The WBUR Festival: Full Schedule

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9:00am EDT

Boston Press Photographer's Association: Pictures of the Year Exhibit

Friday May 30, 2025 9:00am - Saturday May 31, 2025 11:30pm EDT

The Boston Press Photographers Association is thrilled to announce that this year’s annual Pictures of the Year exhibit will be on display during the WBUR Festival in front of the George Sherman Union at 775 Commonwealth Avenue from May 23 - June 7, featuring the award-winning images from the 2024 Pictures of the Year Contest. This is the BPPA’s fifth year of giving their work back to the public, allowing people to explore the award-winning work of New England area photojournalists from 2024.

Friday May 30, 2025 9:00am - Saturday May 31, 2025 11:30pm EDT
George Sherman Union Pavillion 775 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

Experience

9:30am EDT

The Future of Innovation in Massachusetts

Friday May 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am EDT

FitRec

What’s ahead for the world’s most dynamic biotech, pharmaceutical and life science companies.

Speakers

Dr. Avak Kahvejian

General Partner, Flagship Pioneering

Avak Kahvejian, Ph.D. is a life sciences inventor, entrepreneur, and CEO whose work has led to the creation of multiple high-value public and private companies. Since 2011, he has been a partner at Flagship Pioneering, where he leads a team to invent and launch new therapeutic platforms... Read More →

Julie Kim

President, U.S. Business Unit & U.S. Country Head, Takeda

Julie Kim is president of the U.S. Business Unit, U.S. country head and member of Takeda’s Executive Team. The U.S. Business Unit portfolio encompasses gastroenterology, neuroscience, plasma-derived therapies and rare diseases.She joined Takeda in 2019 through the acquisition of... Read More →

Scott Kirsner

Columnist, MassLive & Contributor, WBUR

Scott Kirsner has spent more than 25 years working as a business journalist and contributing editor at the Boston Globe, Wired Magazine, Fast Company, Variety, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Boston magazine, and other publications. He has covered many Massachusetts companies on... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
FitRec 915 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Business

9:30am EDT

Nicholas Burns in Conversation with Asma Khalid

Friday May 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am EDT

CFA Concert Hall

A former United States Ambassador to China and an NPR White House correspondent examine relations between the U.S., China, and the world.

Speakers

Asma Khalid

White House Correspondent, NPR

Asma Khalid is a White House correspondent for NPR. She also co-hosts The NPR Politics Podcast.Khalid is a bit of a campaign-trail addict, having reported on the 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 elections. She joined NPR's Washington team in 2016 to focus on the intersection of demographics and politics. During the 2020 presidential campaign, she covered the crowded Democratic pri... Read More →

Nicholas Burns

Fmr. U.S. Ambassador to China

Nicholas Burns is an American diplomat and international relations scholar. He served as the United States ambassador to China from 2022 to 2025.Burns has had a 25-year career in the State Department and has served as under secretary of state for political affairs. Appointed by President... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
CFA Concert Hall 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, USA

Politics

10:00am EDT

Amicus

Friday May 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

WBUR CitySpace

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
A podcast about the law and the nine Supreme Court justices who interpret it for the rest of America.

In partnership with

Friday May 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
WBUR CitySpace 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Live podcast taping, Politics

10:00am EDT

On with Kara Swisher

Friday May 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

Tsai Performance Center

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
This award-winning journalist gets to the heart of the story with difficult questions for smart people.

Speakers

Kara Swisher

Journalist & Host, On with Kara Swisher

Kara Swisher is an American journalist. She has covered the business of the internet since 1994. As of 2023, Swisher was a contributing editor at New York Magazine, the host of the podcast On with Kara Swisher, and the co-host of the podcast Pivot. In 2014, she co-founded Vox Media's... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Tsai Performance Center 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Live podcast taping, Politics

11:00am EDT

The Color of Capital: Closing the Gap for BIPOC Founders

Friday May 30, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT

Booth Theatre

Meet the changemakers working to ensure that BIPOC entrepreneurs in Massachusetts have the resources to build thriving businesses and lasting legacies.

Speakers

Nicole Obi

President & CEO, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts

Nicole Obi is the President & CEO of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA)whose mission is to drive economic equity and prosperity for Massachusetts to achieve inclusive growth through advocacy, programming, and strategic partnerships that enable Black-owned businesses... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Booth Theatre 820 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, MA 02446, USA

Business

11:00am EDT

Misinformation and Disinformation, Explained

Friday May 30, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall

Tech leaders in the fight for truth online share what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to be done.

Speakers

Costanza Sciubba Caniglia

Global Strategy Lead, Anti-disinformation

Costanza Sciubba Caniglia is a public policy expert and a researcher working on disinformation studies. Her research focuses on state-sponsored coordinated information operations and propaganda.She is the founder and Director of Istituto di Geopolitica Digitale, a think tank working... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, USA

Politics

11:30am EDT

Behind-the-Scenes of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center

The making of NPR’s weekly quiz show.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Jennifer Mills

Senior Producer, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Jennifer Mills is a writer and producer for Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Doug Berman

Producer, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! & Car Talk

Two-time Peabody Award-winning producer Doug Berman is responsible for NPR's most successful entertainment programs, the hit comedies Car Talk and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Peter Sagal

Host, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Peter Sagal is, has been, and perhaps someday will be again, a husband, father, playwright, screenwriter, author, journalist, columnist, marathoner, Jeopardy contestant, dramaturg, podcast host, documentary host, foreign correspondent, wedding officiant, and magician's assistant.In... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Arts & Culture

11:30am EDT

Dying Well

Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

Dance Theatre

A bestselling author and a death educator talk about how we reckon with the end of life and what happens when we die.

Sponsored by

Speakers

Robin Young

Co-Host, Here & Now, WBUR

Robin Young brings more than 25 years of broadcast experience to her role as host of Here & Now. She is a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker who has also reported for NBC, CBS and ABC television and for several years was substitute host and correspondent for "The Today S... Read More →

Sebastian Junger

Author

Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of Tribe, War, Freedom, A Death in Belmont, Fire, and The Perfect Storm, and codirector of the documentary film Restrepo, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He is also the winner of a Peabody Award and the National... Read More →

Suzanne O'Brien

Founder & CEO, DoulaGivers Institute

Suzanne B. O’Brien, RN is the Founder & CEO of Doulagivers Institute. Her life's mission is to increase access to high quality end of life education and care for patients and families throughout the world. She has developed free resources and trainings for family caregivers and... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Dance Theatre 915 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Health

11:30am EDT

Is Business Broken?

Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
A special episode on AI safety and regulation. The Is Business Broken? podcast, produced by the Ravi K. Mehrotra Institute for Business, Markets & Society at BU Questrom School of Business, features conversations about the role of business in society with perspectives from academia, industry and the public sector.

This is a special session produced by our sponsor, The Mehrota Institute.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Curt Nickisch

Senior Editor, The Harvard Business Review

Curt Nickisch is the Senior Editor of The Harvard Business Review.

Friday May 30, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Live podcast taping, Business

12:30pm EDT

Viet Thanh Nguyen in Conversation with Ailsa Chang

Friday May 30, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sympathizers” and the All Things Considered host reflect on living and writing as an “other.”

In partnership with

Speakers

Ailsa Chang

Host, All Things Considered, NPR

Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who hosts All Things Considered along with Ari Shapiro, Mary Louise Kelly and Juana Summers. She landed in public radio after practicing law for a few years.Previously, she was a congressional correspondent with NPR's Washington Desk. She... Read More →

Viet Thanh Nguyen

Author, Pulitzer Prize Winner & Professor

Viet Thanh Nguyen is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Sympathizer and of Nothing Ever Dies, a finalist for the National Book Award. A recipient of the MacArthur Foundation and Guggenheim fellowships and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Nguyen... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, USA

12:30pm EDT

Frontiers of Medicine

Friday May 30, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT

Booth Theatre

Scientists and members of the sickle cell community share how new gene therapies developed in Massachusetts are transforming lives — and what these breakthroughs could mean for other diseases.

Sponsored by

Friday May 30, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT
Booth Theatre 820 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, MA 02446, USA

Health

1:00pm EDT

A Conversation with Emily Oster

Friday May 30, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center

A leading parenting researcher and an award-winning journalist on what really matters for children (and what doesn’t).

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Emily Oster

CEO & Founder, ParentData

Emily Oster is on a mission to empower parents by providing the data and tools they need to make confident decisions. Emily is a Professor of Economics at Brown University, and the founder and CEO of ParentData, a data-driven guide to pregnancy, parenting, and beyond. ParentData’s... Read More →

Alyssa Rosenberg

Letters & Community Editor, The Washington Post

Alyssa Rosenberg is the Letters and Community Editor at The Washington Post. Previously, she spent ten years at The Post as a columnist and op-ed editor, and she won the 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for Commentary for her coverage of the 2022 infant formula shortage. She lives in Washington... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Health

1:00pm EDT

Our Homeless Neighbors

Friday May 30, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT

Dance Theatre

A devoted street doctor and the subject of Tracy Kidder’s “Rough Sleepers” shares his experience with a journalist who publishes the work of homeless writers.

In partnership with

Speakers

Dr. Jim O'Connell

President, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

Dr. O’Connell graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1970 and received his master’s degree in theology from Cambridge University in 1972. After graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1982, he completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts... Read More →

James Parker

Staff Writer, The Atlantic

James Parker is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Turned On, his 1998 biography of the punk-rock performer Henry Rollins, has been described as “breathlessly brilliant” (New Musical Express) and “a modern-day Pilgrim’s Progress” (Feed.com). He was previously a staff writer for the Boston Phoenix, where he won New England Newspap... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Dance Theatre 915 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Health

2:00pm EDT

Powering New England

Friday May 30, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Booth Theatre

We’re all flicking on light switches, charging our phones and using heat to stay warm in the winter. That takes a lot of power — and New England is going to keep needing even more of it in the future. Join us for a deep dive into our regional energy landscape, where we’ll examine options for power sources, how to address the rising demand for energy, and who the key players are for building, operating and maintaining these critical infrastructures. We’ll also delve into how new and evolving regulatory frameworks could influence energy production, distribution and consumption for years to come.

In partnership with

Friday May 30, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Booth Theatre 820 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, MA 02446, USA

Climate & Environment

2:30pm EDT

A Conversation with Roxane Gay

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center

The bestselling writer, editor and social commentator reflects on American life today.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Roxane Gay

Writer, Editor & Professor

Roxane Gay is a widely published writer, editor and professor who works across many genres. She is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the editor of an eponymous imprint at Grove Atlantic. She splits her time between New York and Los Angeles.

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Arts & Culture

2:30pm EDT

Have a Beer with the People Behind WBUR's Newsletters

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Festival Hub

Join us in the festival Hub for a Q+A with the WBUR Newsletters team.

One complimentary beer (or non-alcoholic drink!) per person, first come, first served.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Meagan McGinnes-Bessey

Managing Editor, Digital Audience & Community Engagement, WBUR

Meagan is the managing editor of digital audience & community engagement at WBUR, Boston's largest NPR newsroom. She oversees the newsletter and social media teams.Her mouthful of a title really means thinking about the ways and places WBUR can bring its local journalism to more communities... Read More →

Nik DeCosta-Klipa

Senior Editor, Newsletters

Nik wakes up early each morning to write WBUR's flagship newsletter, WBUR Today. He runs the day-to-day of all things email. He joined WBUR in 2022 from Boston.com, where he was a staff writer covering local news, politics, and transportation. Nik holds bachelor's degrees in journalism... Read More →

Hanna Ali

Associate Producer, Newsletters, WBUR

Hanna Ali is an associate producer for newsletters at WBUR, and is the host of WBUR's Weekender newsletter.Before joining WBUR, Hanna worked as a digital editor at the PBS science documentary series NOVA, writing articles for NOVA Next and managing the show’s newsletters and social... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Festival Hub Howard Thurman Center - 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline, MA, USA

Experience

2:30pm EDT

On Point

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
This will be a bonus episode of On Point’s landmark series, “Falling Behind: The Miseducation of America’s Boys.” Boston’s first Chief Behavioral Health Officer shares his insights on why boys behave the way they do and what they need.

Speakers

Meghna Chakrabarti

Host, On Point, WBUR

Meghna Chakrabarti is the award-winning host and editor of On Point. Based in Boston, she is on the air Monday through Friday.On Point has been frequently recognized for excellence in journalism under Meghna's leadership.Chakrabarti is the former host of Radio Boston, WBUR’s acclaimed... Read More →

Dr. Kevin Simon

Chief Behavioral Health Officer, City of Boston & Pediatric Addiction Medicine Psychiatrist, Boston Children's Hospital

Dr. Kevin M. Simon is the City of Boston’s inaugural Chief Behavioral Health Officer, leading and advising on mental health strategies through the Boston Public Health Commission. A triple board-certified psychiatrist and physician-scientist at Boston Children’s Hospital, he is... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Live podcast taping, Health

3:30pm EDT

Higher Education Today

Friday May 30, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT

CFA Concert Hall

Two college presidents discuss how they’re navigating this turbulent moment in higher ed.

Speakers

Evan Smith

Senior Advisor, Emerson Collective

Evan Smith is a senior advisor at Emerson Collective, working closely with journalists and funders around the country to support the local news ecosystem. He’s also a Professor of Practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches... Read More →

Danielle Holley

President, Mount Holyoke College

Danielle R. Holley is the twentieth president of Mount Holyoke College. A noted legal scholar and educator, Holley served as Dean of the School of Law at Howard University (2014 - 2023) prior to joining Mount Holyoke. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law... Read More →

Dr. Melissa Gilliam

President, Boston University

Dr. Melissa Gilliam is Boston University’s eleventh president. She is a physician and interdisciplinary researcher focused on adolescent health and well-being. She joined Boston University from The Ohio State University, where she served as executive vice president and provost... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
CFA Concert Hall 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, USA

Business

4:00pm EDT

Ina Garten in Conversation with Michael Barbaro

Friday May 30, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center

The legendary cookbook author and television host swaps stories with the co-host of The Daily from The New York Times.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Michael Barbaro

Host, The Daily, The NY Times

Michael Barbaro is an American journalist and co-host of The New York Times news podcast The Daily, one of the most popular podcasts in the United States.

Ina Garten

Cookbook Author & Television Host

Ina Garten, the celebrated specialty food store maven and bestselling cookbook author, was once a nuclear budget analyst at President Carter’s White House. Garten left Washington, DC in 1978 to buy a 400 sq. ft. store called Barefoot Contessa in the Hamptons – eighteen years... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Arts & Culture, Food & Drink

5:30pm EDT

The Future of Reproductive Rights

Friday May 30, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT

Tsai Performance Center

An actress (Freaks and Geeks, Dawson’s Creek, Girls5eva) who testified to Congress about her abortion and a pro-choice advocate get personal about the state of reproductive rights in this country.

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Darcy Roake

Unitarian Universalist Minister

Darcy Roake is a PhD history candidate at Tulane University with a focus on the reproductive health and justice movements in the U.S. and France. Darcy is also a Unitarian Universalist Minister. Rev. Darcy has a wide background in social justice and pastoral care in settings as varied... Read More →

Busy Philipps

Actress & ACLU Ambassador

Busy Philipps is a New York Times Best-Selling author, actor, activist, writer and previous late-night talk show host of Busy Tonight. Philipps served as executive producer on the show, alongside Tina Fey. In 2018, Philipps released a collection of humorous autobiographical essays... Read More →

Jessica Weitz

Nationwide Director of Artist & Entertainment Engagement, ACLU

Jessica Herman Weitz is the Director of Artist & Entertainment Engagement at the ACLU. Jessica educates, inspires, and activates artists + entertainment companies to speak up for the ACLU and the issues we fight for - which means working across the country with artists to fight for... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Tsai Performance Center 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Health

5:30pm EDT

Design Matters

Friday May 30, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT

WBUR CitySpace

LIVE PODCAST TAPING
A deep dive into how a leading scholar, poet, and advocate for AI justice designs her life.

Sponsored by

Speakers

Dr. Joy Buolamwini

Founder, Algorithmic Justice League & Poet of Code

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League to create a world with more equitable and accountable technology. Her TED Featured ... Read More →

Debbie Millman

Host, Design Matters

Debbie Millman is the host of Design Matters, one of the first and longest running podcasts in the world. She is also Chair of the first-ever Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts, Editorial Director of PrintMag.com, an Executive Fellow at the Harvard Business School... Read More →

Friday May 30, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
WBUR CitySpace 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Live podcast taping, Arts & Culture