A portrait of late 19th-century Boston and one of its most daring and celebrated women, Isabella Stewart Gardner – the connoisseur and visionary collector who created an inimitable legacy in American art and transformed the city.

When Isabella Stewart Gardner first arrived in Boston in 1861, she was twenty years old, newly married to a wealthy trader, and unsure of herself. Puzzled by the frosty reception she received from the city’s coterie of “bluebloods,” she strived to fit in and had limited success. Then after two devastating tragedies, she discovered her true spirit and passion for collecting. When Isabella opened her Italian palazzo-style home as a museum 1903 to showcase her old masters, antiques, and objects d’art, she was well-known for scandalizing Boston’s upper society.

The Lioness of Boston is historical fiction – a richly detailed portrait of a time, also a cultural and social history. Author Emily Franklin reveals the day’s mores and expectations which Isabella, a feminist before feminism, rejected, opting instead for friendships with painter John Singer Sargent; writers Henry James, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Orne Jewett; and neighbor Julia Ward Howe. With novelist Claire Messud, Franklin discusses her process for researching and bringing to life this remarkable woman – her friends, her family, and her era.

Presented by the American Inspiration series from American Ancestors/NEHGS in partnership with Boston Public Library.

Featuring six local DJs and 17 artists, "Dear Summer Vol. 1," is Boston's first official mixtape.

In celebration of 2023 Boston Book Festival, GBH's Callie Crossley of Under the Radar with Callie Crossley talks with Tiya Miles, a public historian and creative writer whose research focuses on African American, Native American and women’s history during colonial America.

Miles is the Michael Garvey Professor of History at Harvard University, the author of five prize-winning works on the history of slavery and early American race relations, and a 2011 MacArthur Fellowship recipient. She was the founder and director of the Michigan-based ECO Girls program. Her New York Times bestselling book All That She Carried won the National Book Award.

Miles’s latest book Wild Girls, examines how Harriet Tubman, Zitkála-Šá and Louisa May Alcott, among others, found self-understanding in the natural world and became women who changed America. 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. 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, but also techniques to resist assimilation, racism, and sexism.

Check out all the 2023 Boston Book Festival Headliners and Keynotes at bostonbookfest.org

'Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food' explores the dangers of foodborne pathogens.

A number of Latino Republicans have threatened to pull funding for a national Latino museum in D.C., reflecting one facet of America's ongoing culture war — who gets to tell the story of Latino history in the U.S.?

In recent years, there have been calls for the organization that runs Boston's Carnival to make room for new leadership.

With film production shut down by the strike, how long can Massachusetts film crew and vendors survive?

Apollinaire Theatre Company, Teatro Chelsea and the city present an immersive adaptation, catering to both English and Spanish speakers.

A music festival on City Hall Plaza celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Bruce Gertz is a world-renowned jazz bassist, composer, and educator. Gertz is known for his superb mastery of the upright bass and was named “Outstanding Bassist” by Boston Music Awards. Gertz has served as a Professor of Bass at Berklee College of Music since 1976, and his extraordinary contribution to music education has earned him multiple recognition awards from The International Association of Jazz Educators and the Jazz Education Network.

Come join us for an evening of jazz, wine, and food.

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.