April 25, 2016 Public Events at the Library of Congress, May–July 2016

MAY 2016

Tuesday, May 3
LECTURE
NASA astrophysicist Jeremy Schnittman presents “The Science of ‘Interstellar’: The Habitability Zone Around Supermassive Black Holes” and discusses the Hollywood movie in light of the physics governing accretion, relativity and astrobiology at 11:30 a.m. in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-1212.

Tuesday, May 3
LECTURE
James Wintle of the Music Division gives a lecture on “Wagner’s ‘Gleaming Sword’: Exploring the Helen Traubel Collection at the Library of Congress” at noon in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5502.

Tuesday, May 3
AUTHOR TALK
Law professor Mary Sarah Bilder discusses and signs her new book “Madison’s Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention” at noon in the Montpelier Room. Contact: 707-5221.

Tuesday, May 3
AUTHOR TALK
Mark Glickman discusses his book “Stolen Words: The Nazi Plunder of Jewish Books” at noon in the African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room. Contact: 707-3780.

Tuesday, May 3
CONCERT
Pianist Yefim Bronfman performs piano music composed by Sergei Prokofiev at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Tickets are required. Contact: 707-5502.
* Preconcert Presentation: The Music Division’s David Henning Plylar presents “Prokofiev, the Sonata and the Fingers of Independence” at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Wednesday, May 4
GALLERY TALK
Mike Mashon of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division presents “Capturing Jacob Riis’ New York: Films from the Library’s Paper Print Collection” at noon in the “Jacob Riis: Revealing ‘How the Other Half Lives’” exhibition, located in the South Gallery. Contact: 707-0185.

Thursday, May 5
LECTURE
Gong Ping Yeh, physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and discoverer of the top quark, speaks on “World Energy Transformation: Asia and Beyond” at 11:30 a.m. in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-1212.

Thursday, May 5
AUTHOR TALK
Fred Starr discusses his book “Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane” at noon in the African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room. Contact: 707-4518.

Thursday, May 5
CONFERENCE
Dr. Philip W. Gold, Susan Amara, Dr. Raymond DePaulo and Dr. Carlos Zarate present “Can Depression Be Cured: New Research on Depression and Its Treatment” from 2-5 p.m. in LJ 119. Contact: 707-0213.

Friday, May 6
CONCERT
Soumya Chakraverty and Devapriya Nayak present traditional Hindustani music from Virginia at noon in the Whittall Pavilion. The program is part of the American Folklife Center’s Homegrown Series. Contact: 707-5510.

Friday, May 6
FILM
“Pay or Die” (Allied Artists, 1960). 7:30 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

Friday, May 6
CONCERT
Kaija Saariaho’s “Terra Memoria” is featured in the second “Musicians from Marlboro” concert this season at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Tickets are required. Contact: 707-5502.
* Preconcert Presentation: Nicholas A. Brown of the Music Division gives a light-hearted, audience-driven review of recordings by a variety of artists at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion.

Saturday, May 7
EXHIBITION OPENING
“World War I: American Artists View the Great War” focuses on the American artistic response to World War I, drawing from posters, political cartoons, illustrations, fine prints, popular prints, documentary photographs, and fine-art photographs. The exhibition is on view through May 2017 from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Graphic Arts Gallery. Contact: 707-6021.

Saturday, May 7
EXHIBITION CLOSING
“Out of the Ashes: A New Library for Congress and the Nation” marks the 200th anniversary of the acquisition of Jefferson’s 6,487-volume library. The exhibition is on view from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. adjacent to the “Thomas Jefferson’s Library” exhibit. Contact: 707-3610.

Saturday, May 7
LECTURE
Anne McLean of the Music Divisions delivers a lecture on the Library’s expressive 1815 painting of Beethoven by Johann Christoph Heckel at 11 a.m. in the Whittall Pavilion. Tickets are required. Contact: 707-5502.

Saturday, May 7
FILM
“Hester Street” (Midwest Films, 1975), 2 p.m.; “Ragtime” (Paramount, 1981), 7:30 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

Tuesday, May 10
LECTURE
Laura Yust of the Music Division presents “The Place of Music in a German Renaissance Liberal Arts Education” at noon in the Whittall Pavilion. Contact: 707-5502.

Tuesday, May 10
PANEL DISCUSSION
Writers Eric Gansworth, Linda LeGarde Grover and Stephen Graham Jones discuss contemporary Native fiction with a reading and panel moderated by Deborah Miranda at 4 p.m. in the Mumford Room. Contact: 707-5391.

Wednesday, May 11
GALLERY TALK
Ryan Reft of the Manuscript Division and Ed Redmond of the Geography & Map Division co-present, “Revealing ‘How the Other Half Lived’ in Tenements through the Fire Insurance Maps Series’” at noon in the “Jacob Riis: Revealing ‘How the Other Half Lives’” exhibition, located in the South Gallery. Contact: 707-0185.

Thursday, May 12
LECTURE
Mark Slobin, professor of music and American studies at Wesleyan University, presents “Improvising a Music Metropolis: Detroit, 1940s-1960s,” part of the American Folklife Center’s Benjamin Botkin lecture series, at noon in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5510.

Thursday, May 12
AUTHOR TALK
Editor Ad Stijnman and contributor Linda Morenus discuss the first handbook of early modern color printmaking before 1700,“Printing Colour, 1400-1700,” at noon in the Montpelier Room. Contact: 707-5221.

Thursday, May 12
LECTURE
Kluge Fellow Theo Christovexamines the language of the “Law of Nations” and the impact of author Emer Vattel on turning the newly rising United States into an international actor and eventual global power at 4 p.m. in LJ 119. Contact: 707-0213.

Thursday, May 12
LECTURE
Poet and translator Jesse Lee Kercheval reads selections of Idea Vilariño’s poetry featured in Poet Lore Magazine’s spring 2016 issue, at 6:30 p.m. in the Montpelier Room. Contact: 707-5394.

Friday, May 13
LECTURE
Charlotte Rogers of the University of Virginia discusses the work and legacy of Álvaro Mutis, one of Colombia’s most prominent poets and prose writers, at noon in the Whittall Pavilion. Contact: 707-5394.

Friday, May 13
LECTURE
Architect and urban planner Julio Cesar Perez Hernandez discusses the history of Cuba through cartography at noon in the Mumford Room. Contact: 707-7779.

Friday, May 13
FILM
“Come On Down! A TV Game Show Retrospective” (1950-1970). 7:30 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

Saturday, May 14
FILM
“Over the Hedge” (DreamWorks, 2006), 2 p.m.; “Marty Stuart Presents an Evening with the Fabulous Superlatives” (Live), 7 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

Saturday, May 14
CONCERT
Pedrito Martinez presents Afro-Cuban folkloric music at 9 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Tickets are required. Contact: 707-5502.

Tuesday, May 17
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Betsy Peterson, director of the American Folklife Center – along with former directors Alan Jabbour and Peggy Bulger – discusses the past, present and future of the center at noon in Dining Room A. Contact: 707-5510.

Tuesday, May 17
AUTHOR TALK
Journalist and author Joshua Kendall discusses and signs his new book “First Dads: Parenting and Politics From George Washington to Barack Obama” at noon in the Montpelier Room. Contact: 707-5221.

Wednesday, May 18
CONCERT
Nakotah LaRance presents Native American hoop dancing at noon in the Coolidge Auditorium. The program is part of the American Folklife Center’s Homegrown Series. Contact: 707-5510.

Wednesday, May 18
GALLERY TALK
Barbara Bair of the Manuscript Division presents “The Children of the Poor” at noon in the “Jacob Riis: Revealing ‘How the Other Half Lives’” exhibition, located in the South Gallery. Contact: 707-0185.

Thursday, May 19
LECTURE
Kissinger Chair Bruce Jentleson presents “Profiles in Statesmanship: 20th-Century Breakthroughs for Global Peace and Security and 21st-Century Challenges” at 4 p.m. in LJ 119. Contact: 707-0213.

Thursday, May 19
FILM
“The World Changes” (First National, 1933). 7 p.m., Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5603.

Thursday, May 19
LECTURE
R. Larry Todd of Duke University gives a lecture on “Revisiting Mendelssohn’s Octet, or the Maturing of Precocity” at 7 p.m. in the Montpelier Room. Tickets are required. Contact: 707-5502.

Thursday, May 19
LECTURE
Poet Mary Jo Bang discusses her work with Ron Charles, editor of The Washington Post's Book World, at 7 p.m. at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. Contact: 707-5394.

Thursday, May 19
FILM
“What’s Up Doc? A Close-Up of Warner Bros. Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies, Part 1” (Warner Bros., 1932-1951). 7:30 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

Friday, May 20
LECTURE
Cecilia García Akers discusses her new biography on her father, “The Inspiring Life of Texan Héctor P. García,” at noon in the Whittall Pavilion. Contact: 707-9824.

Friday, May 20
FILM
“What’s Up Doc? A Close-Up of Warner Bros. Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies, Part 2” (Warner Bros., 1939-1957). 7:30 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

Saturday, May 21
FILM
“A Tribute to Dennis R. Atkinson” features four rarely seen silent films donated to the Library by the movie collector Atkinson. 2 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

Monday, May 23
AUTHOR TALK
Author Bonnie Yochelson presents her new book “Jacob Riis: Revealing New York’s Other Half” at noon in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5221.

Tuesday, May 24
LECTURE
Jason P. Dworkin, chief of the Astrochemistry Laboratory at NASA Goddard, discusses “OSIRIS-Rex: The First U.S. Mission to Return Samples from an Asteroid to Earth” at 11:30 a.m. in Dining Room A. Contact: 707-1212.

Tuesday, May 24
AUTHOR TALK
Historian Abby Smith Rumsey discusses and signs her new book “When We Are No More: How Digital Memory is Shaping Our Future” at noon in the Mumford Room. Contact: 707-5221.

Wednesday, May 25
GALLERY TALK
Curator Larry Appelbaum of the Music Division presents selected highlights in the “Jazz Singers” exhibition at noon Performing Arts Reading Room Gallery. Contact: 707-0185.

Wednesday, May 25
SYMPOSIUM
Authors Meg Medina, Aisha Saeed, Rene Colato, Wendy Shang and illustrator Liz Zunon discuss immigration and share their heritage and culture at 1 p.m. in the Mumford Room. Contact: 707-5221.

Thursday, May 26
AUTHOR TALK
Co-authors Paul Baicich and Margaret Barker present “Bird Feeding’s Surprising History,” based on their book, “Feeding Wild Birds in America: Culture, Commerce and Conservation,” at 11:30 a.m. in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-1212.

Thursday, May 26
LECTURE
John Sexton, immediate past president of New York University and current Kluge Chair in American Law and Governance, discusses “The American Research University: The Decades Ahead” at 4 p.m. in LJ 119. Contact: 707-0213.

Thursday, May 26
FILM
“Sink the Bismarck!” (20th Century-Fox, 1960). 7:30 p.m., Packard Campus Theater, Culpeper, Va. Contact: 707-9994.

JUNE 2016

Wednesday, June 1
GALLERY TALK
Barbara Natanson of the Prints and Photographs Division presents “Lewis Hine, Documentary Photographer” at noon in the “Jacob Riis: Revealing ‘How the Other Half Lives’” exhibition, located in the South Gallery. Contact: 707-0185

Monday, June 6
LECTURE
Samuel Torjman Thomas, ethnomusicologist and artistic director of AsefaMusic and the New York Andalus Ensemble, presents “Musical Soundscapes of Morocco: From Africa to America,” part of the American Folklife Center’s Benjamin Botkin lecture series, at noon in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5510.

Tuesday, June 7
LECTURE
Pravina Shukla of Indiana University discusses “Dressing the Past: Civil War Reenactors, Williamsburg Historic Interpreters and Exploring American Identity Through Costume,” part of the American Folklife Center’s Benjamin Botkin lecture series, at noon in the Whittall Pavilion. Contact: 707-5510.

Wednesday, June 8
AUTHOR TALK
Lawyer Marlene Trestman discusses and signs her new book “Fair Labor Lawyer: The Remarkable Life of New Deal Attorney and Supreme Court Advocate Bessie Margolin” at noon in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5221.

Wednesday, June 8
GALLERY TALK
Michelle Krowl of the Manuscript Division presents “‘Midnight Tours’: The Transformative Friendship of Jacob Riis and Theodore Roosevelt” at noon in the “Jacob Riis: Revealing ‘How the Other Half Lives’” exhibition, located in the South Gallery. Contact: 707-0185.

Friday, June 10
SYMPOSIUM
The Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division hosts a symposium on “The Assyrian Legacy From Ancient Civilization to Modern Cultural Revival” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Northeast Pavilion. Contact: 707-1221.

Monday, June 13
SYMPOSIUM
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Black Arts Movement and the 20th anniversary of Cave Canem, a daylong symposium features two panels and a master class in children’s literature from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in LJ 119. Contact: 707-5394.

Tuesday, June 14
AUTHOR TALK
Lawyer and former speechwriter Michael Waldman discusses and signs his new book “The Right to Vote” at noon in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5221.

Wednesday, June 15
GALLERY TALK
Co-curators Katherine Blood and Sara W. Duke, both of the Prints and Photographs Division, present selected highlights from the “World War I: American Artists View the Great War” exhibition at noon in the Graphic Arts Galleries. Contact: 707-0185.

Thursday, June 16
EXHIBITION OPENING
“America Reads” celebrates the public’s choice of the top 40 books by American authors that had a profound effect on American life. The exhibition also revisits 25 books from the 2012 Library of Congress exhibition “Books That Shaped America” that were voted on by public survey. The exhibition is on view through Dec. 31, 2016, from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Southwest Gallery. Contact: 707-9070.

Thursday, June 16
AUTHOR TALK
Historian Stephen Hess discusses and signs his new book “America’s Political Dynasties from Adams to Clinton” at noon in the Mumford Room. Contact: 707-1212.

Wednesday, June 22
GALLERY TALK
Helena Zinkham, director of Collections and Services at the Library, presents “Camilo José Vergara: Documenting the Changing Urban Environment Over Time” at noon in the “Jacob Riis: Revealing ‘How the Other Half Lives’” exhibition, located in the South Gallery. Contact: 707-0185.

Thursday, June 23
LECTURE
John Connerney, astrophysicist at NASA Goddard, speaks on the “Juno Mission to Jupiter” at 11:30 a.m. in the Pickford Theater. Contact: 707-5221.

Thursday, June 23
LECTURE
Kluge Fellow Andrew Devereux presents “The Kingdom of Jerusalem and War Against the Infidel: Sixteenth-Century Doctrines of Just War and the Origins of the Spanish Empire” at 4 p.m. in LJ 119. Contact: 707-0213.

Tuesday, June 28
CONCERT
The Billy McComiskey Family Band performs traditional Irish button accordion music from Maryland at noon in the Coolidge Auditorium. The program is part of the American Folklife Center’s Homegrown Series. Contact: 707-5510.

Wednesday, June 29
GALLERY TALK
Mark Dimunation of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division presents “‘How the Other Half Lives’” at noon in the Jacob Riis exhibition, located in the South Gallery. Contact: 707-0185.

JULY 2016

Wednesday, July 6
CONCERT
The NOKA Trio, with Mikel Markez and Basque guest Erramun Martikorena, presents traditional and contemporary Basque vocal music from California and Spain at noon in the Coolidge Auditorium. The program is part of the American Folklife Center’s Homegrown Series. Contact: 707-5510.

Wednesday, July 13
AUTHOR TALK
Writer and historian Warren Bernard discusses and signs his new book “Cartoons for Victory” at noon in the Mumford Room. Contact: 707-5221.

Wednesday, July 20
AUTHOR TALK
Author Amina Hassan discusses and signs her new book “Loren Miller:Civil Rights Attorney and Journalist” at noon in the Mumford Room. Contact: 707-5221.

Saturday, July 23
EXHIBITION CLOSING
“Jazz Singers” offers perspectives on the art of vocal jazz from the 1920s to the present. Drawn from the Library of Congress Music Division’s collections, including the photographs of William P. Gottlieb and the papers of Max Roach, Chet Baker, and Shirley Horn, the exhibition features singers and song stylists, both onstage and off. The exhibition is on view from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Reading Room. Contact: 707-6021.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Library of Congress occupies three buildings on Capitol Hill. The Thomas Jefferson Building is located at 10 First St. S.E., across from the U.S. Capitol. The John Adams Building is directly behind the Jefferson Building to the east on Second St. S.E. The James Madison Memorial Building, at 101 Independence Ave. S.E., is just south of the Jefferson Building.

JEFFERSON BUILDING: Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor; Whittall Pavilion, ground floor; Bob Hope Gallery of Entertainment, ground floor; Graphic Arts Galleries, ground floor; Young Readers Center, ground floor; LJ 119, first floor; Great Hall, first floor; Asian Division Reading Room, first floor; Southwest Gallery and Southwest Pavilion, second floor; South Gallery, second floor; Northwest Gallery, second floor; African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, second floor.

MADISON BUILDING: Madison Hall, first floor; Performing Arts Reading Room, first floor; LM 139, first floor; LM 201, second floor; Pickford Theater, third floor; Mumford Room, sixth floor; Montpelier Room, sixth floor; West Dining Room, sixth floor; Dining Room A, sixth floor.

When attending events at the Library, allow extra time to pass through Library security. Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.

PACKARD CAMPUS FILM SCREENINGS: All screenings are at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Call 707-9994 during business hours. Seating at the screenings is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Packard Campus Theater is located on the ground floor of the Packard Campus of the National Audio Visual Conservation Center, 19053 Mount Pony Rd., Culpeper, Va. For current schedule and more information, visit the theater’s website at loc.gov/avconservation/theater/. In case of inclement weather, call the theater information line no more than three hours before showtime to confirm cancellations. For R-rated films: no one under 17 will be admitted without parent or guardian.

CONCERTS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: Unless otherwise noted, all events and concerts will be held at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building. Pre-concert presentations will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion. Tickets for events will be distributed through Eventbrite and may be accessed via loc.gov/concerts/ or via the free Eventbrite mobile app for iOS or Android devices (eventbrite.com External). Many events are listed as sold out. A limited number of rush passes will be available, at no cost, two hours before performances and 30 minutes prior to lectures. Tickets are not required to attend pre-concert presentations or weekday daytime programs. For current schedule and more information, visit loc.gov/concerts/ or call 707-5502.