Events
| Name |
Organization |
Dates |
Location |
A Conversati with Michael Vitez, Author of The Road Back
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 18, 2012 Matthew Miller had just pedaled up a mountain pass. He was 20, a member of the University of Virginia triathlon club. He was on top of the world: in love, with dreams of attending medical school. Then, cycling along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, tragedy struck. The real story is not what happened, but what happened after. Pulitzer Prize-winning Philadelphia Inquirer journalist Michael Vitez shares with you the incredible, humbling, miraculous story of Matt’s survival and... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/18/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversatin with Chris Cleave, Author of Gold
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 12, 2012 Chris Cleave’s debut novel, Incendiary—in which a grieving mother pens a raw, pleading letter to Osama bin Laden in the wake of a London terrorist attack—received a 2006 Somerset Maugham Award and was adapted into a film starring Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor. The book gained notoriety for the macabre coincidence of its publication in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2005—the day of the London terrorist bombings.
Cleave’s second novel,... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/12/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Amanda Bennett, Author of The Cost of Hope
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 14, 2012 Noted for her leadership in investigative journalism, former Philadelphia Inquirer editor Amanda Bennett received her first shared Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for coverage of the AIDS crisis, and in 2001 she led a team to a Pulitzer for Public Service, reporting on problems within the U.S. Immigration and Nationalization Service. Currently an executive editor at Bloomberg News directing special projects and investigations, Bennett was a Wall Street Journal reporter for more than 20... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/14/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Andrew Blum, Author of Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 7, 2012 Andrew Blum is a correspondent at Wired and a contributing editor at Metropolis, whose writing about architecture, design, technology, urbanism, art, and travel has appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, and Popular Science. Blum studied English and architecture history at Amherst College, and received his M.A. in human geography from the University of Toronto. From tiny fiber optic cables buried... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/07/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Carol Grant Gould and James L. Gould, Author of Nature's Compass
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 10, 2012 In Nature’s Compass, Carol Grant Gould and James L. Gould explore elegant navigation strategies used by familiar and rare species—from the fragile monarch butterfly to the honey bee to the homing pigeon—and demonstrate how an understanding of navigation is critical for conservation. James L. Gould is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University and a distinguished expert in animal behavior. Carol Grant Gould is a science writer and author of... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/10/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Chris Hedges, Author of Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 21, 2012 In Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges and American Book Award-winning cartoonist Joe Sacco show how impoverished places across America—including nearby Camden, New Jersey—stand as a warning of what happens when a permanent underclass is cemented in place. A foreign correspondent for nearly two decades, Hedges was a member of the New York Times team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for the... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/21/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Donald Bartlett and James Steele, Authors of The Betrayal of the American Dream
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library August 2, 2012 Celebrated investigative reporting team Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele have worked together for nearly 40 years, first at the Philadelphia Inquirer (1971-1997), then at Time magazine (1997–2006), and now at Vanity Fair since 2006. The authors of seven books, including the New York Times bestseller America: What Went Wrong, they are the only reporting team to have received two Pulitzer Prizes for newspaper reporting and two National Magazine... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
08/02/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with E.J. Dionne, Jr., Author of Our Divided Political Heart
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 26, 2012 E. J. Dionne, Jr. is a senior fellow in government studies at the Brookings Institution, a political correspondent for the Washington Post, and a professor at Georgetown University. He is the author of numerous books, including Why Americans Hate Politics, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics after the Religious Right. In Our Divided Political Heart, Dionne analyzes past and current U.S. politics in... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/26/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Edward Rendell, Author of A Nation of Wusses
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 4, 2012 Dubbed “America’s Mayor” by Al Gore, Ed Rendell served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1992 to 1999. He revived the city’s economy, expanded neighborhood services, and reformed the city’s approach to poverty. As the Governor of Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2011, he achieved similar progress, improving education and increasing access to healthcare. Rendell served as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and has worked as a lawyer and a Professor of Government... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/04/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Eva Gabrielsson, Author of There are Things I Want You to Know
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library May 31, 2012 For more than three decades, Eva Gabrielsson and Stieg Larsson—author of the internationally bestselling Millenium trilogy of Swedish crime thrillers that began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo—were inseparable. Famous only in death, Larsson was a fervent feminist, activist, and journalist who portrayed right-wing extremism and insidious neo-Nazi movement in Sweden.
In There Are Things I Want You to Know, Gabrielsson lays out the parallels and gaps... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
05/31/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Author of Life Upon These Shores
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 19, 2012 RESCHEDULED FROM FEBRUARY 28th, 2012.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous works of criticism, including The Signifying Monkey, winner of the American Book Award. As the writer and producer of the acclaimed PBS documentary African American Lives, Gates explored the histories of many prominent... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/19/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Jennifer Weiner, Author of The Next Best Thing
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 11, 2012 Crafted with humor and heart, Jennifer Weiner’s novels feature relatable characters that face real issues—from complex relationships and careers to complicated family dynamics. She is the author of eight no. 1 New York Times bestsellers, including Good in Bed, Certain Girls, and In Her Shoes, which was adapted into a critically acclaimed film starring Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine, and the city of Philadelphia. Weiner’s experience as the... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/11/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Jesmyn Ward and Joshua Henkin
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 28, 2012 Jesmyn Ward surprised the literary world when she won the 2011 National Book Award for her second novel, Salvage the Bones, a “strikingly beautiful, taut, relentless and, by its end, indelible” book (San Francisco Chronicle) that follows a pregnant teenage girl and her family in the Mississippi coastal backwoods in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina and the immediate aftermath of the storm. A Professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Alabama,... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/28/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Kurt Andersen and Don Lee
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 19, 2012 Acclaimed for his in-depth and engaging cultural studies, the novelist Kurt Andersen is the host of the Peabody Award-winning public radio program Studio 360 and a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, New York and Time whose journalism and essays also appear in the New York Times. Previously he was co-founder of the legendary Spy magazine, a staff writer for The New Yorker and editor-in-chief of New York. Andersen’s bestselling... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/19/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Mark Kram, Jr.
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 13, 2012 Like Any Normal Day centers on Buddy Miley, who in the fall of 1973 had been a star quarterback on his high school football team until he shattered his vertebrae in a game. In the 23 1/2 years that followed, his friends went off and had families of their own, but Buddy remained at home under the care of his mother, who saw to his every need until her own health broke down. When Buddy’s pain became unbearable, his brother Jimmy helped him take the last steps along his journey as... |
Free Library of Philadelphia |
06/13/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Michael Vitez
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 18, 2012 Matthew Miller had just pedaled up a mountain pass. He was 20, a member of the University of Virginia triathlon club. He was on top of the world: in love, with dreams of attending medical school. Then, cycling along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, tragedy struck. The real story is not what happened, but what happened after.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Philadelphia Inquirer journalist Michael Vitez shares with you the incredible, humbling, miraculous story of Matt’s... |
Free Library of Philadelphia |
07/18/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Author of Little America
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 24, 2012 A senior correspondent and former Baghdad bureau chief for the Washington Post, Rajiv Chandrasekaran is the author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City, “a devastating indictment of the post-invasion failures of the Bush administration” (Booklist). Describing the highly secure enclave of lush plants and posh villas at the headquarters of the United States occupation of Iraq, Chandrasekaran revealed an American leadership out of touch with life outside the... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/24/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Author of The Secret She Kept
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 26, 2012 Bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley has written more than 20 books, including the novels Can I Get a Witness and Let the Church Say Amen, as well as the young adult novels Drama Queens, Getting Even, and With Friends Like These. Proving that determination is a vital trait for a writer faced with rejection, Billingsley started her own publishing company to publish her first book, My Brother’s Keeper, for which she received the prestigious Gold... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/26/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Sandor Katz, Author of The Art of Fermentation
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 5, 2012 A self-avowed “fermentation fetishist,” author and activist Sandor Katz (aka Sandor Kraut) travels the world spreading the gospel of foods that are transformed and ennobled by bacteria, heralding the benefits of the ancient preservation technique that he says makes foods much more digestible and nutritious. “Eating bacteria is one of life’s great pleasures,” he says. “Beer, wine, cheese, bread, cured meats, coffee, chocolate: Our best-loved foods are... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/05/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot, Author of Exit: The Endings that Set Us Free
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 12, 2012 Renowned as an educator, researcher, author, and public intellectual, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot examines the culture of schools and socialization within families and communities. The Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education at Harvard University, she received the MacArthur Prize in 1984 and Harvard’s George Ledlie Prize in 1993. Lawrence-Lightfoot’s acclaimed books include The Good High School: Portraits of Character and Culture and The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk,... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/12/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Stephen L. Carter, Author of The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 17, 2012 In the alternate history presented in Stephen Carter's new novel, President Abraham Lincoln survives the assassination attempt at Ford’s Theatre. Capturing the dramatic emotional tenor of the post-Civil War United States, Carter explores the nature of presidential authority in a story steeped in conspiracy, intrigue, and suspense. The William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale, Carter is the author of the bestselling thrillers The Emperor of Ocean Park, New England... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/17/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
A Conversation with Tana French, Author of Broken Harbor
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 31, 2012 Irish novelist and actress Tana French won the 2007 Edgar Award for her New York Times bestselling debut novel In the Woods. “Drawn by the grim nature of her plot and the lyrical ferocity of her writing, even smart people who should know better will be able to lose themselves in these dark woods,” praised the New York Times Book Review. She followed In the Woods with The Likeness and Faithful Place, both bestselling installments in... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/31/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture: At the Intersect of Religion and Science
Presented by The Franklin Institute at The Franklin Institute - Franklin Theater July 12, 2012 Science and religion both grapple with mysteries of the universe and our place in it. How do we respond as science and religious studies unfold new understandings, which challenge conventional beliefs? Join The Franklin Institute as we attempt to see how these seemingly disparate fields might work together to deepen our understanding of the universe.
Speaker: Reverend Jay Gardner, youth Minister, white Rock Baptist Church and Microbiologist, University of Pennsylvania |
The Franklin Institute |
07/12/12 |
The Franklin Institute - Franklin Theater, Philadelphia |
Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture: Stars, Scrolls, and Angels - Astronomy in Ancient Times
Presented by The Franklin Institute at The Franklin Institute - Franklin Theater August 9, 2012 In an age before telescopes, what did ancients know and think about the stars? What did they imagine when they looked up into the starry night? New evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls has revealed lost traditions of Jewish observation and speculation about celestial cycles, exposing the forgotten place of ancient Jews between Babylonian and Greek scientists. This talk opens a window on ancient astronomy, as seen from the perspectives of ancient history and modern science alike.
|
The Franklin Institute |
08/09/12 |
The Franklin Institute - Franklin Theater, Philadelphia |
Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture: The Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Presented by The Franklin Institute at The Franklin Institute - Franklin Theater June 14, 2012 An illustrated account of the discovery of an ancient library of almost 900 manuscripts recovered between 1947 and 1956 from eleven caves near Khirbet Qumran in the Judean Desert. On the basis of a survey the various types of documents found in the Qumran library, the lecture will offer an introduction to the unique importance of the scrolls for our understanding of ancient Judaism and the origins of Christianity.
Speaker: P. Kyle McCarter, William Foxwell Albright Professor... |
The Franklin Institute |
06/14/12 |
The Franklin Institute - Franklin Theater, Philadelphia |
Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia with Curator Joseph Rishel
Presented by Philadelphia Museum of Art at Philadelphia Museum of Art June 22, 2012 Joseph Rishel takes us behind the scenes of Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia and discusses important works and themes in the exhibition as well as the popularity of the idea of an earthly paradise, or Arcadia. Rishel is the Gisela and Dennis Alter Senior Curator of European Painting before 1900, and Senior Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection and the Rodin Museum. |
Philadelphia Museum of Art |
06/22/12 |
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia |
Living Library
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 20, 2012 Everyone has a story worth sharing and hearing. Discover more about the lives of those around you at the Free Library's first "Living Library" event, which will take place at the Parkway Central branch on Wednesday, June 20th from 7-8:30 pm. During this special evening, human "books" will be available for two thirty-minute "reading" periods wherein they can be claimed by patrons interested in learning more about their particular stories. Attendees can ask the... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/20/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
Matthew Smith - The Spaces Between Your Fingers Project
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library July 28, 2012 Do you know the secret of the spaces between your fingers? The Spaces Between Your Fingers is one of the most exciting new art projects in the country. Conceived by Philadelphian Matthew Ross Smith, participants inscribe a memory or short message onto an old-fashioned postcard. Instead of signing your name, you trace your handprint onto the card. The postcards are being archived into a cutting-edge digital “wisdom library” that can be searched by age, location, subject... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
07/28/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
Paul Ehrlich: Can We Get Needed Population Shrinkage in Time?
Presented by Academy of Natural Sciences at Academy of Natural Sciences June 14, 2012 Noted Stanford University ecologist Professor Paul Ehrlich will discuss the environmental and social impacts related to the current strain on Earth's carrying capacity. He will suggest how issues ranging from climate disruption and toxification of the planet to increasing odds of vast epidemics and nuclear resource wars can impact this strain. Ehrlich will present potential solutions, such as controlling population growth through women’s empowerment, rethinking economic ideals, and... |
Academy of Natural Sciences |
06/14/12 |
Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia |
Philly Brewing: A Conversation with George Hummel and Rich Wagner
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library at Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library June 6, 2012 The craft brewing revolution started at home. In Philadelphia, it started at Home Sweet Homebrew, a small homebrew shop that has been fostering Philadelphia’s beer renaissance since 1986. Co-owner George Hummel has seen many homebrewers become pro brewers in the ensuing years. Before they were creating some of the highest quality beer you can buy off the shelf, people like Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewing; Tom Kehoe of Yards Brewing; and Chris LaPierre of Iron Hill could be... |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library |
06/06/12 |
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library, Philadelphia |
