The Music of Jacob Deck

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a concert by local traditional musician Jacob Deck! Jacob has spent years immersed in the rich traditional music scene in Boston and beyond. With harp, flute, and voice, he carries an eclectic mix of songs and tunes forward into the future.

Charlestown Branch, Boston Public Library

Resources for Mars Exploration & Settlement

Did you enjoy the book and film&nbsp;The Martian&nbsp;by Andy&nbsp;Weir, about an astronaut alone on Mars? Have you wondered how people might live on Mars? That future is&nbsp;not so far away!&nbsp; This talk by National Space Society Ambassador&nbsp;Eric Harkleroad&nbsp;will cover natural resources&nbsp;available on Mars, the chemistry to make use of them, and&nbsp;related topics. Questions and discussion are encouraged. This event is organized by the National Space Society's&nbsp;Space Ambassadors program, which provides educational presentations about the human endeavor to create a&nbsp;future with people working and living in space.

Author Talk with B. A. Shapiro: The Lost Masterpiece

B. A. Shapiro, author of the&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;bestseller&nbsp;The Art Forger, discusses her latest novel,&nbsp;The Lost Masterpiece. A story of love, adultery, betrayal, family secrets, and the grueling birth of Impressionism, The Lost Masterpiece&nbsp;takes the reader on a whirlwind adventure from the streets of Paris in the late 1800s and the studio Berthe Morisot shared with Manet, Degas, and Renoir at a time when it was improper for women to paint seriously to the present day. Shapiro brings Berthe’s world to life, tracing her work through generations of descendants and introducing us to a painter as brilliant and original as her male counterparts. &nbsp; We'll learn all about this fascinating story and hold a Q &amp; A on the author's work. B.A. Shapiro is the award-winning and&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;bestselling author of ten novels, including&nbsp;<a href="https://bashapirobooks.com/novels/the-lost-masterpiece/">The Lost Masterpiece</a>&nbsp;(June 17, 2025),&nbsp;<a href="https://bashapirobooks.com/novels/metropolis/">Metropolis</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bashapirobooks.com/novels/the-collectors-apprentice/">The Collector’s Apprentice</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://bashapirobooks.com/novels/the-muralist/">The Muralist</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bashapirobooks.com/novels/the-art-forger/">The Art Forger</a>, which won the New England Book Award for Fiction, among other honors. Her books have been selected as Community Reads throughout the country and have been translated into over a dozen languages. She holds a PhD in sociology and has directed research projects for a residential substance abuse facility, worked as a systems analyst/statistician, headed the Boston office of a software development firm, and served as an adjunct professor teaching sociology at Tufts University and creative writing at Northeastern University. She likes writing novels the best. Barbara splits her time between Boston and Naples, Florida.

New England’s First Serial Killer: The Northwood Murderer with Historian Chris Daley

Join us at the Charlestown branch of the Boston Public Library for a lecture on the chilling story of New England's first serial killer&nbsp;with historian Chris Daley. On September 24, 1872, 14-year-old Georgianna Lovering went missing from her home in Northwood, New Hampshire. A massive search for the girl ensued. Her shawl and hair comb were found in an area where it appeared a scuffle had taken place. Searchers feared she had been murdered. Later, her eccentric uncle Franklin Evans’ behavior aroused suspicion from the locals and he was brought in for questioning. Eventually, he confessed to Georgianna’s murder and led the police to her body. The body was found to be mutilated with organs removed. Evans would lead authorities to the spot where he had secreted them. Evans was tried and convicted of the Lovering murder and sentenced to death by hanging. While awaiting the sentence to be carried out, Evans began to confess to numerous other murders in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts—most notably the famous unsolved Bussey Woods Murders that happened in Boston in 1865. This presentation will examine Franklin Evans and his murderous life as New England’s first serial killer through the use of period and modern photographs, maps, and newspaper sources.

No Irish Need Apply: The History of the Irish in Boston with Historian Chris Daley

Join us at the Charlestown branch of the Boston Public Library for a lecture on the history and legacy of Irish immigrants in Boston&nbsp;with historian Chris Daley. The talk begins with a look at the scant evidence there is of the Irish who were brought over unwillingly as indentured servants in the late 17th Century. Then, the first real migration of the Irish in 1718, the arrival of the Scot-Irish or the "Ulster Irish," will be discussed. Next, we will examine the slow pre-famine trickle of Irish Catholic immigrants coming into Boston as well as the corresponding increase in Anti-Irish/Catholic sentiment within Boston, beginning with the notorious Pope's Day celebrations and then turning to the burning of the Ursuline Convent in 1834 in Charlestown and the Broad Street Riot of 1837. The massive wave of immigration into Boston after the Great Potato Famine will be examined next with respect to the condition of the new arrivals, the neighborhoods they settled, how they banded together, the kinds of work they did to survive and their eventual assimilation into American culture. Finally, there will be a discussion of the rise of the Irish within the sphere of Boston politics. Short vignettes on such Irish political leaders such as Patrick Collins, Hugh O'Brien, Martin Lomasney, Patrick J. Kennedy, John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and, of course, the old "Rascal King" himself, James Michael Curley, will be given.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

Where

charlestownbpl

Experiences

The Music of Jacob Deck

Resources for Mars Exploration & Settlement

Author Talk with B. A. Shapiro: The Lost Masterpiece

New England’s First Serial Killer: The Northwood Murderer with Historian Chris Daley

No Irish Need Apply: The History of the Irish in Boston with Historian Chris Daley