BPL Author Talks: Marilyn Monroe, Shakespeare and Filene’s

The following is an edited press release from the Boston Public Library:

During August, the Boston Public Library hosts a series of authors and speakers who will discuss legendary figures, ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Sacco and Vanzetti, along with legendary stories like the history of Filene’s department store. The schedule is as follows:

• John De Vito, co-author of The Immortal Marilyn: The Depiction of an Icon and current Boston Public Library staff member, will discuss Marilyn Monroe’s enduring legacy as the fiftieth anniversary of her death on August 5, 1962, approaches. Thursday, August 2, at 2 p.m., in Rabb Lecture Hall at the Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, 617.536.5400, and Monday, August 13, at 6:30 p.m., at the East Boston Branch, 276 Meridian Street, 617.569.0271. Both locations will also screen some of the actress’ classic films during the month of August. Visit the Boston Public Library calendar at www.bpl.org/calendar for additional details.

• Shakespeare fan Judith Klau will offer a talk called, “Coriolanus on the Common: An Introduction to Shakespeare's Tragedy” to complement the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s performances on the Boston Common July 25-August 12. The play tells the story of legendary Roman leader, Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Tuesday, August 7, at 6:30 p.m., South End Branch, 685 Tremont Street, 617.536.8241.
  
  
• Robert Taylor will discuss his book, A New Way to Be Human: 7 Spiritual Pathways to Becoming Fully Alive, which is part spiritual guidebook and part remarkable life story. A New Way to Be Human encourages the reader to dig into his or her own life story, break through personal difficulties, and "polish the world with kindness." Thursday, August 9, at 6 p.m., in the Orientation Room at the Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, 617.536.5400.

• Michael Lisicky’s Filene’s: Boston’s Great Specialty Store, the newest addition to Arcadia’s popular Images of America series is a picture-filled look at William Filene's Sons Company, founded in 1870, which brought fashion and entertainment to generations of Bostonians. Thursday, August 23, at 6 p.m., in the Orientation Room at the Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, 617.536.5400.

• In With Malice Aforethought: The Execution of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Theodore W. Grippo tells the story of two Italian immigrants who were charged and convicted of the murder of a payroll guard in a Boston suburb in 1920, taking the reader through the murder trial and examining new documents and other recently discovered evidence. Tuesday, August 28, at 6 p.m., in the Orientation Room at the Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, 617.536.5400.