Shakespeare Everywhere Festival, Conversation with Simon Schama and More During Live at the Library in November
Event Marking 50 Years of Washington, DC Home Rule Act to Feature GoGo Band
Throughout November, the Library will host events during Live at the Library as part of the city-wide Shakespeare Everywhere Festival. Public health leader Atul Gawande joins public intellectual Simon Schama for a conversation on Nov. 16. Plus, commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Washington, D.C. Home Rule Act on Nov. 30 with a panel discussion, GoGo band performance and more.
On Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the Great Hall overlooking the Capitol and the Library’s beautiful architecture while visiting the Library’s exhibits, collections and programs.
Free timed-entry passes or an event registration are required to enter the Thomas Jefferson Building. Visit loc.gov/visit to reserve your pass for Live at the Library.
Visitors also are now invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces. Please note that due to strong interest and limited capacity, those with timed-entry passes are not guaranteed access.
Programming Highlights for November
Nov. 2: When a Book Holds Your Memories from 5 to 7 p.m. in Room 119. Artist Leslie Maruschak discusses her project, titled Project MARIA, which explores the memory of the 1932-1933 famine genocide in Soviet Ukraine. Visitors are also invited to a community bookmaking activity. No experience required and all ages are welcome to participate. Reserve timed-entry passes.
Nov. 2: Lakecia Benjamin is the 2023 Jazz Scholar Fellow and residency performer at the Library. Join for her performance at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Register for tickets.
Nov. 9: "Native America: Language is Life" Screening at 6 p.m. in the Member Room (Room 162). Attend a screening of the new PBS film "Language is Life," a new release from the PBS series "Native America."
Nov. 9: Shakespeare Everywhere Festival Concert from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Enjoy Shakespeare-inspired music featuring the Cafritz Young Artists of the Washington National Opera, part of the city-wide Shakespeare Everywhere Festival. Reserve timed-entry passes.
Nov. 16: Shakespeare Everywhere: Closure and Disclosure in King Lear from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion. Marjorie Garber will discuss Shakespeare’s play, its themes of resurrection and transfiguration, and her own vision of the play in Garber’s book “Shakespeare After All.” A display of Shakespeare-related items from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division will begin at 5 p.m. Reserve timed-entry passes.
Nov. 16: An Evening with Simon Schama and Atul Gawande from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Writer, surgeon, and public health leader Atul Gawande joins writer and public intellectual Simon Schama to discuss Schama’s latest book, “Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines, and the Health of Nations.” Register for tickets.
Nov. 30: D.C. Home Rule at 50 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the Thomas Jefferson Building. Commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Home Rule Act of 1973. Join for a panel in Room 119 at 5:30 p.m. featuring former Mayor Anthony Williams, Judy Richardson and historians G. Derek Musgrove and Kyla Sommers. Reserve timed-entry passes.
GoGo stalwarts Mambo Sauce will perform in the Coolidge Auditorium at 7 p.m., with an opening performance by students from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Register for tickets.
Please note that the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building will be closed Thursday, Nov. 23 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Exhibitions On View
View the Native American Arts display in the Great Hall, which honors creative work by Indigenous artists from various tribal nations. The display highlights work promoted by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board in association with Native galleries and museums, featuring the tradition of Ledger Art and the work of women artists.
Explore Library exhibitions during Live at the Library. The Library’s exhibition, “Join In: Voluntary Associations in America,” explores the history of voluntary associations that reveal the aspirations of Americans as “a nation of joiners,” while also acknowledging these groups have sometimes reflected society’s exclusions, discriminations and divisions. The exhibit is on display in the South Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building.
“Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library” represents a sampling of the more than 15 million photographs held by the Library, ranging from the early days of photography to today. Take a look at the “first selfie,” which is thought to be the world’s oldest known photographic self-portrait, and see important pictures of Harriet Tubman, the Wright brothers and more.
Find the latest event details at loc.gov/live, and subscribe to the Library’s Upcoming Events email list. Future events will be announced on a monthly basis.
Live at the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new formats during extended evening hours on Thursday night. The series regularly features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
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Media Contact: Leah Knobel, lknobel@loc.gov
PR 23-089
10-19-2023
ISSN 0731-3527