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Forum Network

Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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GBH Forum Network

The Forum Network is a public media service of the GBH Educational Foundation that offers thousands of video lectures by the world's foremost scholars, authors, artists, scientists, policymakers, and community leaders, made available to the public for free.

Lectures hosted on The Forum Network are presented by community organizations and educational institutions from the Boston area and beyond.

From science to the humanities, from local to global topics, The Forum Network is committed to providing outstanding educational content for lifelong learners, and to encouraging deeper understanding and civic engagement around the vital issues of our time.

Explore lectures by Topics, Series, Partners, and Speakers. To provide viewers with more information, lectures are further augmented with speaker biographies, related lectures and books, captions and transcripts, and downloadable audio.

In the past, GBH has collaborated with other public media partners—WETA in Washington, DC; Public Broadcasting Atlanta; and WNET New York—to record public speaking events. While the structure of the Forum Network changed in 2014 to focus specifically on the Boston region, previously recorded lectures remain archived in this website.

Major support for the GBH Forum Network comes from the Lowell Institute, an organization created to carry out the 1836 bequest of John Lowell Jr., to make free public lectures available to the citizens of Boston

Stay in touch with Forum Network. » Facebook Find us on Facebook and Twitter. Become a partner by joining our network as a local community content contributor. Email forumnetwork@wgbh.org with the subject line "New Partner".

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About GBH Educational Foundation

GBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives. GBH serves New England, the nation, and the world with programs that inform, inspire, and entertain. GBH is PBS's single largest producer of content for television (prime-time and children's programs) and the Web. Some of your favorite series and websites -- Nova, Masterpiece, Frontline, Antiques Roadshow, Curious George, Arthur, and The Victory Garden, to name a few -- are produced here in our Boston studios. GBH also is a major supplier of programs heard nationally on public radio, including The World. And we're a pioneer in educational multimedia and in media access technologies for people with hearing or vision loss. Our community ties run deep. We're a local public broadcaster serving southern New England, with 11 public television services and three public radio services -- and productions (from Greater Boston to Jazz with Eric in the Evening) that reflect the issues and cultural riches of our region. We're a member station of PBS and an affiliate of both NPR and PRI. In today's fast-changing media landscape, we're making sure you can find our content when and where you choose -- on TV, radio, the Web, podcasts, vodcasts, streaming audio and video, iPhone applications, groundbreaking teaching tools, and more. Our reach and impact keep growing. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors -- Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards -- even two Academy Awards. In 2002, a special institutional Peabody Award cited GBH's 50 years of service to the "community, the nation, and the world with outstanding productions and collaborations."

GBH is devoted to bringing you new experiences, taking you to new worlds, and giving you the very best in educational content. We're here for you -- and it all happens thanks to your interest and generous support!

https://forum-network.org/

  • Jim Rooney: Boston Business Community Will Address Issues of Racism

    Sat, Nov 19, 2016
    Boston Chamber of Commerce CEO James Rooney spoke to a full house at the Cutler Majestic Theater as part of the Mayor's day to begin tackling the pernicious and deep-rooted problems racism has created. Rooney made a pledge: "The Chamber, our board, our members and our staff will be engaged in action-oriented processes...on issues of board diversity, economic mobility, access, education, workforce development and jobs."
    Forum Network
    Boston Talks About Racism
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    Debby Irving Explains our Whitewashed History

    Sat, Nov 19, 2016
    Debbie Irving, author of Waking up White, joined Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh for a public discussion about the ongoing issue of racism and shared her own realization that even she was influenced by racist constructs. In November 2016 the mayor spoke to a full Cutler Majestic Theater, introducing plans for a year-long project aimed at bringing small facilitated conversations about racism, healing and policy work out into all of the neighborhoods of Boston.
    Forum Network
    Boston Talks About Racism
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    Marty Walsh: Boston Has An Issue With Racism

    Sat, Nov 19, 2016
    Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh introduces a new initiative for Boston and gives some honest background as to why talking about racism matters to him. November 19, 2016 was the first of many expected public discussions about the issue of racism in Boston. Special guests and audience members addressed how citizens can acknowledge the mistakes of the past and then look to our future as they work together to become a more socially cohesive and resilient city. Located in Boston's beautiful Cutler Majestic Theater, the Mayor and members of his team lay out plans for a year-long project aimed at bringing small facilitated conversations about racism, healing and policy work out into all of the neighborhoods of Boston.
    Forum Network
    Boston Talks About Racism
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    #StuckOnReplay: Striving for Social Justice

    Thu, Jul 7, 2016
    The Massachusetts criminal justice system is part of a program called the Justice Reinvestment Initiative—a national review of criminal justice data to determine where to cut costs in Corrections and how to improve the system. The state will receive recommendations for its criminal justice funding in 2017, and a new coalition wants to involve the communities in Boston that are most affected by high youth incarceration rates. This coalition will strategize how to engage the lawmakers deciding the system reforms in 2017. That new coalition is made up of Opportunity Youth United – Boston, Community Action Team, Teen Empowerment and MassINC. They are planning a series of 3 events with youth, community organizations and leaders around the issue of youth incarceration and the negative affect it has on them, their families, and their neighborhoods. » More about [Stuck on Replay](http://www.stuckonreplay.org/ "").
    Forum Network
    Civil Rights Movement Series ,  Boston Talks About Racism
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    Cheryl Della Pietra: Gonzo Girl

    Thu, Apr 21, 2016
    **Cheryl Della Pietra** discusses and reads from her book _Gonzo Girl_ (2015). The novel is a fictionalized account of Della Pietra's own experiences as the assistant to journalist and literary icon Hunter S. Thompson. With the publication of Thompson's 1970 article titled "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved," the term "Gonzo" was coined for first-person journalism with no claims of objectivity. Thompson popularized the style with _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_ (1971). The protagonist of Cheryl Della Pietra's novel is Alley Russo, a young aspiring publisher who becomes the assistant of infamous author Walker Reade. While trying to help Reade finish his next novel, Alley spends months being pulled along for her mentor's bumpy ride of procrastination and substance abuse. Vogue describes the novel as "[a] margarita-fueled, miniskirt-clad cautionary tale of lost literary innocence," while Entertainment Weekly calls it "... a thrilling fictionalized (just barely) account of working with a true genius - until the celebrity-filled, drug-fueled partying becomes too much." (Image: [Flickr/Thomas Hawk](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/6133290914/in/photolist-bDqTVx-6bGFy-ehxZPs-6bpnp2-77Y6eY-akYHH5-6gzK1U-f5in2C-bAFCPR-csSqgU-4grE6z-9wpaQ5-8hcf5z-7URWeg-7HszGs-6am2aH-eEwfch-7XXiP-75CuX-5WBxpP-bRntE4-KwMJU-67apbU-b8L4fv-6akWZt-5jthx-dNjBwN-GaRA6E-F4fYvP-wehojV-4xUJ8Z-6akYBH-9ir2Y5-5euBpW-75CuC-vAV7G-5YCaeY-3Pc2x-ah62ep-71g7mX-2wuVLw-aikbYp-8zShzo-iZWd2-kv5sw-8p4Kzt-p9Crqc-ah62We-tfR8ng-v4XAR7 "Gonzo cover"), image cropped)
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    Jazz Chat: Eric Jackson and Kenny Barron

    Thu, Aug 21, 2014
    One of the most sought-after pianists of the post-bop era, Kenny Barron has played on literally hundreds of jazz recordings, many being some of the genre’s most iconic and beloved. His unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms is what inspired The Los Angeles Times to name him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world” and Jazz Weekly to call him “The most lyrical piano player of our time.” With over 40 recordings as a leader, Barron has received over nine Grammy nominations for his albums, including People Time with Stan Getz, Freefall and Wanton Spirit (a trio with Roy Haynes and Charlie Haden). His CD Canta Brasil linked Barron with Trio de Paz for a stunning collection of original Brazilian jazz, and was named Critics Choice Top Ten CDs of 2003 by Jazziz Magazine. Barron consistently wins the jazz critics’ and readers’ polls, including Downbeat, Jazz Times and Jazziz magazines. In 2005 he was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame and won a MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a six-time recipient of Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association and was a finalist in the prestigious 2001 Jazz Par International Jazz Award. Whether he is playing solo, trio or quintet, Kenny Barron is recognized the world over as a master of performance and composition. JazzChats are informal discussions led by jazz radio hosts and leaders with the artist one hour prior to the concert.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    Technology and the Next Generation of Learners

    Mon, Oct 26, 2015
    Educators discuss the tools available to students today for research and practice learning, what we know about how tech and the brain work together, the digital divide, life-long learning and more.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    Lou Ureneck: The Great Fire

    Wed, Jul 15, 2015
    The year was 1922: American Asa Jennings had just arrived in the Turkish coastal city of Smyrna to teach sports to boys. Unknown to him, the Armenian Genocide was unfolding and the Turkish army was advancing on Smyrna, where a half a million refugees had fled in a desperate attempt to escape. Unwilling to leave with the other American civilians, Jennings commandeered a fleet of unoccupied Greek ships and was able to evacuate a quarter million innocent people—an amazing humanitarian act that has been lost to history, until now.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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    Beyond the Death Penalty

    Mon, May 11, 2015
    A panel of speakers coping with the loss of murdered family members came together for a public conversation about their own experiences as survivors, how they coped with the US legal system and their views on capitol punishment. This public discussion is sponsored by Murder Victims Families for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Massachusetts Citizens Against the Death Penalty, ACLU Massachusetts, NH Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network

  • George Daughan: 1812 - The Navy's War

    Wed, Sep 17, 2014
    The U.S. Navy's superb performance during the War of 1812 forced Great Britain, and indeed all of Europe, to take the fledgling United States more seriously, initiated a fundamental change in the British-American relationship, and enabled America to maintain a robust navy even in peacetime. Daughan details the chronology of the war and many of its central players, including U.S. President James Monroe. The Navy was an unsung contributor to America’s success in the war, and salvaged what was initially a losing battle.
    Forum Network
    Partner:
    GBH Forum Network
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