UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, March 18, 5 pm (AADL.TV)
Sci-Fri Book Club: Women at the Harvard Observatory, 1875-1950
Starting in the late nineteenth century, the Harvard Observatory hired women to study stars via the Astronomical Photographic Glass Plate Collection. Some of these women—such as Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Leavitt, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin—made discoveries that changed astrophysics forever. However, they were far from the only women working at the Harvard Observatory during the era of astronomical glass plate photography. Harvard’s glass plate collection acted as a haven for women who wanted to study the stars, long before they found equality in the field of astronomy.
Wednesday, March 23, 6 pm (AADL.TV)
Book Discussion: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Join AADL staff and other community members for a discussion of The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. This apocalyptic science fiction novel follows Lauren Olamina in her quest for freedom.
ARCHIVED EVENTS
Heather Bruegl: The Power of Native Women
Throughout history, women have played an important role in the family and the community. But Native women have also helped shape our nation by fighting alongside warriors, becoming doctors and performing other courageous feats. Learn about the impact of these women from historian Heather Bruegl.
Judy Heumann with Kristen Joiner | Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Advocate
Judith Heumann and Kristen Joiner discuss Being Heumann the 2022 Washtenaw Reads selection. A story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn’t built for all of us and of one woman’s activism—from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington—Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann’s lifelong battle to achieve respect, acceptance, and inclusion in society.
Cecile Richards | Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead
Cecile Richards has been an activist since she was taken to the principal’s office in seventh grade for wearing an armband in protest of the Vietnam War. Richards had an extraordinary childhood in ultra-conservative Texas, where her civil rights attorney father and activist mother taught their kids to be troublemakers. She had a front-row seat to observe the rise of women in American politics and watched her mother, Ann, transform from a housewife to an electrifying force in the Democratic party.
Linda Solomon | The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait
The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait is a book full of firsts, as photojournalist Linda Solomon was invited not only to capture historical events in Aretha’s music career showcasing Detroit, but to join in with the Franklin family’s most intimate and cherished moments in her beloved hometown. In this talk she reflects on this book which documents Aretha's life and career.
Broadway's Mean Girls at AADL
The stars of the Broadway smash-hit Mean Girls discuss their experiences appearing on Broadway. Ann Arbor native Ashley Park (Gretchen) is joined by her fellow U-M alums Taylor Louderman (Regina) and Erika Henningsen (Cady).
Susan Orlean: The Library Book
Susan Orlean, hailed as a "national treasure" by The Washington Post and the acclaimed bestselling author of Rin Tin Tin and The Orchid Thief, reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution--our libraries in The Library Book.
Dessa | My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love
A rapper, singer, essayist and proud member of the Doomtree hip-hop crew, Dessa discusses her new memoir, My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love in an interview with Detroit based storyteller Patricia Wheeler.
Debra Wilson: The Art of Voice Over and Performance Capture
Actress and comedian Debra Wilson is perhaps best known as the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv, appearing for the show's first eight seasons. With numerous guest star appearances in both network comedy and drama series’ and a score of independent films, she has more recently found success in the realm of voice over and motion capture for television, film, and video games.
Elisa Boxer: The Voice That Won the Vote
Journalist and author Elisa Boxer reads her picture book, The Voice That Won the Vote. One hundred years ago, after decades of perseverance, women were officially granted the right to vote. But it almost didn't happen. This book tells the little-known story about the mom who helped save suffrage, with a letter she wrote to her son.
First Chapter Friday: How to Find What You're Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani
In First Chapter Friday, Lucy reads the first chapter of a new or favorite Middle Grade or YA book. How to Find What You're Not Looking For is a Middle Grade title recommended for ages 8 and up.
Teen Pride Book Talk: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
In Teen Pride Book Talk, Lucy recommends a LGBTQIA+ focused book for teens. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is recommended for ages 14 and up.
PODCASTS
Ann Arbor Stories: The Music Mobile
The story of Ann Arbor's First Lady of the Symphony along and her rolling musical masterpiece, a converted motorhome that served as a rolling music lesson on wheels in the 1960s.
Ann Arbor Stories: The Girls in the Band
The story of how women fought to join the University of Michigan Marching Band and how they continue to make inroads in the traditionally male-dominated Ann Arbor institution.
Body of Work: Whitney Houston
We talk about the ways that Whitney Houston has been or could be the soundtrack of our lives as we get into her body of work. Also, one of us may have been inspired to sing....
AADL Reads with Sarah Vowell
In the first-ever episode of AADL Reads, we chatted with Sarah Vowell about her latest book, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, her relationship with reading, her go-to classics, and more!
Martin Bandyke Under Covers: Interview with Ana Araujo, Author of No Compromise: The Work of Florence Knoll
Florence Knoll was a leading force of modern design. Her commissions became hallmarks of the modern era, including the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe, the Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia, and the Platner Collection by Warren Platner. She created classics like the Parallel Bar Collection, still in production today. Knoll invented the visual language of the modern office through her groundbreaking interiors and the creation of the acclaimed "Knoll look," which remains a standard for interior design today.