Events

More GBH Events

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  Virtual

  CARBON: The Book of Life

  5:00pm Tue, May 6, 2025

  Carbon gets a bad rap these days, according to author and environmentalist Paul Hawken, who urges us to widen our perception and response to the climate crisis.  Too often carbon is maligned as the “driver” of climate change and blamed for the possible demise of civilization.  However, this narrative is erroneous and misleading. 
  
  Carbon is an intriguing element; the only one that animates the entire living world.  Manifesting in coal and diamonds, it displays a host of different properties because of its ability to bond easily. One vital example is carbon-dioxide, which allows plants to photosynthesize. Though carbon comprises a tiny fraction of Earth’s composition, our planet is lifeless without it. 
  
  Paul Hawken, veteran environmentalist and author, looks at the flow of life through the lens of carbon. Embracing a panoramic view of carbon’s omnipresence, he explores how this ubiquitous and essential element extends into every aperture of existence and shapes the entire fabric of life. Hawken charts a course across our planetary history, guiding us into the realms of plants, animals, insects, fungi, food, and farms to offer a new narrative for embracing carbon’s life-giving power and its possibilities for the future of human endeavor.
  
  Hawken’s latest book, Carbon: The Book of Life illuminates the subtle connections between carbon and our collective human experience and suggests we see nature, carbon, and ourselves as exquisitely intertwined -inseparably connected.
  

  Forum Network

  Partner:

  Cambridge Forum
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  In Person

  Virtual

  Great Decisions | India: Between China, the West, and the Global South

  6:00pm Wed, May 7, 2025

   India is an emerging major power in world affairs, occupying a pivotal position between China, the United States, and the Global South. Its population size, economy, and geopolitical location ensure that it will be an influential voice in debates and political struggles over global order. What are India’s choices and opportunities for regional and global leadership? How will it maneuver between China and the United States, and what is its role as a voice of the Global South? What opportunities exist for Washington to work with India?
  
  Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Sugata Bose, Former Member of Parliament in India and Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University. 
  
  

  Forum Network

  WorldBoston Great Decisions Series

  Partner:

  WorldBoston
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  In Person

  GBH Amplifies presents AANHPI Community Conversations

  12:45pm Thu, May 8, 2025

  Enjoy a show on your lunch hour at the GBH Studio in the Boston Public Library as we share two important discussions elevating local voices in AANHPI leadership and help broaden the reach of community conversations already taking place in neighborhoods throughout Massachusetts.
  
  Ben Hires, CEO of BCNC, welcomes Q.J. Shi, Senior Director of Asian Business Empowerment Council, Amy Kridaratikorn, chef and co-owner, Sugar & Spice Restaurant and Yvonne Hao, former Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development, for a discussion on how the current economy and workforce development impacts AANHPI small business owners in our region.
  
  Next, Mai Du, owner and chief instructor of Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy in Malden and Quincy, welcomes panelists Connie Chin, Chief Executive Officer of Global Arts Live and Myra O. Liwanag, Executive Director, Iskwelahang Pilipino (Filipino School), for a discussion about education and cultural preservation.
  
  Be part of the community discussions, make connections, and enjoy an exciting behind-the-scenes experience while celebrating AANHPI voices!
  
  GBH Amplifies talks are recorded in front of the cafe audience. This event features two distinct segments focused on AANHPI economic development and arts, culture, and education, curated by GBH's AANHPI Event Planning Committee to highlight and celebrate the extraordinary voices of their community during AANHPI Heritage Month.
  
  Come be in community, make connections, and enjoy an exciting behind-the-scenes experience while celebrating AANHPI voices!
  
  
  
  Event timing:
  12:45pm Guest arrive and are seated and ready to watch the live tapings
  1-1:30pm GBH Amplifies AANHPI and Economic development statewide segment with host/moderator Ben Hires, Chief Executive Officer, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center and panel of experts including Q.J. Shi, Senior Director of Asian Business Empowerment Council, Amy Kridaratikorn, chef and co-owner, Sugar & Spice Restaurant and Yvonne Hao, former Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development
  1:30-2pm Networking opportunity
  2-2:30pm GBH Amplifies AANHPI Arts & Culture discussion with host/moderator Mai Du, Owner and Chief instructor of Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy in Malden and Quincy, and panelist Connie Chin, Chief Executive Officer of Chief Global Arts Live and Myra O. Liwanag, Executive Director, Iskwelahang Pilipino (Filipino School).
  
  
  Become a GBH member today at $60 and we will thank you with a signed copy of Connie's Chung's memoir.
  
  
  Registration is encouraged for this free event.
  

  Events

  GBH Amplifies

  Partner:

  GBH Forum Network
• 
  In Person

  GBH Jazz Nights featuring Anabel Gil Diaz

  5:30pm Thu, May 8, 2025

  Come hear Cuban-Spanish flautist Anabel Gil Diaz and her ensemble bring the rhythms of Latin jazz to the BPL!

  Events
• 
  In Person

  Virtual

  Sasha Velour - The Revolutionary Art of Drag

  6:00pm Tue, May 13, 2025

  Join the Boston Public Library in person or over Zoom Webinar as acclaimed drag queen, author, and artist Sasha Velour gives the May Lowell Lecture, The Revolutionary Art of Drag.
  Sasha Velour will be in conversation with local performing artist and theater company director Giselle Byrd.
  
  After the main program, there will be a book signing with local independent bookstore partner, Trident Booksellers & Café.
  

  Forum Network

  Partner:

  Boston Public Library
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  In Person

  The New Lunar Society: an Enlightenment Guide to the Next Industrial Revolution

  7:00pm Wed, May 14, 2025

  Climate change, global disruption, and labor scarcity are forcing us to rethink the underlying principles of industrial society. How can a new generation reanimate the best ideas of our industrial forebearers and begin to build a realistic and human-centered future? Join us at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation for a conversation with David Mindell who envisions a new form of industrialism that draws upon the first principles of the Industrial Revolution that date back to the 18th Century in his recent book 'The New Lunar Society'.
  
  While discussing new industrialism, he will tell the story of the Lunar Society, a group of engineers, scientists, and industrialists who came together to apply the principles of the Enlightenment to industrial processes. The Lunar Society included pioneers like James Watt, Benjamin Franklin, and Josiah Wedgwood whose conversations both ignited the Industrial Revolution and shaped the founding of the United States.
  
  

  Forum Network

  Mill Talks

  Partner:

  Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation
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  In Person

  Stories from the Stage Celebrates Motherhood

  6:30pm Thu, May 15, 2025

  Honor the mother figure in your life with this evening of stories celebrating motherhood in all of its forms. More than just a night out, this storytelling event is a heartfelt tribute to moms, mentors, and caregivers—the ones who lift us up, hold us steady, and shape our lives with love. Whether you are a mother yourself or someone who has been touched by one, these powerful stories will honor the strength, sacrifice, and joy of nurturing loved ones. Through moments of resilience, laughter, and deep connection, our storytellers will remind us why motherhood—however it unfolds—is one of life’s most profound journeys. This evening is a tribute to the mothers in our lives.
  
  At Stories from the Stage, produced by GBH WORLD, ordinary people share extraordinary experiences that you will not soon forget. You’ll hear stories of love and loss, amazing adventures, incredible surprises, and unexpected triumphs. In each taping, we get up-close and personal with storytellers about what inspires them and the craft of storytelling. Join us!
  
  
  Each ticket includes: 
  · A seat on the set of Stories from the Stage: Maternal Instinct
  · A drink token for a refreshing glass of wine or beer (additional beverages can be purchased on-site)
  · Light nibbles from our partners SamosaMan, The Ancient Bakers, and Popped!
  · A small potted plant from Mahoney's
  · Complimentary parking
  
  6:30pm Doors open to GBH's Atrium where light refreshments are available
  7:00pm Doors open to GBH's Calderwood Studio for seating
  
  Complimentary treats will be provided by SamosaMan , The Ancient Bakers and Popped! Small potted plants will be gifted to guests by Mahoney's .
  

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  Note all onsite purchases will be credit card only.
  Event registration is required. Seating is general admission.The maximum capacity of this event is 130.
  All guests must age 21 or older and have a valid ID.
  
  
  This event is presented with support from our sponsor Liberty Mutual Insurance .
  

  

  Reese, Joshua

  This event is also presented with support from our sponsor UMass Amherst .
  

  

  Events
• 
  In Person

  May 2025 Outspoken Saturdays

  2:00pm Sat, May 17, 2025

  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.

  Events
• 
  Virtual

  Wine Tasting with Rick Steves bundle (Event on Demand)

  6:00pm Thu, May 22, 2025

  Experience our February Wine Tasting with Rick Steves event on your own time! This on demand event experience allows you to sip along with Rick Steves and a sommelier during the previously recorded event. Expand your knowledge of the art of wine tasting with the fundamental five S's: see, swirl, sniff, sip, and savor, sample Italian wines and, get to know Rick too!
  
  
  How it works:
  Purchase this package and we will send you the link to the recording of this event and the tasting kit which includes 6 mini bottles of Italian wine. Once the wine arrives, play the recording and taste along with Rick Steves and our sommelier. You choose the time and place! Snuggle up on the couch, set up in the kitchen, or gather your friends for a fun night in! We know you'll enjoy this lively evening.
  
  Included in this package is Rick Steves’s newest book, On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer. The book will be shipped separately.
  
  
  Here's what attendees had to say about the event in February:
  - What a wonderful night! Expertise does matter and considerate and witty conversation lives! 
  - Loved this...so fun!!
  - This was incredible! Thank you for the opportunity! Cheers
  - One of the best experiences of my life!
  
  Don’t miss your chance to recreate this memorable evening of tasting wine with Rick Steves. And remember, your ticket purchase supports the GBH programming you love. Wine tasting kits are limited so get yours today!
  
  
  Package includes: 
  - The link to the recording of the February 2025 Wine Tasting with Rick Steves lead by a sommelier
  - 6 mini bottles of wine (enough for two to taste) shipped directly to your door (We suggest you enjoy the wine tasting on demand event within 4 months of receipt to optimize freshness).
  - Rick Steves’s newest book, On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer (additional copies of this book are available for purchase)
  
  Please note:
  - Kits cannot be shipped to Canada and the following states: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Utah
  - Guests must be at least 21 years old to participate in alcohol related events.
  - This package has a limited quantity. Secure your kit today, while supplies last.
  - If you would like to purchase more than one wine tasting experience, please do so in a separate transaction.
  
  Shipping details:
  - Make sure that your address is submitted correctly (no typos!) Failure to type your address correctly will result in a shipping delay or even the possibility that your ticket will not be fulfilled.
  - Ticket holders will receive the wine tasting and book separately. The book will arrive later that the wine.
  - Kits cannot be shipped to Canada and the following states: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Utah
  - Kits cannot be shipped to a P.O. Box
  - Ticket holders will need to be home to show identification and sign upon delivery to prove they are 21+ years of age. Wine will not be delivered without this.
  - Books will ship separately from the wine.
  

  Events
• 
  In Person

  Joan C. Williams with Outclassed

  7:00pm Thu, May 22, 2025

  Join Joan C. Williams—award-winning scholar of social inequality and Distinguished Professor of Law (Emerita) at UC San Francisco—for a discussion about her new book Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Get Them Back. Her latest book is an urgent wake-up call to mend the broken relationship between college and non-college grads of all races that is driving politics to the far right in the US. Williams says that the single change that could simultaneously protect democracy, spur progress on climate change, enact sane gun policies, and improve our response to the next pandemic - lies in changing the class dynamics driving American politics.
  
  The far right manipulates class anger to undercut progressive goals, and liberals often inadvertently play into their hands. In Outclassed, Joan C. Williams explains how to reverse that process by bridging the “diploma divide”, while maintaining core progressive values. She offers college-educated Americans insights into how their values reflect their lives and their lives reflect their privilege. With illuminating stories —from the Portuguese admiral who led that country’s COVID response, to the lawyer who led the ACLU’s gay marriage response — Williams demonstrates how working-class values reflect working-class lives. Then she explains how the far right connects culturally with the working-class, deftly manipulating racism and masculine anxieties to deflect attention from the ways far-right policies produce the economic conditions that disadvantage the working-class! Whether you are a concerned citizen committed to saving democracy, a politician or a social justice activist in need of messaging advice, Outclassed offers concrete guidance on how liberals can forge a multi-racial cross-class coalition capable of delivering on progressive goaL.
  
  CAMBRIDGE FORUM is partnering with Harvard Book Store and GBH Forum Network to record this event for free public enjoyment and distribution.
  
  

  Forum Network

  Partner:

  Cambridge Forum Harvard Book Store
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  Virtual

  Space Debris: The Potential Impact on the Ozone Layer and Earth’s Climate

  12:00pm Tue, May 27, 2025

  Today, thousands of satellites orbit Earth. At the end of their missions they drop from space and burn up in Earth’s upper atmosphere.The resulting ash deposits thousands of tons of aerosols. Certain aerosols contain metal oxides and pollutants that can impact both the ozone layer and Earth’s thermal balance (heat and cooling factors).
  
  Atmospheric scientist Dan Cziczo, an expert on aerosols and clouds, analyzes these particles that accumulate in Earth’s stratosphere, to determine their relationship to both ozone-depletion and climate change. He explains the concern about these unique space debris chemicals and their potential effect on the ozone layer and the cloud dynamics associated with climate. The studies on space debris represent a developing area of atmospheric science and is of great significance, given the continuing increase in the number of satellites.

  Forum Network

  Science

  Partner:

  Science for the Public
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  Virtual

  Explorers: A New History with Matthew Lockwood

  6:00pm Wed, May 28, 2025

  Prize-winning historian Matthew Lockwood looks at the impulse to explore, the travels of Pocahontas, Columbus, Sacagawea, and Captain Cook alongside others who rightfully deserve the title of “explorers” including immigrants and fugitive slaves.
  
  According to Lockwood, people of every background imagine new worlds. The impulse to seek new places is universal to humanity. In his new book, “Explorers,” he unfurls a tapestry of surprising and historically overlooked travelers spanning forty centuries and six continents. His illustrated talk will share the stories of such seekers as David Dorr, born into slavery in New Orleans who embarked on a Grand Tour or Europe and Egypt, and the Viking female voyager Gudrid Far-Traveler, who sailed to North America in 1000 AD; among other pioneers.

  Forum Network

  American Inspiration Author Series

  Partner:

  American Ancestors