October author talks at the Central Library and neighborhood branches feature acclaimed writers in conversation about diverse topics including the Constitution and the presidency; the legacy of Lorraine Hansberry; Alexander Hamilton; and the hidden history of Boston.
All programs and events can be viewed via www.bpl.org/events.
Monday, October 1
- Mark Warren and David Goodman, editors of Lift Us Up, Don’t Push Us Out: Voices From the Front Lines of the Educational Justice Movement, join in conversation with contributors and community activists Carlos Rojas and Glorya Wornum at 6:30 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
Thursday, October 4
- Tim Mohr, author of Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, tells the little-known story of a group of East German kids who rebelled and helped set the world on fire at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
- The Readable Feast’s culinary author talks this month feature Adam Federman, Barbara Haber, and Jay Hajj, who will be speaking at 6 p.m. in the Newsfeed Café at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
- Local historian Anthony Sammarco presents a slide lecture “The Great Boston Fire of 1872” at 6:30 p.m. at the Brighton Branch at 40 Academy Hill Road.
Wednesday, October 10
- As part of the Local & Family History Series, author and historian Dina Vargo shines light into the cobwebbed corners of Boston's lesser-known history in her talk “The Hidden History of Boston” at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
- Dave Strickler, an avid local beekeeper, gives a talk on cultivating honeybees in an urban environment at 4 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Centre Street.
Thursday, October 11
- Imani Perry, author of Looking for Lorraine: the Radical and Radiant Life of Lorraine Hansberry, joins in conversation with documentary filmmaker Tracey Heather Strain at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
Wednesday, October 17
- Historian Margaret Newell explores the life of Alexander Hamilton as portrayed in the hit musical and in the historical record at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
Thursday, October 18
- Paranormal researcher and Ghosts of Salem author Sam Baltrusis leaves no gravestone unturned in his search for the Bay State's most haunted cemeteries. Part of the Never Too Late Series, Baltrusis speaks at 2 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
- Constitutional law scholar and political science professor Corey Brettschneider guides attendees through the Constitution and explains the powers—and limits—that it places on the presidency at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
- Local authors Phyllis Karas and Anna Weeks share excerpts from their book Women of Southie: Finding Resilience During Whitey Bulger's Infamous Reign at 6 p.m. at the South Boston Branch, located at 646 East Broadway.
Monday, October 22
- Jack Kelly, author of Sharp Needle: A Memoir, recounts his spiral into heroin addiction, recovery, and the 2013 Boston political campaign at 6:30 p.m. at the Charlestown Branch, located at 179 Main Street.
Wednesday, October 24
- Dee Morris presents “Boston in the Golden Age of Spiritualism: Seances, Mediums, and Immortality” at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
Monday, October 29
- Crystal Fleming, author of How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide discusses her book at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
Tuesday, October 30
- Critically acclaimed author and BPL Trustee Ben Bradlee Jr. takes a close look at Luzerne, a county in northeast Pennsylvania that had not voted for a Republican president since 1988. It was these citizens, Bradlee argues in The Forgotten, who changed the face of American politics and brought Donald Trump to D.C. The talk takes place at 6 p.m. in Rabb Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, located at 700 Boylston Street.
- Acclaimed playwright Melinda Lopez shares her latest work, including the 2019 adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca's Yerma, at 6:30 p.m. at the South End Branch, located at 685 Tremont Street.
About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Boston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library system for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and provides free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
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