Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek: Southern Louisiana's Lao Foodways
"Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek: Southern Louisiana's Lao Foodways" is a two-part documentary that delves into the rich culinary traditions of the Lao Buddhist immigrant community in Louisiana. Through vibrant storytelling and intimate interviews with first, second and third generations, the film uncovers how these unique foodways are woven into the fabric of an existing Cajun and Creole culture, highlighting the fusion of flavors and…
Phillis Wheatley
One of America's first great poets to achieve international acclaim, Phillis Wheatley wrote about key events and figures of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre and General George Washington. She was also an enslaved woman who had to prove her abilities time and time again.
Contributor:
Hastings, Patrick
Date:2025-06-09
Film, Video
Thomas Mallon on the Early Days of the HIV/AIDS Crisis
Novelist Thomas Mallon talked about his recently-published book,"The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries, 1983-1994" with Clay Smith. In 2022, The New Yorker published a selection of Mallon's diaries from the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The response was immense. The Library holds Mallon's personal archives, including his diaries, book and article drafts, research files, and correspondence.
Contributor:
Mallon, Thomas - Smith, Clay - Encina, Roswell
Date:2025-06-05
Film, Video
Jonathan Capehart in Conversation with Michele Norris
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart came to the Library to talk about his memoir, "Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man's Search for Home." Capehart was in conversation with journalist Michele Norris.
Contributor:
Capehart, Jonathan - Norris, Michele - Encina, Roswell
Date:2025-06-05
Film, Video
The Dances of Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski
Participants in the Library's program "The (Effortless) Now: Dances of Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski" spoke with Libby Smigel about their unique dance event. The panel included pianist Agnese Toniutti, cellist Thomas Kraines, leaders from the Erick Hawkins Dance Company including Katherine Duke and Louis Kavouras, and Dlugoszewski scholar Dustin Hurt, who staged a two-day festival of Dlugoszewski's music in Philadelphia in May 2025.…
Contributor:
Smigel, Libby - Toniutti, Agnese - Duke, Katherine - Kraines, Thomas - Kavouras, Louis - Hurt, Dustin
Date:2025-06-03
Film, Video
Conversation with Loadbang, Christopher Otto and Ning Yu
Members of loadbang join violinist/composer Christopher Otto, pianist Ning Yu, have a discussion with David Plylar about their concert at the Library. Loadbang, a quartet for bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone and baritone voice, performed works by Sebastian Currier, Hilda Paredes, Michael Finnissy, and Laura Cetilia. The works by Currier and Finnissy were commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation in the Library of Congress, and the…
Contributor:
Kozar, Andy - Yu, Ning - Plylar, David - Bouque, Ty - Otto, Christopher
Date:2025-05-30
Film, Video
Mary Oliver Memorial Reading
The second annual reading Mary Oliver Memorial Reading at the Library of Congress highlighted emerging poets writing on the natural world. Bestselling poet and writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil read with emerging poets Ariana Benson and Robin Walter. A moderated discussion and book signing followed the reading. Ariana Benson's debut poetry collection, "Black Pastoral," won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and…
Contributor:
Walter, Robin - Casper, Rob - Werb, Shari - Nezhukumatathil, Aimee - Benson, Ariana
Date:2025-05-29
Film, Video
Society for History in the Federal Government
The Society for History in the Federal Government's annual meeting is designed to promote a better understanding of federal history and stimulate discussion across the federal history community. Attendees included staff from history offices in a variety of federal agencies located throughout the United States. The program included an awards ceremony and a keynote address.
Inside the Dictionary and the Scripps National Spelling Bee
On the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Merriam-Webster editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski explored the history of English spelling, the evolution of language in popular culture epitomized by the famous "Word of the Year" and long tradition of dictionary making that continues to this day with the Merriam-Webster Unabridged. The event included an audience Q&A.
Contributor:
Becker, Molly - Sokolowski, Peter
Date:2025-05-22
Film, Video
Conversation with Susana Behar
Susana Behar sat down with Stephen Winick to discuss her concert at the Library. For almost 20 years, she has focused her artistic career on the preservation and performance of the Sephardic musical repertoire. Passionate about the richness of traditional music and its connection to cultural memory and storytelling, she has performed across the U.S., Latin America, Canada, Israel, and Japan. In 2017 she…
Contributor:
Winick, Stephen - Behar, Susana
Date:2025-05-22
Film, Video
Susana Behar Ensemble
Susana Behar was born in Havana to a Cuban family with roots in the Sephardic community of Turkey. From an early age, she was immersed in the traditional music of her homeland as well as the evocative kantikas in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) passed down by her grandparents. In 1965 she emigrated to Venezuela, where she started to explore and perform the music of her adoptive…
Contributor:
Behar, Susana
Date:2025-05-21
Film, Video
Conversation with Brigitta Muntendorf and Ning Yu
Composer Brigitta Muntendorf and pianist Ning Yu speak with David Plylar about Muntendorf's Trilogy for two pianos, tape and live electronics. The interview preceded a performance of Trilogy at the Library on May 31, 2025, featuring pianists Ning Yu and Cory Smythe with Levy Lorenzo managing the live electronics. The discussion delved into the processes of composition and performance and how electronics and choreography…
Contributor:
Yu, Ning - Muntendorf, Brigitta - Plylar, David
Date:2025-05-21
Film, Video
The Medical Carnivalesque: Folklore Among Physicians with Lisa Gabbert
This lecture provides an overview of the occupational folklore that exists among physicians in the United States today. Much of this folklore is humorous; it can also be earthy and even quite dark. Gabbert focuses on folklore that emerges in physician-to-physician communication, arguing that the content and themes that emerge are strikingly parallel to the ones identified by Mikhail Bakhtin in his concept of…
Contributor:
Gabbert, Lisa
Date:2025-05-20
Film, Video
Conversation with Ensemble Sangineto
Ensemble Sangineto is one of the most popular folk groups on the Italian scene, comprised of three talented singers and instrumentalists. Adriano and Caterina Sangineto are twins; Adriano plays Celtic harp and Caterina plays bowed psaltery and flute. Jacopo Ventura rounds out the trio on guitar and bouzouki. The group sings in three-part harmony, with Caterina's clear voice taking the lead. The Sanginetos are…
Ensemble Sangineto: Traditional Music from Italy
The ensemble Sangineto is one of the most popular folk groups on the Italian scene, comprised of three talented singers and instrumentalists. Adriano and Caterina Sangineto are twins -- Adriano plays Celtic harp and Caterina plays bowed psaltery. Jacopo Ventura rounds out the trio on guitar. The group sings in three-part harmony, with Caterina's clear voice taking the lead. The Sanginetos are children of…
Unveiling the Secret War in Laos with US Allied Lao and CIA Veterans
Veterans from the "secret war" in Laos recalled their experiences during the Vietnam War. Laos was a key battlefield in the conflict as the Ho Chi Minh Trail transited the country. Lao Special Guerrilla Unit/Royal Lao Army soldiers fought along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, serving as "Road Watch" teams and in large-unit actions against the People's Army of Vietnam, allied with US Central…
Contributor:
Insixiengmay, Khao - Wolfson-Ford, Ryan - Taylor, Larry S. - Gilstrap, Osa Phiangdae - Bruton, James K. - Thiravong, Touy - Caolo, Susan - Briggs, Thomas Leo - Pahn, Michael
Date:2025-05-09
Film, Video
Moroccan-Jewish Musical Memory: The Abraham Pinto Collection
On October 5, 1968, Abraham Pinto, a businessman from New York City originally from Tangier, Morocco, offered the Library of Congress a collection of tapes containing approximately 30 hours of Jewish liturgical music recordings, which he had undertaken on his own initiative. These recordings later became part of the Library's American Folklife Center collections. This lecture provides an overview of the interaction between Pinto…
Contributor:
Seroussi, Edwin - Bitton, Yoram
Date:2025-05-08
Film, Video
Exploring Map Surrounds: Sights on Spice
Art historian Juliet Wiersema and preservation specialist Meghan Hill present a historical and material exploration of William Hacke's "A Description of the Sea Coasts ... East Indies."
Contributor:
Hill, Meghan - Wiersema, Juliet - Mattson, Lena
Contributor:
Duzer, Chet Van - Pastuch, Carissa - St. Onge, Timothy
Date:2025-05-08
Film, Video
Two 19th Century Board Games
What does it mean to win the game of life? Children's board games teach cultural values and measurements of success to a society's youngest members. A comparison of these two 19th century board games, one from 1843 and one from 1889, reveal the cultural shift that occurred in the United States during the second half of the 19th century.
Contributor:
Coleburn, Jackie
Date:2025-05-05
Film, Video
Conversation with Somi
Claudia Morales sat down in conversation with Grammy-nominated vocalist, composer and bandleader Somi Kakoma, known professionally as Somi. A Doris Duke Foundation Artist Award recipient and NAACP Image Award winner, Somi spoke about her musical journey, artistic connection to Miriam Makeba, and her work across the African continent.
Contributor:
Morales, Claudia - Somi
Date:2025-05-01
Film, Video
Federal Public Service Recognition Week: Zhi Huang
For Public Service Recognition 2025 at the Library of Congress, Zhi Huang, a patron education and training specialist, shares how the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled makes sure reading resources are equitable for all people with low vision, blindness or a physical reading disability.
Contributor:
Huang, Zhi
Date:2025-04-30
Film, Video
Federal Public Service Recognition Week: Trey Robertson
For Public Service Recognition 2025 at the Library of Congress, Trey Robertson, a registration supervisor, shared the vision that U.S. Copyright has with helping the future generation continue to excel in an ever-changing digital landscape.
Contributor:
Robertson, Trey
Date:2025-04-30
Film, Video
Federal Public Service Recognition Week: Paul Frank
For Public Service Recognition 2025 at the Library of Congress, cataloging specialist Paul Frank, shared his work behind the scenes in connecting the parts of the Library as well as telling us about the Library continuing to be a world leader.
Contributor:
Frank, Paul
Date:2025-04-30
Film, Video
James Monroe as Diplomat and Scholar
Decades prior to becoming our nation's fifth President, James Monroe served the United States as Minister to France. During his time in Paris, he purchased a rare book about Roman history that he referenced later in life, during his retirement, as he wrote a book about the history of republican governments.
Film, VideoBayou, Buddha, and Padaek: Southern Louisiana's Lao Foodways "Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek: Southern Louisiana's Lao Foodways" is a two-part documentary that delves into the rich culinary traditions of the Lao Buddhist immigrant community in Louisiana. Through vibrant storytelling and intimate interviews with first, second and third generations, the film uncovers how these unique foodways are woven into the fabric of an existing Cajun and Creole culture, highlighting the fusion of flavors and…
Film, VideoPhillis Wheatley One of America's first great poets to achieve international acclaim, Phillis Wheatley wrote about key events and figures of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre and General George Washington. She was also an enslaved woman who had to prove her abilities time and time again.
Film, VideoThomas Mallon on the Early Days of the HIV/AIDS Crisis Novelist Thomas Mallon talked about his recently-published book,"The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries, 1983-1994" with Clay Smith. In 2022, The New Yorker published a selection of Mallon's diaries from the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The response was immense. The Library holds Mallon's personal archives, including his diaries, book and article drafts, research files, and correspondence.
Film, VideoJonathan Capehart in Conversation with Michele Norris Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart came to the Library to talk about his memoir, "Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man's Search for Home." Capehart was in conversation with journalist Michele Norris.
Film, VideoThe Dances of Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski Participants in the Library's program "The (Effortless) Now: Dances of Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski" spoke with Libby Smigel about their unique dance event. The panel included pianist Agnese Toniutti, cellist Thomas Kraines, leaders from the Erick Hawkins Dance Company including Katherine Duke and Louis Kavouras, and Dlugoszewski scholar Dustin Hurt, who staged a two-day festival of Dlugoszewski's music in Philadelphia in May 2025.…
Film, VideoConversation with Loadbang, Christopher Otto and Ning Yu Members of loadbang join violinist/composer Christopher Otto, pianist Ning Yu, have a discussion with David Plylar about their concert at the Library. Loadbang, a quartet for bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone and baritone voice, performed works by Sebastian Currier, Hilda Paredes, Michael Finnissy, and Laura Cetilia. The works by Currier and Finnissy were commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation in the Library of Congress, and the…
Film, VideoMary Oliver Memorial Reading The second annual reading Mary Oliver Memorial Reading at the Library of Congress highlighted emerging poets writing on the natural world. Bestselling poet and writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil read with emerging poets Ariana Benson and Robin Walter. A moderated discussion and book signing followed the reading. Ariana Benson's debut poetry collection, "Black Pastoral," won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and…
Film, VideoSociety for History in the Federal Government The Society for History in the Federal Government's annual meeting is designed to promote a better understanding of federal history and stimulate discussion across the federal history community. Attendees included staff from history offices in a variety of federal agencies located throughout the United States. The program included an awards ceremony and a keynote address.
Film, VideoInside the Dictionary and the Scripps National Spelling Bee On the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Merriam-Webster editor-at-large Peter Sokolowski explored the history of English spelling, the evolution of language in popular culture epitomized by the famous "Word of the Year" and long tradition of dictionary making that continues to this day with the Merriam-Webster Unabridged. The event included an audience Q&A.
Film, VideoConversation with Susana Behar Susana Behar sat down with Stephen Winick to discuss her concert at the Library. For almost 20 years, she has focused her artistic career on the preservation and performance of the Sephardic musical repertoire. Passionate about the richness of traditional music and its connection to cultural memory and storytelling, she has performed across the U.S., Latin America, Canada, Israel, and Japan. In 2017 she…
Film, VideoSusana Behar Ensemble Susana Behar was born in Havana to a Cuban family with roots in the Sephardic community of Turkey. From an early age, she was immersed in the traditional music of her homeland as well as the evocative kantikas in Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) passed down by her grandparents. In 1965 she emigrated to Venezuela, where she started to explore and perform the music of her adoptive…
Film, VideoConversation with Brigitta Muntendorf and Ning Yu Composer Brigitta Muntendorf and pianist Ning Yu speak with David Plylar about Muntendorf's Trilogy for two pianos, tape and live electronics. The interview preceded a performance of Trilogy at the Library on May 31, 2025, featuring pianists Ning Yu and Cory Smythe with Levy Lorenzo managing the live electronics. The discussion delved into the processes of composition and performance and how electronics and choreography…
Film, VideoThe Medical Carnivalesque: Folklore Among Physicians with Lisa Gabbert This lecture provides an overview of the occupational folklore that exists among physicians in the United States today. Much of this folklore is humorous; it can also be earthy and even quite dark. Gabbert focuses on folklore that emerges in physician-to-physician communication, arguing that the content and themes that emerge are strikingly parallel to the ones identified by Mikhail Bakhtin in his concept of…
Film, VideoConversation with Ensemble Sangineto Ensemble Sangineto is one of the most popular folk groups on the Italian scene, comprised of three talented singers and instrumentalists. Adriano and Caterina Sangineto are twins; Adriano plays Celtic harp and Caterina plays bowed psaltery and flute. Jacopo Ventura rounds out the trio on guitar and bouzouki. The group sings in three-part harmony, with Caterina's clear voice taking the lead. The Sanginetos are…
Film, VideoEnsemble Sangineto: Traditional Music from Italy The ensemble Sangineto is one of the most popular folk groups on the Italian scene, comprised of three talented singers and instrumentalists. Adriano and Caterina Sangineto are twins -- Adriano plays Celtic harp and Caterina plays bowed psaltery. Jacopo Ventura rounds out the trio on guitar. The group sings in three-part harmony, with Caterina's clear voice taking the lead. The Sanginetos are children of…
Film, VideoUnveiling the Secret War in Laos with US Allied Lao and CIA Veterans Veterans from the "secret war" in Laos recalled their experiences during the Vietnam War. Laos was a key battlefield in the conflict as the Ho Chi Minh Trail transited the country. Lao Special Guerrilla Unit/Royal Lao Army soldiers fought along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, serving as "Road Watch" teams and in large-unit actions against the People's Army of Vietnam, allied with US Central…
Film, VideoMoroccan-Jewish Musical Memory: The Abraham Pinto Collection On October 5, 1968, Abraham Pinto, a businessman from New York City originally from Tangier, Morocco, offered the Library of Congress a collection of tapes containing approximately 30 hours of Jewish liturgical music recordings, which he had undertaken on his own initiative. These recordings later became part of the Library's American Folklife Center collections. This lecture provides an overview of the interaction between Pinto…
Film, VideoExploring Map Surrounds: Sights on Spice Art historian Juliet Wiersema and preservation specialist Meghan Hill present a historical and material exploration of William Hacke's "A Description of the Sea Coasts ... East Indies."
Film, VideoExploring Map Surrounds: Drawing Identity Philip Lee Phillips Society fellow Chet Van Duzer discussed cartographic self-portraits in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Film, VideoTwo 19th Century Board Games What does it mean to win the game of life? Children's board games teach cultural values and measurements of success to a society's youngest members. A comparison of these two 19th century board games, one from 1843 and one from 1889, reveal the cultural shift that occurred in the United States during the second half of the 19th century.
Film, VideoConversation with Somi Claudia Morales sat down in conversation with Grammy-nominated vocalist, composer and bandleader Somi Kakoma, known professionally as Somi. A Doris Duke Foundation Artist Award recipient and NAACP Image Award winner, Somi spoke about her musical journey, artistic connection to Miriam Makeba, and her work across the African continent.
Film, VideoFederal Public Service Recognition Week: Zhi Huang For Public Service Recognition 2025 at the Library of Congress, Zhi Huang, a patron education and training specialist, shares how the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled makes sure reading resources are equitable for all people with low vision, blindness or a physical reading disability.
Film, VideoFederal Public Service Recognition Week: Trey Robertson For Public Service Recognition 2025 at the Library of Congress, Trey Robertson, a registration supervisor, shared the vision that U.S. Copyright has with helping the future generation continue to excel in an ever-changing digital landscape.
Film, VideoFederal Public Service Recognition Week: Paul Frank For Public Service Recognition 2025 at the Library of Congress, cataloging specialist Paul Frank, shared his work behind the scenes in connecting the parts of the Library as well as telling us about the Library continuing to be a world leader.
Film, VideoJames Monroe as Diplomat and Scholar Decades prior to becoming our nation's fifth President, James Monroe served the United States as Minister to France. During his time in Paris, he purchased a rare book about Roman history that he referenced later in life, during his retirement, as he wrote a book about the history of republican governments.