Wednesday, January 10th 7:00—8:00 PM

You know them as the Two Nerdy History Girls – authors Loretta Chase and Susan Holloway Scott were the originators of the infamous blog  https://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/ . Loretta and Susan are here to answer all of our burning questions. How do they find interesting tidbits of historical lore, which libraries of the world have they visited, and how do they avoid the inescapable “rabbit hole”? We can’t wait for what we know is going to be a fascinating conversation between these two friends and researchers.

Please join with this Zoom Link

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8716980843001/WN_QBdPKjhgSqe1zXshVF5k-w

Program is made possible in partnership with Ashland Public Library and a multitude of MA Libraries.  Thanks to the Friends of the Bedford Free Public Library for sponsoring this program.

Free and open to the public.

Thursday, January 11th 7:00—8:00 PM on Zoom.

Journalism professor Dan Kennedy and co-author Ellen Clegg will discuss their new book, What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate, which serves as a groundbreaking study of the journalism startups that are solving the local news crisis one community at a time. Local news is essential to democracy. Meaningful participation in civic life is impossible without it. However, local news is in crisis. According to one widely cited study, some 2,500 newspapers have closed over the last generation. And it is often marginalized communities of color who have been left without the day-to-day journalism they need to govern themselves in a democracy. Kennedy, and his co-author Ellen Clegg, cut through the pessimism surrounding this issue, showing readers that new, innovative journalism models are popping up across the country to fill news deserts and empower communities. Dan Kennedy is a professor in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University and a nationally known media commentator. He was a panelist on the GBH News television program Beat the Press (1998–2021) and also served as a weekly columnist for the network. Dan is a recipient of the Yankee Quill Award from the New England Academy of Journalists and the James W. Carey Journalism Award from the Media Ecology Association. Learn more and Dan and Ellen’s book and podcast HERE.

Please register via this link.

Program is made possible in partnership with Tewksbury Public Library and a multitude of MA Libraries.  Thanks to the Friends of the Bedford Free Public Library for sponsoring this program.

Free and open to the public.

Saturday, January 13th at 2 pm on Zoom.

From the 1910s onwards, women took on an extraordinary range of roles in intelligence, defying the conventions of their time. Across both world wars, far from being a small part of covert operations, women were running escape lines, managing networks and interrogating prisoners. And, back in Bletchley and Whitehall, women’s vital administrative work in MI offices kept the British war engine running. In this major, panoramic history, Helen Fry looks at the rich and varied work women undertook as civilians and in uniform. From those who worked for Belgian network ‘La Dame Blanche’, knitting coded messages into jumpers, to those who interpreted aerial images and even ran entire sections, Fry shows just how crucial women were in the intelligence mission. Filled with hitherto unknown stories, Women in Intelligence places new research on record for the first time and showcases the inspirational contributions of these remarkable women.

Please join at this Zoom link:

 https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6816989440884/WN_85dxJcHeSaSxAhfwtw825w

Program is made possible in partnership with Ashland Public Library and a multitude of MA Libraries.  Thanks to the Friends of the Bedford Free Public Library for sponsoring this program.

Free and open to the public.

Tuesday, January 16th 7pm on Zoom.

It’s cold out there! Grab your hot beverage of choice and join us for a Q&A about cozy mysteries with Agatha Award nominee, Marilyn Levinson, who writes as Allison Brook; and award winning writer and book coach, Mia P. Manansala. Marilyn Levinson is the author of the Haunted Libraries series and Mia P. Manansala is the author of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series. Bring your questions and cuddle up for a fun evening.

This program is made possible by the generous donors to the Cary Library Foundation.

Registration link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2117011166514/WN_wfRxZpG2TBO9BXW5SgBbqg

Program is made possible in partnership with Cary Memorial Library in Lexington.  Thanks to the Friends of the Bedford Free Public Library for sponsoring this program. Free and open to the public.

Wednesday, January 17th at 7 pm on Zoom. 

Women have long been the subject of art, often depicted as nothing more than objects of desire. How do images of women change when women become the creators? This program examines the history of women in art in brief and then explores the lives, careers and works of several major women artists from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, including Artemisia Gentileschi and Mary Cassatt.

Registration link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2116929741428/WN_IzCDv2y6R52b37vBk4MCXA

Program is made possible in partnership with Boxborough Public Library and a multitude of MA Libraries.  Thanks to the Friends of the Bedford Free Public Library for sponsoring this program. Free and open to the public.