El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico
"El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico" immerses viewers in the world of Puerto Rican coffee, revealing how this cherished crop serves as both economic lifeline and cultural heartbeat. Through intimate portraits of generational farmers, dedicated harvesters, and innovative processors, "El Motor" uncovers the profound relationship between the land, its people, and the coffee that has shaped Puerto Rico's identity for centuries.…
Contributor:
Morales, Bernardo - Pintado, Ignacio - Muñoz, Pablo - Rodriguez, Remy - Arroyo, Gustavo - Masini, Angela - Caraballo, Gessellie - Roig, Luis - Roig, Tato - Beauchamp, Gabriel - Giuliani, Joseph - Suárez, Mariana - Pardue, Douglas - Atienza, Roberto - Muñoz, Rafael
Date:2025-06-25
Film, Video
The Stephen Sondheim Collection
Famed lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim bequeathed thousands of rare and personal items to the Library of Congress -- a staggering historic acquisition which covers decades of Sondheim's work. The collection includes music and lyric sketches and final "fair copies" for virtually all of Sondheim's songs. In addition, there are rare recordings, personal correspondences, drafts of plays, screenplays and teleplays Sondheim wrote (or co-wrote),…
Contributor:
Horowitz, Mark
Date:2025-06-25
Film, Video
Family Day: Juneteenth Author Program with Jewell Parker Rhodes
As part of Family Day, bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes discussed her new middle grade novel, "Will's Race for Home," a thrilling adventure story about a boy and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush - if they can survive the journey. Set in 1889, twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, this story will resonate with…
The Enduring Importance of Jazz Archiving
Willard Jenkins presents his research as the 2024-25 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar, focusing on the legacy of pianist, composer, broadcaster, educator, and tireless advocate Dr. Billy Taylor.
Contributor:
Jenkins, Willard
Date:2025-06-18
Film, Video
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…
The Bay Psalm Book
The first book produced in what becomes the United States was the "Bay Psalm Book," printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1640.
Contributor:
Butterfield, Kevin
Date:2025-06-16
Film, Video
The Bay Psalm Book
The first book produced in what becomes the United States was the "Bay Psalm Book," printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1640.
Contributor:
Butterfield, Kevin
Date:2025-06-16
Film, Video
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" was not always considered so great at all. Unflattering reviews and disappointing sales had confined the novel to obscurity for decades before it re-entered the public consciousness during World War II.
Contributor:
Hastings, Patrick
Date:2025-06-16
Film, Video
America's First Cookbook
This video explores a formative moment in the early development of American culture: the publication of the first printed cookbook written by an American specifically for an American audience.
Contributor:
Zimmerman, Amanda
Date:2025-06-16
Film, Video
Poetry from Afghanistan: A Conversation with Lina Rozbih
Join us for a poetry reading and conversation with Lina Rozbih, an Afghan-born novelist, poet, and journalist. As an acclaimed and award-winning writer, Rozbih's work addresses contemporary life and issues of human suffering. Her poignant writings capture the tragic experiences of the Afghan people, with a particular focus on the struggles faced by women and girls. The program will focus on a selection of…
Contributor:
Rozbih, Lina - Weeks, Joan - Dinavari, Hirad
Date:2025-06-12
Film, Video
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
The First American Math Textbook
In 1729, the first American mathematics textbook, "Arithmetic Vulgar and Decimal," was published anonymously in Boston. The story of its author, Isaac Greenwood, and his little book, with its shortcuts and blank space for calculations, is one of home-grown American industry, innovation, and tragedy.
Contributor:
Pantozzi, Ralph
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:
Smith, Clay - Encina, Roswell - Mallon, Thomas
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:
Norris, Michele - Encina, Roswell - Capehart, Jonathan
Date:2025-06-05
Film, Video
Marvin Gaye: Melancholy and Genius in Black Culture and Media
In celebration of Black Music Month, the Music Division in partnership with Live! at the Library welcomed Dr. I. Augustus Durham for a lecture followed by conversation with Music Reference Specialist Morgan Davis. Durham's lecture entitled "Marvin Gaye: Melancholy and Genius in Black Culture and Media" charted a path through history to discuss the influence of George Gershwin on Marvin Gaye's film score to…
Contributor:
Davis, Morgan - Durham, I. Augustus
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:
Duke, Katherine - Smigel, Libby - Toniutti, Agnese - Hurt, Dustin - Kraines, Thomas - Kavouras, Louis
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:
Bouque, Ty - Kozar, Andy - Otto, Christopher - Yu, Ning - Plylar, David
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:
Werb, Shari - Walter, Robin - Casper, Rob - 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.
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
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 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:
Muntendorf, Brigitta - Plylar, David - Yu, Ning
Date:2025-05-21
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
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 Lisa Gabbert
This entry in the Benjamin Botkin Folklife Lecture Series offers an overview of the occupational folklore that exists among physicians in the United States today. Much of this folklore is humorous, but it can also be earthy and quite dark. Lisa Gabbert is a Professor of Folklore Studies in the Department of English and Director of the Folklore Program at Utah State University. Her…
Film, VideoEl Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico "El Motor: Coffee and the Heart of Puerto Rico" immerses viewers in the world of Puerto Rican coffee, revealing how this cherished crop serves as both economic lifeline and cultural heartbeat. Through intimate portraits of generational farmers, dedicated harvesters, and innovative processors, "El Motor" uncovers the profound relationship between the land, its people, and the coffee that has shaped Puerto Rico's identity for centuries.…
Film, VideoThe Stephen Sondheim Collection Famed lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim bequeathed thousands of rare and personal items to the Library of Congress -- a staggering historic acquisition which covers decades of Sondheim's work. The collection includes music and lyric sketches and final "fair copies" for virtually all of Sondheim's songs. In addition, there are rare recordings, personal correspondences, drafts of plays, screenplays and teleplays Sondheim wrote (or co-wrote),…
Film, VideoFamily Day: Juneteenth Author Program with Jewell Parker Rhodes As part of Family Day, bestselling and award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes discussed her new middle grade novel, "Will's Race for Home," a thrilling adventure story about a boy and his father who set out to win land during the Oklahoma Land Rush - if they can survive the journey. Set in 1889, twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, this story will resonate with…
Film, VideoThe Enduring Importance of Jazz Archiving Willard Jenkins presents his research as the 2024-25 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar, focusing on the legacy of pianist, composer, broadcaster, educator, and tireless advocate Dr. Billy Taylor.
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, VideoThe Bay Psalm Book The first book produced in what becomes the United States was the "Bay Psalm Book," printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1640.
Film, VideoThe Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" was not always considered so great at all. Unflattering reviews and disappointing sales had confined the novel to obscurity for decades before it re-entered the public consciousness during World War II.
Film, VideoAmerica's First Cookbook This video explores a formative moment in the early development of American culture: the publication of the first printed cookbook written by an American specifically for an American audience.
Film, VideoPoetry from Afghanistan: A Conversation with Lina Rozbih Join us for a poetry reading and conversation with Lina Rozbih, an Afghan-born novelist, poet, and journalist. As an acclaimed and award-winning writer, Rozbih's work addresses contemporary life and issues of human suffering. Her poignant writings capture the tragic experiences of the Afghan people, with a particular focus on the struggles faced by women and girls. The program will focus on a selection of…
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, VideoThe First American Math Textbook In 1729, the first American mathematics textbook, "Arithmetic Vulgar and Decimal," was published anonymously in Boston. The story of its author, Isaac Greenwood, and his little book, with its shortcuts and blank space for calculations, is one of home-grown American industry, innovation, and tragedy.
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, VideoMarvin Gaye: Melancholy and Genius in Black Culture and Media In celebration of Black Music Month, the Music Division in partnership with Live! at the Library welcomed Dr. I. Augustus Durham for a lecture followed by conversation with Music Reference Specialist Morgan Davis. Durham's lecture entitled "Marvin Gaye: Melancholy and Genius in Black Culture and Media" charted a path through history to discuss the influence of George Gershwin on Marvin Gaye's film score to…
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, 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, 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 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, 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, 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 Lisa Gabbert This entry in the Benjamin Botkin Folklife Lecture Series offers an overview of the occupational folklore that exists among physicians in the United States today. Much of this folklore is humorous, but it can also be earthy and quite dark. Lisa Gabbert is a Professor of Folklore Studies in the Department of English and Director of the Folklore Program at Utah State University. Her…