Enoch Pratt Free Library Podcast

In a love letter to a vanished way of life, Robert Kanigel tells the story of the Great Blasket Island off the west coast of Ireland, notable during the early 20th century for the vivid communal life of its residents and the unadulterated Irish they spoke. With the Irish language rapidly vanishing throughout the rest of Ireland, the Great Blasket became a magnet for scholars and writers, linguists and playwrights, drawn there during the Gaelic renaissance to study and to learn. As we follow these visitors, we become immersed both in the fascinating culture of the 150 or so islanders who, tucked away from the rest of civilization, kept alive an entire country's past, and in the newcomers and island dwellers alike who would bring the island's remarkable story to the larger world.Robert Kanigel is an award-winning writer and teacher. He is the author of six previous books, including The Man Who Knew Infinity, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Most recentl

Ron and his girlfriend Jill bought an old condemned fraternity house in Baltimore and gave it new life, despite the fact that neither of them knew anything about home renovation. Their realtor, friends and parents told them they were mad as March hares to attempt it. Ron and Jill's story of anguish, love, and the ultimate "American Dream" of home ownership offers inspiration, insight, and hilarity. In 2008, This Old House magazine published a feature story about their work, and it drew more than 40,000 readers to the magazine's website.Ron Tanner teaches writing at Loyola University in Baltimore and directs the Marshall Islands Story Project (mistories.org). He is the author of two books: Kiss Me, Stranger and Bed of Nails, which won both the G.S. Sharat Chandra Award and the Towson Prize for Literature. He has won many other literary prizes as well, including a Faulkner Society gold medal, a Jack Dyer Fiction Prize, and a Pushcart Prize.  Recorded On: Saturday, February 11, 2012

Clarinda Harriss is a professor emerita of English at Towson University whose poems and short fiction are widely anthologized. Her most recent books are Air Travel, Mortmain, and Dirty Blue Voice. She recently coedited Hot Sonnets, a collection of modern erotic sonnets. She directs BrickHouse Books, Maryland's oldest literary press. Her ongoing research interest is in prison writers. CityLit Project established the Harriss Poetry Prize in her honor.Read a poem by Clarinda Harriss.Bruce Sager works as a corporate officer in a systems integration firm. His book Famous won the 2010 Harriss Poetry Prize. He has received Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards, a Baltimore City Arts Grant, and an Artscape Literary Arts Award. Prior books include Nine Ninety­-Five and The Pumping Station. Dick Allen, the Connecticut Poet Laureate, has described Sager's voice as "self-conscious, knowledgeable, confident, wacky, exuberant."Read a poem by Bruce Sager. Recorded On: Wednesday, February 8, 2012

When Fortune, a slave, died in 1798, his owner, Dr. Porter, dissected his body and preserved the skeleton. Fortune's bones remained in the doctor's family until they were given to the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1930. In the 1950s, a young African American woman named Henrietta Lacks went to Johns Hopkins Hospital for cancer treatment. During her treatment, tissues were taken from her body without her knowledge and used to grow cells for research purposes. These cells, later nicknamed HeLa cells, were discovered to have extraordinary growth abilities and have been used in countless experiments since.This panel discussion examines ethics in medical education, research, treatment, and practice and explore the parallels between Fortune's story and that of Henrietta Lacks. Panelists include: Professor Taunya Lovell-Banks, University of Maryland School of Law; Dr. Curt Civin, University of Maryland School of Medicine; David Lacks, son of Henrietta Lacks; Ysaye Barnwell, composer and curator of th

Dedicated to the promotion of new music through engaging and unique performances, the AM/PM quartet presents premieres and pieces by young composers alongside established works in contemporary music. The group has itself commissioned and premiered five pieces for saxophone quartet, including two chamber operas, since 2008.  Recorded On: Saturday, February 4, 2012

Meet the authors of Health First! The Black Woman's Wellness Guide: Eleanor Hinton Hoytt, president and CEO, Black Women's Health Imperative, and Hilary Beard, award-winning health journalist.Health First! provides an in-depth look at every stage of a woman's life, from adolescence to adulthood to senior years. It identifies the "Top 10 Health Risks" black women face and discusses what can be done to avoid becoming another statistic. It also provides resources on prevention and awareness.Eleanor Hinton-Hoyt and Hilary Beard lead a conversation exploring the question: What makes it difficult to be black, female and healthy in America? Other panelists: WJZ news anchor Gigi Barnett and Tracee Bryant, executive director of the Baltimore Mental Health Alliance. Recorded On: Thursday, February 2, 2012

Inspired by an all-night session of the video game "Guitar Hero," Gary Marcus devotes himself to mastering the actual guitar. Guitar Zero chronicles Marcus' journey from Suzuki classes to meeting with scientific and musical experts as he investigates the most effective ways to train your brain and body to learn to play an instrument.Now an expert guitarist who has played in concert and on a studio album, Gary Marcus evokes the complex dance between the brain, the body, and musicality. For all those who have ever set out to learn a musical instrument, Guitar Zero is a fascinating look at music, learning, and the pursuit of a well-lived life.Gary Marcus is professor of psychology at New York University and the director of the NYU Center for Child Language. He serves as editor of The Norton Psychology Reader and is the author of three books on the origins and development of the mind and the brain.  Recorded On: Wednesday, February 1, 2012

On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the Civil War was spilled in the streets of Baltimore. En route to Camden Station, Union forces were confronted by angry Southern sympathizers. At Pratt Street the crowd rushed the troops, who responded with lethal volleys. Four soldiers and twelve Baltimoreans were left dead. Marylanders unsuccessfully attempted to further cut ties with the North by sabotaging roads, bridges and telegraph lines. In response to the "Battle of Baltimore," President Lincoln declared martial law and withheld habeas corpus in much of the state. Author Harry Ezratty skillfully narrates the events of that day and their impact on the rest of the war, when Baltimore became a city occupied. Recorded On: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

In his new book, Dr. King-Meadows finds that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is much weaker than previously thought and that it often enables rather than prevents the disenfranchisement of minorities. The book challenges the executive-centered model of leadership and proffers a Congress-centered approach to protecting voting rights. Drawing from government enforcement data, legislative history, Supreme Court rulings, the 2006 reauthorization debate, and the 2007 scandal involving the firing of U.S. attorneys under the Bush administration, Dr. King-Meadows examines when, why, and how executive and judicial discretion facilitates violation of voting rights. Dr. King-Meadows is associate professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Recorded On: Thursday, January 26, 2012

Donna Britt has always been surrounded by men -- her father, three brothers, two husbands, three sons, countless male friends. She learned to give to them at an early age. After her beloved brother Darrell's senseless killing by police 30 years ago, she began giving more, unconsciously seeking to help other men the way she couldn't help Darrell.Brothers (and Me) navigates Britt's life through her relationships with men, resulting in a tender, funny, and heartbreaking exploration of universal issues of gender and race. Donna Britt is an award-winning former syndicated columnist for the Washington Post. Recorded On: Tuesday, January 24, 2012

 In Berlin after World War I, fascination with the occult was everywhere as people struggled to escape the grim reality of their lives. In the early 1930s, the most famous mentalist in the German capital was Erik Jan Hanussen, a Jewish mind reader. Originally from Vienna, Hanussen became so popular in Berlin that he rubbed elbows with high ranking Nazis, became close with top Storm Troopers, and even advised Hitler.Arthur Magida is writer-in-residence at the University of Baltimore, a journalism professor at Georgetown University, and recipient of multiple awards in journalism and the humanities. His books include The Rabbi and The Hit Man; Prophet of Rage: A Life of Louis Farrakhan and His Nation; and Opening the Doors of Wonder. Recorded On: Tuesday, January 17, 2012

During a dream, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. meets actor Gregory Gibson Kenney at the Lincoln Memorial. Dr. King shares four speeches, how he wishes to be remembered, and how fear is no longer a factor in his survival. Mr. Kenney portrays both Dr. King and the narrator.A professionally trained actor, Gregory Kenney studied at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in association with Point Park College. He has performed in numerous feature films, theatrical productions, and commercials. In 1998 Kenney was awarded the YWCA Racial Justice Award. He serves on the Education Advisory Board of the National Basebal Hall of Fame.Photos courtesy of Gregory Gibson Kenney and Educate Us Productions, www.educateus.org Recorded On: Sunday, January 15, 2012

The man widely hailed as "the dean of moderators" looks at more than 40 years of televised political debate in the United States. Drawing on his own moderating experience, in-depth interviews with the candidates and his fellow moderators, and transcripts of key exchanges, Lehrer sheds light on all the critical turning points, major moments, and rhetorical faux pas that helped determine the outcome of America's presidential elections.Jim Lehrer is the author of 20 novels, two memoirs, and three plays, and for years has been the executive editor and anchor of the PBS News Hour.Presented in partnership with Maryland Public Television.  Recorded On: Thursday, January 12, 2012

Valzhyna Mort was born in Minsk, Belarus, and moved to the United States in 2005. She is the author of Factory of Tears and Collected Body. Most recently, she has received the Bess Hokin Prize from Poetry magazine and the Lannan Foundation Literary Fellowship. She teaches at the University of Baltimore. The Irish Times has called her a "risen star of the international poetry world."Read a poem by Valzhyna Mort.Ishion Hutchinson was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. His first collection, Far District: Poems, won the 2011 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry and was hailed by the poet Yusef Komunyakaa as "a marvellous book of generous, giving poems." He has also won an Academy of American Poets’ Levis Award and has taught at the University of Baltimore. Read a poem by Ishion Hutchinson. Explicit language advisory! Recorded On: Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Singer, songwriter, and arranger Adam Kolbe Jones is active in the Baltimore, Washington, and Minneapolis/St. Paul areas. His largely acoustic folk rock debut album, “Ladies and Gentleplums,” was released in early 2011, and features songs in a joyful and gentle Americana-inspired style.  Recorded On: Saturday, January 7, 2012

Learn all about the French secrets to joie de vivre. Jamie Cat Callan traveled all over France, interviewing hundreds of women to find their secrets to living a well-balanced life, enjoying more with less, and keeping stylish and sexy through middle age and beyond. Here are few of those secrets: cultivate a secret garden; walk everywhere; consume less and enjoy more; flirt a la francaise; and wear beautiful lingerie everyday. Jamie Cat Callan is the author of French Women Don't Sleep Alone which has been translated into ten languages.  Recorded On: Wednesday, January 4, 2012

As part of the Pratt Library's Mencken Day, author, journalist and literary critic Christopher Hitchens presented the 2006 Mencken Memorial Lecture at the Central Library of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. The British-American writer Christopher Hitchens, the masterful rhetorician, intellectual and atheist, died Thursday December 15, 2011 at the age of 62.Recorded On: Saturday, September 9, 2006

An ambassador and special envoy on Afghanistan (1989 - 1992), Peter Tomsen developed close relationships with Afghan leaders, including President Hamid Karzai and Ahmad Shah Masood, and has dealt with senior Taliban, warlords, and religious leaders involved in the region's conflicts over the last two decades. Drawing on his experiences and knowledge of the region, plus a rich trove of never-before-published material, Tomsen sheds new light on the American involvement in the long and continuing Afghan war.  Recorded On: Thursday, December 8, 2011

Talking About Race, an ongoing series co-sponsored by the Open Society Institute-Baltimore and the Pratt Library Touré's newest provocative book, Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? What It Means to Be Black Now, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "one of the most acutely observed accounts of what it is like to be young, black and middle-class in contemporary America." Benjamin Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP, calls the book "a fascinating conversation among some of America's most brilliant and insightful Black thinkers candidly exploring Black identity in America today. Touré powerfully captures the pain and dissonance of Black Americans' far too often unrequited love for our great nation."Touré is a cultural critic for MSNBC, as well as the host of a couple of shows on Fuse-TV: "Hip Hop Shop" and "On the Record." A contributing editor at Rolling Stone, his articles appear regularly in publications ranging from the New York Times to the Village Voice to the New Yorker.Michael Eric Dyson, University P

Prize-winning concert pianist, and Baltimore native, Solomon Eichner is rapidly emerging as a versatile young artist, equally at home with solo repertoire and chamber music. A 2011 graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, he now pursues a Master’s degree at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, studying with renowned pianist Alexander Shtarkman. Recorded On: Saturday, December 3, 2011