Past Concord Museum Forums

The Matriarchs’ MobiliaMay 2, 2023
Alyce Perry Englund of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art explores the influential role women played in furniture workshops and domestic life in the 1700s and 1800s.
Annual Earth Day ForumApril 25, 2023
Lauret Savoy joins us for a conversation on her award-winning book Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape.
Global Objects: A Conversation with Edward CookeApril 6, 2023
Edward S. Cooke, Jr., of Yale University, joins us for a conversation on Global Objects: Towards a Connected Art History.
Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book PrizeApril 1, 2023
Robert A. Gross receives Massachusetts Historical Society’s 2022 Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize.
No Right to an Honest LivingMarch 6, 2023
Jacqueline Jones joins us for a conversation on her newest book No Right to an Honest Living with historian Kellie Carter Jackson.
Revolution in Women’s AthleticsFebruary 7, 2023
Olympians AJ Mleczko Griswold and Angela Ruggiero on the odds-defying leadership and perseverance that led to outstanding careers on the ice and beyond.
Saving YellowstoneJanuary 24, 2023
Pulitzer Prize finalist and Civil War historian Megan Kate Nelson tells the vivid story of how Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.
Reckoning with Monuments in the NorthJanuary 18, 2023
Award-winning author W. Ralph Eubanks discusses the historic memorials that obscure the achievements of Black Americans in Boston and Cambridge.
Kerri Greenidge on the Grimke SistersNovember 9, 2022
Historian Kerri Greenidge reexamines the legendary abolitionists and the Black members of the Grimke family.
10th Annual Sally Lanagan LectureNovember 2, 2022
Historian Jane Nylander explores the cultural history of New England parades.
A Conversation with Gregory MaguireOctober 13, 2022
Author of Wicked, Gregory Maguire, joins GBH Executive Arts Editor, Jared Bowen in conversation.
The Living Memorial: Daniel Chester French’s Lincoln at 100 with Harold HolzerSeptember 28, 2022
Historian Harold Holzer explores the career of the great American sculptor Daniel Chester French.
Women in the Civil War: A Conversation with Thavolia GlymphSeptember 7, 2022
Historian Thavolia Glymph discusses her book, The Women’s Fight: The Civil War’s Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation.
A Conversation with Bill McKibbenJuly 7, 2022
Award-winning author, Bill McKibben on his new book The Flag, The Cross, and The Station Wagon.
The Future of Our DemocracyJune 23, 2022
E.J. Dionne, Randall Kennedy, Renee Loth (shown), and John Shattuck in a spirited discussion.
On Emerson and ParkerMay 25, 2022
A conversation with author Dean Grodzins on American Heretic: Theodore Parker and Transcendentalism.
Conversation with Charlie GibsonMay 12, 2022
A conversation with legendary television journalists Charlie Gibson and Dr. Timothy Johnson.
Founding Women and the Dawn of the Conservation MovementMay 10, 2022
Joan Walsh, Chair of Field Ornithology & Natural History at Mass Audubon and Reed Gochberg (pictured here), Harvard Lecturer and Curator.
In The Footsteps of ThoreauMay 4, 2022
Ben Shattuck talks about Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau.
The Global Odyssey of Migratory BirdsMay 3, 2022
Scott Weidensaul on his newest book A World on a Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds.
Annual Mary Lesneski Memorial LectureApril 26, 2022
Author Gordon Wood on his book Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution.
History 1776April 12, 2022
A conversation with Harvard Professor Jane Kamensky.
Ornithologist Scott EdwardsMarch 29, 2022
Harvard professor and Curator of Ornithology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Scott Edwards discusses his research.
Vesper Flights: A Conversation with Helen MacdonaldMarch 22, 2022
H is for Hawk memoirist, Helen Macdonald, discusses her newest collection of essays Vesper Flights.
A Conversation with Ann PatchettMarch 16, 2022
Novelist Ann Patchett, discusses her newest collection of essays These Precious Days.
Say it Loud! On Race, Law, History, and CultureFebruary 8, 2022
Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy discusses his newest collection of essays exploring key social justice issues.
On Phillis WheatleyFebruary 1, 2022
A conversation with historians Cornelia Dayton and Kerri Greenidge about famed poet Phillis Wheatley Peters (1753-1784).
Antisemitism: Then and NowJanuary 26, 2022
Charles Gallagher, S. J. discusses his new book, Nazis of Copley Square along with David Shribman, former editor of the Pittsburgh Gazette.
Frozen OverJanuary 25, 2022
A conversation with historian Andrew Robichaud about Frozen Over: Boston's Nineteenth Century Ice Age.  
A Tribute to E. O. WilsonJanuary 18, 2022
Pulitzer-Prize winning historian Richard Rhodes discusses his biography E.O. Wilson: A Life in Nature.
Loring Coleman: Artist, Teacher, FriendJanuary 11, 2022
Henry Adams, Professor of American Art at Case Western Reserve University, joins us for a conversation on teacher and artist Loring Coleman.
Patriots v. Loyalists: Our First Civil WarJanuary 5, 2022
A conversation with best selling author H. W. Brands in his powerful new history, Patriots v. Loyalists: Our First Civil War.
The Supreme Court and the Peril of PoliticsDecember 9, 2021
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer discusses his book, The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics.
Cokie: A Life Well LivedDecember 6, 2021
Author Steve Roberts talks about his new book and loving tribute to his late wife Cokie: A Life Well Lived.
Travels with GeorgeNovember 18, 2021
Best selling author Nathaniel Philbrick discusses his new book Travels with George.
The Transcendentalists and Their WorldNovember 10, 2021
Bancroft Prize-winning historian, Robert Gross discusses his newest book, The Transcendentalists and Their World.
On Eleanor RooseveltNovember 4, 2021
Historian Allida Black and biographer David Michaelis (shown here) discuss the life of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt StoriesNovember 2, 2021
Textile Curator Jennifer Swope, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Now Comes Good Sailing: Part 2October 24, 2021
Featuring: George Howe Colt, Kristen Case, Megan Marshall, Wen Stephenson, Will Eno, and Tatiana Schlossberg.
Memoir WritingOctober 19, 2021
Novelists Sue Miller (shown) and Doug Bauer read from their respective family memoirs.
Now Comes Good Sailing: Part 1October 12, 2021
Leading writer's Jennifer Finney Boylan, Gerald Early, Jordan Salama, and Andrew Blauner.
Annette Gordon-ReedSeptember 30, 2021
Harvard Law School Professor Annette Gordon-Reed discusses her book, On Juneteenth.
Jill LeporeSeptember 20, 2021
Harvard Professor Jill Lepore discusses These Truths: A History of the United States.
Louis MenandSeptember 14, 2021
Louis Menand, Harvard Professor, discusses his book, The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War.
A Conversation with Jaqueline JonesSeptember 8, 2021
Join the president of the American Historical Society about her prize-winning books including: Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women.
Battle Green VietnamAugust 23, 2021
Dr. Elise Lemire discusses her new book Battle Green Vietnam: The 1971 March on Concord, Lexington, and Boston.
Sheltering with ThoreauAugust 10, 2021
Nature writer David Gessner talks about his new book Savage Delight: Sheltering with Thoreau in the Age of Crisis.
A 57-Year Ride: Cyrus Dallin’s Quest to Raise the Iconic Paul Revere StatueJune 30, 2021
Nancy Blanton, Director of Outreach and Engagement, Cyrus Dallin Art Museum
All That She CarriedJune 22, 2021
Harvard University Professor Tiya Miles discusses her new book  All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family's Keepsake.
The Letters of Ellen GarrisonJune 1, 2021
Scholars Maria Madison (shown) and Sandy Petrulionis in a conversation about Ellen Garrison, whose father had been enslaved, and spent her life educating newly freed people.
Concord and EmersonMay 25, 2021
Inaugural Robert D. Richardson III Lecture with historian Richard Geldard.
The Quest for Equality: Progress or Retreat?May 20, 2021
Margaret Marshall, former Chief Justice of MA. Supreme Judicial Court is joined by Jane Mendillo and Danielle Allen.
Town Hall Meeting with Congresswoman TrahanMay 18, 2021
Students from regional high schools ask questions of Congresswoman Lori Trahan.
Courageous Women Leaders in Turbulent TimesMay 13, 2021
Nancy Koehn, historian at Harvard Business School, discusses her book Forged in Crisis.
The Smallest Lights in the UniverseMay 11, 2021
Sara Seager, astrophysicist and professor of planetary science at MIT, talks about her memoir The Smallest Lights in the Universe.
A Bridge to the Future: Thriving at Work and Beyond COVID-19May 11, 2021
A great discussion with Addie Swartz, reacHIRE Founder and CEO.
Breaking the Political Glass CeilingMay 6, 2021
Former Governor Jane Swift (shown), Pulitzer-Prize winning Boston Globe columnist, Eileen McNamara and former Fitchburg Mayor, Lisa Wong.
Anna Malaika Tubbs on Three MothersMay 2, 2021
The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation.
Emerson, Thoreau, and FrostApril 27, 2021
Poet, novelist, biographer, and critic Jay Parini discusses three granite figures of New England.
Annual Earth Day ForumApril 21, 2021
Tatiana Schlossberg discusses her book Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have
April 19, 1775 Virtual Community NightApril 6, 2021
The Minutemen and Their World with author Robert Gross, Curator David Wood, and Peggy N. Curatorial Associate Erica Lome.
Award-winning poet Gail MazurApril 5, 2021
Poetry reading and conversation with author Megan Marshall.
Craft: An American HistoryMarch 9, 2021
Glenn Adamson, Senior Scholar, Yale Center for British Art
The Boston Massacre: A Family HistoryMarch 2, 2021
On the anniversary of the Boston Massacre 251 years ago this March, Professor Zabin talks about her new book Boston Massacre: A Family Affair.
Recounting Slavery in Historic Homes and MuseumsFebruary 24, 2021
Kyera Singleton, The Royall House and Slave Quarters (shown here) and Niya Bates, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
President of the American Antiquarian Society Scott CasperFebruary 15, 2021
Dr. Casper discusses his book Sarah Johnson's Mount Vernon
The Zealot and the EmancipatorFebruary 10, 2021
8th Annual Sally Lanagan lecture with historian H.W. Brands
The Education of an IdealistFebruary 2, 2021
A conversation with Ambassador Samantha Power with Q & A from four Concord students.
JFK: The Last SpeechJanuary 19, 2021
Film screening and a conversation exploring the dramatic relationship between John F. Kennedy and Robert Frost.
Congressman Ro KhannaJanuary 18, 2021
A conversation on Thoreau, Gandhi, and King with Congressman Ro Khanna.
Conversation on Loring ColemanNovember 18, 2020
Henry Adams, Professor of American Art at Case Western Reserve University on Loring Coleman and the New England Landscape.
1774: The Long Year of RevolutionNovember 17, 2020
Cornell historian Mary Beth Norton chronicles the revolutionary change from 1773 to April 1775.
The Making of Joe Wheeler : A Concord StoryNovember 12, 2020
Film screening and conversation with filmmaker, Susan Orleans Reider
Concord: Laid in StoneNovember 4, 2020
Geologist Robert Thorson discusses the fascinating history of Concord's signature landform.
JFK : Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956October 27, 2020
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Fred Logevall  discusses his biography, JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956.
Applying History to Present Day ChallengesOctober 19, 2020
A conversation with Harvard Professor Lizabeth Cohen and her 2020 Bancroft prize winning book Saving America's Cities.
Memory LandsOctober 8, 2020
Professor Christine DeLucia discusses King Philip's War and Indigenous histories of survival in her book Memory Lands.
Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to WashingtonSeptember 30, 2020
Prompted by Ted Widmer's new book, historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Harold Holzer join in discussion about Lincoln.
Kerri Greenidge on Black Radical: William Monroe TrotterSeptember 22, 2020
Professor Greenidge reestablishes Trotter's place in the pantheon of Civil Rights heroes.
Nicholas Basbanes on Cross of SnowAugust 25, 2020
Nicholas Basbanes discusses his new biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Laura Walls on the Women of the Thoreau FamilyAugust 20, 2020
A conversation with Professor Walls drawn from her book Thoreau: A Life
Crusading Daughters of Concord and BostonAugust 11, 2020
 Sandra Petrulionis and Helen Desee discuss activist reformers of the Transcendentalist movement who promoted women’s rights and the abolition of slavery.
The Center of Transcendentalism: Concord or Boston?July 28, 2020
John Buehrens and Phyllis Cole discuss the radical social activism of Boston-based Transcendentalists who fought to lay the groundwork for democratic and progressive religion in America.
E. Dolores JohnsonJuly 21, 2020
A conversation with E. Dolores Johnson about her book, Say I'm Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets, and Love.
Paul Revere: Man and MythJuly 1, 2020
Experts shed light on the legendary ride and the man behind it, revealing the fascinating life of Paul Revere - a fabled national hero who witnessed the birth of a nation.
Dr. Richard BellFebruary 6, 2020
Dr. Bell, Associate Professor of History, Maryland University recounts the lives of boys fallen victim to the "Revere Underground Railroad".
T. H. BreenOctober 30, 2019
7th Annual Sally Lanagan Lecture: T. H. Breen talks about his book The Will of the People.
Karina H. CorriganOctober 19, 2019
Karina H. Corrigan, H.A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art, Peabody Essex Museum, speaks about the Chinese Port of Guangzhou.
Dr. John F. BellOctober 3, 2019
Dr. John F. Bell, Assistant Professor at Assumption College, reveals how Hawthorne found happiness in his adopted home of Concord.
I Want to Go to JailAugust 22, 2019
A staged reading of an original play by Pamela Swing, Ph.D.  and Elizabeth Dabanka about the quest to pass the women's suffrage amendment.
Susan WareAugust 7, 2019
Susan Ware, Honorary Women's Suffrage Historian at Radcliffe's Schlesinger Library, talks about her book Why They Marched.
An Evening with Robert RichardsonJuly 31, 2019
Renowned scholar Robert Richardson shares his recent reflections on Emerson, Thoreau, and Transcendentalism.
Frederick DouglassMay 15, 2019
2019 Pulitzer prize winning author David Blight speaks about Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom with Harvard historian John Stauffer.