Ahead of her appearance at the Boston Public Library's Literary Lights event, writer and cartoonist Alison Bechdel joined "The Culture Show" to discuss her latest graphic memoir, “The Secret to Superhuman Strength,” and the spiritual quest hidden within her exercise routine.

The author of "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and The Privilege of American Motherhood" sits down with Under the Radar to break down the reality of America's adoption system.

"Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion" highlights the colorful culture and history of high fashion in men's professional basketball.

The "Boy Erased" author joins GBH News to discuss his new novel, "All the World Beside."

Celebrating women throughout our country’s diverse history, Tiya Miles, award-winning Harvard historian, converses with Pulitzer Prize winner Laurel Thatcher Ulrich about the natural world and the women who changed America. 

Louisa May Alcott ran wild, eluding gendered expectations in New England. Harriet Tubman, forced to labor outdoors on a Maryland plantation, learned from the land a terrain for escape. The Indigenous women’s basketball team from Fort Shaw, Montana, recaptured a sense of pride in physical prowess as they trounced competitors at the 1904 World’s Fair. Spotlighting such women who acted on their confidence outdoors, Wild Girls brings new context to misunderstood icons like Sacagawea and Pocahontas, and to underappreciated figures like Native American activist writer Zitkála-Šá, also known as Gertrude Bonnin, farmworkers’ champion Dolores Huerta, and labor and Civil Rights organizer Grace Lee Boggs.

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; they were techniques to resist assimilation, racism, and sexism. Lyrically written and full of archival discoveries, 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.

Frugal Bookstore is a community bookstore located in Roxbury with a passion of promoting literacy within our children, teens and adults.

This event was initially scheduled on April 4th and has been postponed due to inclement weather.

In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, corporate America doubled down on its public intentions to be more inclusive and equitable. Yet despite the pledges it has been difficult to see which system changes have made a real difference. Then came the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action—and its potential implications for corporations and their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices. With DEI programs seemingly under attack and their efficacy in question, are businesses still willing to make the case for diversity—and what can we do to encourage them?

Malia C. Lazu is an award-winning, tenured strategist in diversity and inclusion and a lecturer in the Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management group at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is former EVP and Regional President of Berkshire Bank and the creator of several accelerators designed to support minority-owned businesses in the Boston area, as well as the consultancy the Lazu Group. She's the author of From Intention to Impact: A Practical Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (MIT Press, February 2024).

Malia Lazu will be in conversation with GBH Chief Inclusion and Equity Officer, Yemisi Oloruntola-Coates.

Her book will be available to purchase, thanks to Frugal Bookstore, with a 15% discount.

Independent book stores around Boston are seeing increased sales and popular in-person events.

GBH News Morning Edition co-host Jeremy Siegel sits down with Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and several dozen other novels, for a late-morning edition coffee talk.

Come to the GBH studio at the Boston Public Library to hear Maguire talk and bring your questions for an audience Q&A.

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

Limited seating is available on a first come, first serve basis. If you require a seat, we encourage you to arrive before the start time of this event.

Location: The GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library is located at 700 Boylston St. at the corner of Exeter Street inside the Newsfeed Café.

Parking: Limited metered parking is available in the area. We recommend taking public transportation when possible. MBTA’s Copley stop on the Green Line and Back Bay stop on the Orange Line are located nearby. Visit http://mbta.com/ to plan your trip on public transportation.

Concessions: Food and drink is available for purchase at the Newsfeed Café. Outside food is not permitted.

Covid Safety: Please review the BPL’s Event COVID-19 Safety information here.

By RSVPing for this event, you agree to receive timely news and updates on events, films, and special offers from GBH.

Photo provided by Gregory Maguire

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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 phone: 617-300-3300 or via email: info@wgbh.org

Reginald Dwayne Betts holds a J.D. from Yale and a MacArthur Grant. Since 2020, his organization Freedom Reads has helped bring books into prisons. He joins The Culture Show to talk about that work.