Boston Public Library's November Author Talks and Shakespeare Programs

Boston Public Library’s November author talks and literary events feature a variety of topics, including the history of dining in Boston, Shakespeare & cocktails, and improving reading in children. The Shakespeare initiative “All the City’s A Stage: A Season of Shakespeare at the Boston Public Library” continues this month with programs available across the system.

Justin Goodstein explores the history of Haymarket, from its beginnings as an expansion of Quincy Market in the first half of the nineteenth century to its current incarnation as a host of an ever-changing and diverse population on Wednesday, November 2, at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square.
Hundred Year Retroactive Book Award of 1916: Three bestselling books of 1916; Robert Frost’s Mountain Interval, Albert Einstein’s Relativity, and Margaret Sanger’s What Every Girl Should Know, will be defended by Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, MIT professor Alan Lightman, and WGBH’s Margery Eagan. Author Stona Fitch will moderate the debate on Thursday, November 3, at 6:30 p.m. in the Abbey Room at the Central Library in Copley Square. Presented by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.
City of Boston Poet Laureate Danielle Legros Georges visits the South Boston Branch at 646 East Broadway on Saturday, November 5, from 2-4 p.m. to meet with aspiring poets and provide feedback on their works.
Reading Specialist Lorna Kaufman, Ph.D. will discuss her book Smart Kid, Can’t Read, which reveals the five steps to help improve children’s reading ability on Tuesday, November 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the South End Branch, located at 685 Tremont Street.
Jenna Russell, coauthor of Long Mile Home, an account of the Boston Marathon bombing, talks about her book and her work as a Spotlight investigative reporter for The Boston Globe on Saturday, November 12, at 2 p.m. at the Brighton Branch, located at 40 Academy Hill Road in Brighton.
James C. O’Connell reveals a unique history of dining in Boston, sharing stories of the most-beloved Boston restaurants of yesterday and today as he discusses Dining out in Boston: A Culinary History on Wednesday, November 16, at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square.
Caroline Bicks and Michelle Ephraim, established Shakespeare professors and humor writers, discuss their irreverent cocktail book Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas that adds a Shakespearean twist to life’s everyday highs and lows on Thursday, November 17, at 6 p.m. in the Commonwealth Salon at the Central Library in Copley Square.
The Friends of the South Boston Branch hold their final book sale of the fall season on Saturday, November 19, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the South Boston Branch, located at 646 East Broadway.

All the City’s A Stage: A Season of Shakespeare at the Boston Public Library programming:

Shakespeare Unauthorized exhibition tours are given by Curator of Rare Books Jay Moschella on November 10 and 24 at 2 p.m., and by volunteer tour guides on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. in the McKim Exhibition Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square.
Stephen Collins brings the Bard’s words to life through dramatic Shakespeare character interpretations at the Central Library and Brighton, Faneuil, Uphams Corner, and West End branches during November.
Hip-hop poet and actor Marlon Carey and slam poetry champion and educator Regie Gibson team up with musicians to create an energetic literary performance combining poetry, spoken word, story, song, rap, and Shakespeare at the Central Library and Dudley and Fields Corner branches in November.
Children ages 3-8 make Shakespeare-themed crafts on Thursday, November 3, at 3:30 p.m. in the Children’s Library at the Central Library in Copley Square.
Boston Lyric Opera celebrates the exhibition Shakespeare Unauthorized with a collection of songs, arias, and duets by operatic composers based on the works and words of the Bard on Thursday, November 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Dudley Branch, located at 65 Warren Street.
Actors’ Shakespeare Project: The Play’s the Thing!: Travel with the Actors’ Shakespeare Project through various spaces in the library as the actors perform scenes from Hamlet, and stay for an interactive workshop on Saturday, November 5, at 11:45 a.m. in the McKim Exhibition Hall, located at the Central Library in Copley Square.
Audiences enjoy performances by Seven Times Salt, including some of the songs the Bard mentions by name, excerpts from the plays read aloud, and musical works by his talented contemporaries including Thomas Morley, John Dowland, Robert Johnson, and others, performed with period instruments and historical pronunciation. Wednesday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the North End Branch, located at 25 Parmenter Street, and on Monday, November 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Roxbury Branch, located at 1961 Centre Street.
Cry Against Players: Pilgrims, Puritans, and Shakespeare’s Wicked Stage: Plimoth Plantation’s Richard Pickering discusses the connections between Shakespeare and the Plymouth colonists and explores the colonists’ impassioned feelings regarding London play-going by transforming himself into the adventurous Stephen Hopkins and the virtuous Elder William Brewster. Tuesday, November 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the Abbey Room, located at the Central Library in Copley Square. Presented by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.

Visit www.bpl.org/shakespeare for a complete listing of programs and events.

About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-four branches, map center, business library, and a website filled with digital content and services. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered 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. Each year, the Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning. To learn more, visit bpl.org.