Listen Now

  Philip Alpers, founding director of GunPolicy.org at the University of Sydney School of Public Health; Jennifer Carlson, professor of sociology and government and public policy at the University of Arizona; Mugambi Jouet, professor of law at the University of Southern California; and Diego Sanjurjo, political scientist and coordinator of focused police crime prevention strategies at Uruguay’s Ministry of the Interior, explore comparative and international perspectives on firearms policy and gun control with Kristin Goss, professor of political science at Duke University. This was a virtual Kennedy Library Forum.

Timothy Christian, professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, discusses his new book "Hemingway’s Widow: The Life and Legacy of Mary Welsh Hemingway" with Jenny Emery Davidson, executive director of The Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho. This was a virtual Kennedy Library Forum.

Douglas Brinkley discusses his forthcoming book "Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, and the Great Environmental Awakening," which explores the rise of environmental activism, with Michael Eric Dyson, award-winning author and professor of African American and diaspora studies and of ethics and society at Vanderbilt University.   The program is made possible in part through the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The Kennedy Library and GBH partnered for an exclusive preview* and discussion of the new PBS American Experience documentary "Taken Hostage," which tells the story of the Iran hostage crisis, when more than 52 American diplomats, Marines and civilians were held hostage at the American Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. Former hostage and press attaché to the U.S. Embassy Barry Rosen, his wife Barbara, and director Robert Stone discussed the film and explored this history with American Experience executive producer Cameo George. *Note: This JFK Library Forum podcast episode includes only the discussion portion of the event. To watch the documentary, visit https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/taken-hostage/.

John A. Farrell, award-winning author and former Boston Globe correspondent, discusses his forthcoming book Ted Kennedy: A Life with David Nasaw, professor of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

This special conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis will explore the Crisis and the lessons it still holds for us. Sessions will examine the historical context of the Crisis, as well as how lessons from the Crisis resonate with contemporary challenges.  Curator for special projects at the International Spy Museum Alexis Albion, intelligence and national security reporter at The Washington Post Shane Harris, New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, and staff writer at The Atlantic Tom Nichols analyze the role of intelligence in the Crisis and in the present day in the conference’s second session.  

This special conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis will explore the crisis and the lessons it still holds for us. Sessions will examine the historical context of the crisis, as well as how lessons from the crisis resonate with contemporary challenges.  Activist and author Daniel Ellsberg (virtual), Harvard professor of business administration Nancy Koehn (virtual), New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, Johns Hopkins professor of historical studies Mary Sarotte (virtual), and University of Virginia professor of history Philip Zelikow (virtual) discuss the history of the crisis and crisis leadership in the conference’s first session.  

Senator Patrick Leahy, president pro tempore of the Senate and the chamber’s current longest-serving member, discusses his new book "The Road Taken: A Memoir," which explores more than four decades of service spanning nine presidential administrations, with former Senator Christopher J. Dodd.  

Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for The Washington Post and anchor of MSNBC’s The Sunday Show, and Ali Vitali, Capitol Hill correspondent for NBC News and author of Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put A Woman in the White House…Yet, explore key issues in advance of the midterm elections with Lisa Desjardins, correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation and presidential historian for ABC News, discusses his new book "Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency" with Martin Dobrow, professor of communications at Springfield College.

Jeff Nussbaum, political speechwriter, discusses his new book "Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History," kennedy, library, history, politics, government, jfk, forum which explores the context of undelivered speeches by notable figures including Presidents Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Nixon; John Lewis, Hillary Clinton, and Condoleeza Rice. Mark Arsenault, reporter at The Boston Globe, moderates. 

Simon Coveney TD, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense, discusses Ireland’s foreign policy, the Irish-US relationship and key global issues with Dr. Robert Mauro, director of the Irish Institute and founding director of the Global Leadership Institute at Boston College. This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.

Seán Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson, honors 2022 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel finalists and winner Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, Baby, at this celebration. Award-winning author and environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams delivers the keynote address.  The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway’s personal papers. This program is co-presented with The International Hemingway Foundation and Society.   

Will Hurd, former Congressman, cybersecurity executive, and CIA officer, discusses his forthcoming book “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done” with Archon Fung, professor of citizenship and self-government at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University professor of history and international relations and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and Tom Nichols, US Naval War College professor of National Security Affairs and contributing writer at The Atlantic, explore latest developments in the crisis in Ukraine with Alexandra Vacroux, executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.

Kate Clifford Larson, visiting scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center, discusses her new book "Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer" which draws on new interviews and fresh archival material to explore Hamer’s life and impact on the civil rights movement. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead, professor of communication and African and African American studies at Loyola University Maryland, moderates. Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.

  Baylor Fox-Kemper, professor of earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown University; Courtney Humphries, journalist and author; Paul Kirshen, professor of climate adaptation at the University of Massachusetts Boston; Sanjay Seth, climate resilience program manager for the City of Boston; and the Rev. Vernon K. Walker, senior program manager at Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), explore sea level rise and its implications for coastal areas, including cities like Boston, with Barbara Moran, correspondent on WBUR’s environmental team.

Neal Thompson, journalist and author, discusses his forthcoming book "The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty," which draws on previously unreleased records to explore the lives of Bridget and Patrick Kennedy, with Christine Kinealy, professor of history and director of Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University. This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.

The Kennedy Library and GBH partner for an exclusive preview and discussion of the new PBS American Experience documentary The American Diplomat. Ambassador (Ret.) Aurelia Brazeal, Director Leola Calzolai-Stewart and Duke professor of history Adriane Lentz-Smith discuss the film and explore the experience of African American diplomats serving during the Cold War with American Experience executive producer Cameo George. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the United Nations, and Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, introduce the program.

Congressman Ro Khanna discusses his forthcoming book "Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us," which explores how the digital economy can create opportunities for people across the country, with Arlie Russell Hochschild, professor emerita of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.