For the Public

Each year, Primary Source offers a series of programs open to the public. We welcome you to join us for one or more of these exciting, internationally minded lectures and performances throughout the season. Past programs have included discussions with authors Greg Mortenson (Three Cups of Tea) and John Stauffer (Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln); an Indian dance performance; and film screenings with directors Socheata Poeuv and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

2009-2010 Public Programs

Crossing Heaven's Border
November 18, 2009
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Embassy Cinema, 16 Pine Street, Waltham
A Documentary Film Presented by Primary Source and Wide Angle
$10 Suggested Donation
RSVP online

Crossing Heaven's Border reveals the plight of North Korean defectors from the point of view of intrepid South Korean journalists who risk their lives filming undercover for ten months to capture the haunting stories first-hand. The reporters introduce us to a mother working in China as a tour guide to support her six-year-old son who has cerebral palsy and in dire need of medical attention. And we follow the grueling ten-day journey of a teenage girl and a little boy smuggled overland across China and Laos into Thailand, where North Korean defectors can request asylum at the South Korean embassy.

The screening of Crossing Heaven's Border will be followed by a post-film discussion with Wellesley Professor and Asia Society Associate Fellow Katharine Moon.

An Evening With Author Lisa See
February 3, 2010
Primary Source, Watertown
6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Lecture and Discussion
$10 Suggested Donation
This event is now full. Only those who RSVP'ed will be guaranteed admission to the event.

Join Primary Source and critically acclaimed author Lisa See as she presents her newest novel, Shanghai Girls. Ms. See, whose previous works include On Gold Mountain, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and Peony in Love will discuss Shanghai Girls, which follows the story of two young Chinese women in the 1930s who move from Shanghai to Los Angeles to join their husbands in arranged marriages. This exciting event also offers an opportunity to hear Ms. See's personal perspective on the Chinese-American immigration story presented in the novel.

Copies of Shanghai Girls will be available for sale and a book-signing will follow Ms. See's talk.

Modern Day Slavery
March 25, 2010
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Boston Public Library, Rabb Lecture Hall
Cost: Free and open to the public
RSVP online

Did you know that today there are an estimated 27 million people enslaved around the world, on all six inhabited continents, and in the United States? Slavery is not just an historical phenomenon, but a contemporary problem that continues to persist in many forms all over the world. Join Primary Source for an informative and insightful panel discussion with some of the most prominent figures leading the fight against slavery in the 21st century. Hear from multiple perspectives about the chilling realities of human trafficking and bondage, and the social movements that are working to help victims and abolish the practice of modern day slavery.