JFK Library Forums

Gerard Baker , editor at large at  The Wall Street Journal ,  Ambassador (Ret.) Nicholas Burns , Harvard professor of diplomacy and international relations, and  Karen Donfried , president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, discuss current developments in the Brexit process with  Elaine Papoulias ,  executive director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.    

Former NASA astronaut  Daniel Burbank , currently Senior Technical Fellow for Mission Systems at Collins Aerospace Systems, discussed his experience from more than two decades at NASA, including his time aboard the International Space Station.

NASA Engineer  Su Curley , who works on crew survival spacesuits and hardware for the Orion Program, including the journey to Mars, discussed current spacesuit technology and showed visitors how suits are used for spacewalking.   You can watch a video of this event on the JFK Library website.

Dr. Lonnie Johnson , founder of Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc, and holder of over 100 patents, discussed his career in invention – from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab to inventing the Super Soaker®, the most popular water toy in history. You can watch a video of this event via the JFK Library's website.

Alan Price, Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum welcomed guests to JFK Space Fest 2019 and introduced a video greeting from NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch aboard the International Space Station (ISS).  Following this welcome and greeting,  Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz , founder and CEO of the Ad Astra Rocket Company, discussed his research and career, includin...

Todd S. Purdum , staff writer at The Atlantic , discusses his new book, Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution, with Don Aucoin , chief theater critic for The Boston Globe .

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, Apollo 11 Lunar Command Module pilot Michael Collins , former NASA administrator Charles Bolden , former director of the Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa , and former NASA deputy administrator Dava Newman discuss NASA's past, present, and future with National Air and Space Museum director Ellen Stofan . This program is supported in part by Rayt...

His Excellency   Juan Manuel Santos , former President of Colombia, Nobel laureate, and Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, discusses key global issues and reflects on his distinguished career with Professor Ricardo Hausmann , director of Harvard's Center for International Development and former Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank. 

Award-winning author and Rice University professor of history Douglas Brinkley discusses his new book, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race , with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard professor of history Fredrik Logevall . This program is supported in part by Raytheon Company and Draper.

Colin Calloway , Dartmouth professor of history and author of  The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, The First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation , and Julia A. King , St.

Stuart E. Eizenstat , former chief White House domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter and Ambassador to the European Union, discusses his new book,  President Carter: The White House Years , with  Meredith Evans , director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. You can watch this forum by visiting the event's webpage on the John F. Kennedy Library site.

Keith Hamilton Cobb , actor and author of American Moor , and David Howse , executive director of ArtsEmerson, examine the powerful role performance can play in catalyzing conversations on race, equality, and social challenges with Lizzy Cooper Davis , a professor at Emerson working at the intersection of arts and social justice.

E.J. Dionne ,  Washington Post  columnist, political commentator, and visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School, examines the role of religion in American politics with  Margery Eagan , co-host of WGBH's  Boston Public Radio .

Panelists including  Mara Liasson , NPR national political correspondent,  Mark Preston , CNN executive director of political programming and senior political analyst, and  Kate Zernike , political reporter for  The New York Times  interpret the results of the 2018 midterm elections.  Nancy Cordes , chief congressional correspondent for CBS News, moderates.

Panelists including  Mara Liasson , NPR national political correspondent,  Mark Preston , CNN executive director of political programming and senior political analyst, and  Kate Zernike , political reporter for  The New York Times  interpret the results of the 2018 midterm elections.  Nancy Cordes , chief congressional correspondent for CBS News, moderates.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian  Doris Kearns Goodwin  discusses her new book,  Leadership in Turbulent Times , which explores the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson, with  Robin Young , co-host of WBUR's  Here and Now. This program is supported in part by Frank F. Islam and Debbie Driesman.

Panelists including  Tom Nichols , professor of national security affairs at the US Naval War College,  Alina Polyakova , David M. Rubenstein Fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, and Nina Tumarkin , profesor of Slavic studies and history at Wellesley College,  examine US foreign policy issues concerning Russia with  Alexandra Vacroux , executive director of the Davis Center for...

The Kennedy Library and Discovery partner for an exclusive preview and discussion of Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow , a new documentary by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy .  Meghna Chakrabarti , host of NPR and WBUR's On Point , moderates. This program is presented in conjunction with the 2018 GlobeDocs Film Festival and HUBweek.

Kerry Kennedy , president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Marian Wright Edelman , founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, and LaDonna Harris , founder and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity, discussed Kennedy's new book, Robert F. Kennedy: Ripples of Hope , a collection of interviews with world leaders, activists, and celebrities about her father's influence.  Peter Ede...

James and Deborah Fallows , authors of Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America , and Hillary Frey , executive editor of HuffPost , discussed contemporary issues facing the heart of America with Ellen Fitzpatrick , professor of history at the University of New Hampshire.

Wellesley professor of Asian studies and political science Katharine H.S. Moon and senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Sheila A. Smith discussed US foreign policy issues in Asia with Ambassador (Ret.) Nicholas Burns , Harvard professor of diplomacy and international relations.

In honor of the Leonard Bernstein centennial, Harvard professor of music Thomas Forrest Kelly explored the impact of the relationship between Bernstein and the Kennedy Administration, which continues to influence the artistic and cultural life of America. Due to copyright restrictions, this recording does not include the performance by the Boston Lyric Opera.

Former longtime CBS journalist Bob Schieffer discussed his new book, Overload: Finding the Truth in Today's Deluge of News , with Harvard professor of history and author of These Truths: A History of the United States , Jill Lepore .

Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor, author, and musician John Lithgow discussed his distinguished career and the importance of the arts with Robin Young , co-host of WBUR's Here and Now . This program was supported in part by the Mass Cultural Council.

Seán Hemingway , Ernest Hemingway's grandson, presents the 2018 PEN/Hemingway Award at this ceremony to Weike Wang for her novel Chemistry . Ricardo Cortez Cruz , author of Straight Outta Compton and Five Days of Bleeding , will be the keynote speaker. The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway's personal papers. This program is presented in partnership with PEN/New England an...