The WGBH Forum Network connects with a variety of organizations around Boston to record live talks on topics of most interest to the public. This year, talks addressed a range of issues, from new tech, to prison reform, eclipses, bitcoin, sea turtles, and ending systemic racism in Boston.
Here is just a small sample of our recordings of the speakers who stepped up to the microphone in and around Boston in 2017.
Bernie Sanders Sees A Future To Believe In
Shortly after Donald Trump won the presidential election, Senator Bernie Sanders, himself a 2016 presidential hopeful, launched a book tour, aiming to reiterate his platform for social change. Sanders came to Boston in November and again in March to speak in sold-out performance halls. » WATCH NOW
The Kennedy School's Danielle Allen Shares Her Family’s Pain
As reforming the U.S. prison system becomes a topic du jour across the U.S., Harvard political scientist Danielle Allen makes the story personal with her new book “Cuz,” following the fatal journey of her cousin Michael, whom she puts in the stead of all incarcerated black men, whom she says are facing an unjust prison system. » WATCH NOW
Khizr Khan Loves America
Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who walked onto the stage of the Democratic Convention with his wife to endorse Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential nomination, is out with a new memoir. Khan’s own immigrant story is a tale of hope, as he recounts the generosity and kindness that afforded him the chance to attend Harvard Law School. » WATCH NOW
Greater Boston Writers React to Trump's Election Win
The day before Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States, American writers in cities across the country gathered in libraries and on public steps to read texts, both new and cherished, that reject the racism, sexism, and classism they said Trump would bring with him to the White House. In a movement they declared #WritersResist, celebrated authors in Boston gathered in the Boston Public Library to share literary reminders of the country's history. » WATCH NOW
Preparing for the Impact of Climate Change on Massachusetts
“There is no wall big enough, wide enough or high enough to protect Boston” from the inevitable sea level rise we are bringing on ourselves because of climate change, declared John Sterman, director of the MIT System Dynamics Group, in a panel discussion about preparing Boston for a worst case scenario of tides rising and flooding downtown. » WATCH NOW
Some Honorable Mentions
» Noam Chomsky and Amy Goodman discuss economic inequality in America
» Neil Gaiman: Norse mythology and American gods
Our most viewed video of 2017 features author Neil Gaiman speaking at the Boston Public Library with WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen about his new book of Norse mythology, his new television series "American Gods" and a little-unexpected parenting advice. Here is Gaiman reading a selection from his new book:
