in 2008, children’s author J.K. Rowling spoke at Harvard University about her own life story, as a lesson for young people looking for future success. She argues that the world in which they live suffers from a failure of imagination, and she urges them to cultivate genuine imagination to solve problems, rather than falling into the trap of magical thinking.
Continue reading Imagination And FailureCategory Archives: Cambridge Forum classics
Wisdom For Mind And Heart
In 1998, Reverend Peter J. Gomes, author of The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart spoke at the Forum about what he saw as a revival of spirituality in American society and he reflected on the joy and inspiration religious practice can bring to everyday life.
Descent Into Limbo
DESCENT INTO LIMBO: Maurice Sendak’s Life in Children’s Art
Through his ever enduring art, the beloved children’s author Maurice Sendak takes children and parents on amazing literary adventures, from the night kitchen to where the wild things are. In this CF conversation recorded in 2003, Sendak traces his lifelong journey in children’s literature and art.
[audio:https://www.cambridgeforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/CF-DESCENT-INTO-LIMBO.mp3|titles=Cambridge Forum Descent Into Limbo]
Phil Ochs Songs
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
Classic broadcasts
From time to time we like to go back into our archives and dust off programs that are worth listening to again. Here are a couple of examples:
DESCENT INTO LIMBO: Maurice Sendak’s Life in Children’s Art
The Freedom to Write
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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Musicophilia
The late essayist-physician Oliver Sacks memorably reflected at Cambridge Forum on music and its mysterious relationship to the brain In his book, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Sacks argued that music is essential to being human in ways that have only begun to be understood. Neurologist Oliver Sacks explores “your brain on music”, asking why humans make music and what music-making does for the individual and society.
Recorded 11/5/2007.
[audio: https://www.cambridgeforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/CF-MUSICOPHILIA-I.mp3|titles=Cambridge Forum: Musicophilia Part 1]
Marco Polo’s journey to China along the Silk Road
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.
Bob Dylan Artist
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
Remembering the Negro Leagues
Henry “Pistol” Bow Mason pitched in the Negro Leagues for the great Kansas City Monarchs and also in the Majors with the Phillies. Here he shares his experiences of playing baseball in America, playing alongside such greats as Satchel Page, Willy Mays, and Jackie Robinson.
Recorded 3/11/2000
In 1951, after completing high school, Mason left Marshall, Missouri, and headed to Kansas City, where he was offered a tryout with the Kansas City Monarchs. Club manager Buck O’Neil was so impressed with Mason that he signed him with the team. On opening day in 1952, Mason hurled 16 amazing innings to defeat the Philadelphia Stars 3-2.
Henry “Bo” Mason, 88, of Henrico, VA, passed away peacefully on May 29, 2020.
Negro League baseball players earn spots in the National Baseball Hall of Fame