Sonny Ochs, sister of the song-writer Phil Ochs, brings together a group of musicians, including Fred Small, to perform her brother’s songs and keep his music alive today.
Phil Ochs’ political songs helped shape the social consciousness of the protest movements of the 1960s. These performances are a vivid expression of the power of music to move us and change the world.
Recorded October 23, 2010
George McCully, creator of the Catalogue for Philanthropy, discusses the philosophy underlying voluntary giving. What are the reasons behind the idea of including private philanthropy as part of the way our society promotes social well-being? Recorded 9/22/2010
Mark Morrison-Read, a Unitarian Universalist minister, discusses In Between: Memoir of an Integration Baby, his memoir of growing up during the era of the civil rights movement.
The author wrestles with racism, the death of Martin Luther King, black radicalism, his interracial family, and his experience as one of the first black Unitarian Universalist ministers. Recorded October 2010
The late historian Howard Zinn was well known for his support of progressive causes and for his historical research and writing. Another facet of his life’s work was to encourage young writers and small publishers.
PEN-New England celebrates Howard Zinn and his support for the freedom to write with a panel discussion.
Recorded October 3rd, 2010
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Historian Laurence Bergreen discusses Marco Polo’s journey to China along the Silk Road.
In 1271, Marco set off on a trading journey with his father and uncle to the heart of the Mongol empire established by Genghis Khan. They travelled to the court of the great Khan. Marco hit it off so well with the emperor that he stayed with the Mongol ruler for the next 17 years, earning his keep as a tax assessor and trusted adviser. Acting as Kublai Khan’s eyes and ears, Marco roamed Asia and Africa and reported back to the emperor on the people and taxable commerce he encountered. Shortly before Kublai Khan’s death in 1294, Marco returned to Venice, assumed his place as a prominent merchant, fought the Genoese at Curzola and eventually wrote his famous memoir.
Recorded 10/24/2007.
What accounts for the staying power of this icon of popular culture? How do Dylan’s songs of social criticism avoid the traps of helpless pathos and useless rage to achieve their powerful effects?
Professor of Humanities at Boston University Christopher Ricks explores the poetry in Bob Dylan’s songs.
Recorded 4/5/2000
