each family member embodied the elusive ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.

J. Courtney Sullivan is the bestselling author of the novels Commencement, Maine, The Engagements, Saints for All Occasions, and Friends and Strangers. Her latest novel, The Cliffs, was Reese Witherspoon’s July 2024 selection for Reese’s Book Club. Her work has been translated into 17 languages.

Sullivan's writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York, Real Simple, and O, The Oprah Magazine, among many others. In 2017, she wrote the forewords to new editions of two of her favorite classic novels— Anne of Green Gables and Little Women.

She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two children. Check out more about J. Courtney Sullivan here.

GBH News' Marilyn Schairer will moderate the conversation.

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Explore the life and prolific works of artist, scientist, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci in Ken Burns’s latest film LEONARDO da VINCI. Following a sneak peek of clips from the film, GBH President and CEO Susan Goldberg will moderate a conversation with filmmakers Ken Burns and his co-director and Sarah Burns. The Museum of Fine Arts’ Senior Curator of European Sculpture & Phillips Curator of Judaica, Marietta Cambareri, will also join the panel to discuss the unique genius of this Italian Renaissance polymath.

About the film
LEONARDO da VINCI follows the artist’s evolution as a draughtsman and painter, scientist and engineer, who used notebooks to explore an astonishing array of subjects including painting, philosophy, engineering, warfare, anatomy, and geography, among many others. Though he intended to publish his writings, he never did, but the film delves into those he left behind to get inside his mind as he strove to master the laws of nature and apply them to his endeavors.

LEONARDO da VINCI looks at how the artist influenced and inspired future generations, and it finds in his soaring imagination and profound intellect the foundation for a conversation we are still having today: what is our relationship with nature and what does it mean to be human.

LEONARDO da VINCI will air November 18 and 19, at 8-10pm ET (check local listings) on GBH, PBS.org and the PBS App.

About Ken Burns
Ken Burns is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has directed and produced numerous acclaimed historical documentaries over the past fifty years, including the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, The Civil War, The Vietnam War, and Country Music. He has been honored with multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

About Sarah Burns
Sarah Burns is an author and documentary producer, best known for her work on The Central Park Five and Jackie Robinson. Her documentaries have won several awards and nominations, including a Peabody Award and Writers Guild of America award.

About Marietta Cambareri
Marietta Cambareri, Ph.D., is Senior Curator of European Sculpture and Phillips Curator of Judaica at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She curated and wrote the publications accompanying the exhibitions Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence (MFA, Boston and the National Gallery of Art, 2016-17) and Strong Women in Renaissance Italy (MFA, Boston, Fall 2024), and was lead curator on the recent installation of two galleries of Italian Renaissance art.

This event is presented by GBH and Bank of America.

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The folk-rock duo join The Culture Show as they prepare to perform alongside Judy Collins and Rufus Wainwright on Aug. 30 as part of the Popular Artist Series.

Go beyond the page with acclaimed author Danzy Senna! Known for her works on race, gender, and American identity, Senna will talk about, her writing process, challenges, and more. She will answer your questions and will share insights into her new novel, Colored Television, which released on September 3, 2024.

Danzy Senna is the author of five works of fiction, including the bestselling Caucasia (set partly in Boston and Roxbury), New People, Symptomatic, and her forthcoming novel Colored Television, a collection of short stories, and a memoir. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, she teaches writing at the University of Southern California.

GBH News' Phillip Martin moderates the conversation.

This event is presented with support from our sponsor Liberty Mutual Insurance.


This event is presented by GBH with support from the Boston Book Festival which returns to Boston this October.

In this special edition of “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club,” we’re diving into one of today’s most popular and best-selling genres taking over bookstores — and your social media feeds: "romantasy." That’s romance plus fantasy.

Something big — as in, 75-feet-long — is about to happen on Nantucket. On Monday, a giant sea monster will make its long-awaited return to the island in honor of renowned artist and local hero Tony Sarg.

Financial strain from the pandemic forced the venue to close its doors in 2020. But new owners are looking at a 2026 reopening — at a new, but nearby, location.

The club served Boston for 44 years before closing at the start of the pandemic.

Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony and Emmy award-winning actress and Broadway royalty, has brought her crown to Boston. She stars in the new musical “The Queen of Versailles,” which is making its pre-Broadway debut at the Emerson Colonial Theatre through August 25.