Explore: politics

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How to Vote in the Primary Election on Tuesday, May 21

Philadelphians: it’s time to make your voting plans for the 2019 Pennsylvania primary election, which will be held this coming Tuesday, May 21! The Free Library is here to help you vote, in more ways than one. Here’s an…

First Ladies, In Their Own Words

The position of First Lady is a unique one in American government. It’s not a democratically elected position, but the office holds a great deal of cultural clout, and the women who occupied it have been deemed significant enough…

Plan for the Polls: No Excuses!

With the launch of our Division of Cultural and Civic Engagement (DCCE), the Free Library is committed, more than ever, to getting Philadelphians involved in what’s happening in their neighborhoods and communities, as well as the…

Midterms Matter: Democracy Looks Like You!

Voting is an exercise in democracy. And no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, if you’re not registered to vote, your voice won’t be heard. Midterms matter! And for these crucial 2018 elections, the deadline to…

Our Spring 2018 Author Events Series Is Full of Fire and Fury!

Updated January, 16, 2018 Watch our interview with Michael Wolff tonight LIVE starting @ 7:30 p.m. A week from today, in what is sure to be one of our more interesting Author Events to ever take place at the Free Library, we welcome…

Rally to Save Net Neutrality and Open Internet for All!

Welp, here we go again... This is what could happen if there are no Net Neutrality laws. Remember Net Neutrality ? If not, here's a refresher: In its simplest terms, Net Neutrality is the basic principle that prohibits internet…

November 7th is Election Day

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7th throughout the state of Pennsylvania. During this general election, Philadelphians will elect both a new District Attorney and City Controller, as well as: Nine new judges on Philadelphia…

Looking Beyond the Headlines: What You Should Know About Russia, North Korea, and Turkey

Relatively few Americans have ever visited or know much about Russia, North Korea, and Turkey. Yet, each passing day seems to bring additional evidence that these nations are working to thwart U.S. foreign policy goals from Eastern…

Presidential Inaugural Stories and Anecdotes

The peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to the next is a hallmark of our democracy—and something that Americans take great pride in. The occasion is particularly bittersweet when one of our two major…

Bernie Sanders: Progressivism, Social Democracy, and Political Revolution

2016 will be remembered for many things in the history books and one of those top historical moments will be the 2016 Presidential Election. No matter which candidate you voted for or what political beliefs you may hold, there is no…

Click, Engage, and Involve at Technology Learning Collaborative's Conference

The Technology Learning Collaborative (TLC) , an association of service organizations from throughout Philadelphia committed to leveraging technology resources to reduce poverty, improve public health, decrease homelessness,…

Celebrate International Literacy Day with the Free Library

Happy International Literacy Day ! While everyone knows libraries are literacy hubs, many might not know the different types of literacy the Free Library of Philadelphia helps to promote! Not sure what we're talking about? Here…

Terry McAuliffe | Beyond Charlottesville: Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism

The Democratic governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018, Terry McAuliffe “won praise even from Republicans for his tireless salesmanship” ( Washington Post ) of the Old Dominion. A former chair of the National Governors…

Harriet A. Washington | A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind

Harriet A. Washington won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Medical Apartheid , a far-reaching history of medical experimentation on black Americans from the colonial era to present day. Also the author of Deadly Monopolies and…

Rachel Louise Snyder | No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us

PLEASE NOTE: THE EVENT WITH OTTESSA MOSHFEGH HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND WILL NOT BE RESCHEDULED. The recipient of an Overseas Press Award for her contributions to This American Life , Rachel Louise Snyder is the author of No Visible Bruises…

Ancient Wisdom & Modern Heartbreak: How Rome Helped Shape the U.S.

Explore the Roman world with distinguished professors from Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania, who will weave together the connections between this ancient empire and our democratic republic today. Part 4: Roman…

American Presidency

The 2016 American Presidency Series will blend education and entertainment for the whole family, offering lectures and analysis about the presidency and leadership along with enriching programs for children in our neighborhood libraries.…

Presidents of the United States

Under the United States Constitution, the President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States. As chief of the executive branch and face of the federal government as a whole, the presidency is…

U.S. Elections and Politics

The United States midterm general election will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. In Pennsylvania, the ballot includes candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, the Pennsylvania State Senate,…

NewsBank Hot Topics

Trending news and hot topics for your next assignment! Hot topics covers Current Events, Business & Economics, Civics, Government, & Politics, Social Issues, Science, Technology & Health, Sports, Arts & Literature, and People in the News.

InfoTrac Student Edition *

High school students will have access to age-appropriate content from magazines, journals, newspapers, reference books, and engaging multi-media covering a wide range of subjects, from science, history, and literature to political…

George Packer | Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century

George Packer won the 2013 National Book Award for The Unwinding , a biographical examination of the seismic shifts in economics and politics over the past three decades that have brought the United States to the brink. A longtime New…

Nicole Weisensee Egan | Chasing Cosby: The Downfall of America’s Dad

In conversation with Annette John-Hall, cohost and producer of The Why on WHYY A 14-year veteran crime reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News , Nicole Weisensee Egan was the first journalist to delve into Andrea Constand’s 2005 sexual…

Richard Blanco | How to Love a Country: Poems

Richard Blanco made history four times at Barack Obama’s second presidential inauguration: He was the first immigrant, the first Latino, the youngest person, and the first openly gay person to be the U.S. inaugural poet. Exploring…

Robert A. Caro | Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing

In conversation with Dick Polman , "Writer in Residence" at the University of Pennsylvania, national political columnist at WHYY News and contributor to The Atlantic Standing at “the summit of American historical writing” ( Washington…

Michael Dobbs | The Unwanted: America, Auschwitz, and a Village Caught In Between

A longtime foreign correspondent for The Washington Post , Michael Dobbs reported on some of the most important events of our time. His many books include Down with Big Brother: The Fall of the Soviet Empire , Saboteurs: The Nazi Raid…

Valerie Jarrett | Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward

In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition “The ultimate Obama insider” ( New York Times ), Valerie Jarrett was the longest serving advisor in the 44th President’s administration. Born in Iran and…

Barry Lopez | Horizon

Barry Lopez won the National Book Award for Arctic Dreams , a “rich, abundant, vigorously composed” ( Boston Globe ) meditation on his travels in the barren but beautiful far North. His other work includes Of Wolves and Men , Crow and…

Cecile Richards | Make Trouble: Stand Up, Speak Out, and Find the Courage to Lead—My Life Story

In conversation with Tamala Edwards , anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition A “heroine of the resistance” ( Vogue ), Cecile Richards was the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund…

Albert Woodfox | Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope

In conversation with award-winning journalist Tracey Matisak. Falsely accused and convicted of a 1972 robbery in which a white guard was killed, Albert Woodfox served more than four decades in solitary confinement in Louisiana’s…

Carolyn Forché | What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance

In conversation with Beth Kephart, the award-winning author of twenty-four books, including Going Over , Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir , and Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River . “An unflinching…

David Treuer | The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present

An Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota and an unromantic chronicler of Native American culture and literature, David Treuer is the author of the novels Prudence , Little , The Hiawatha , and The Translation of…

Brittney Cooper | Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower with Rebecca Traister | Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger

In converation with Rebecca Traister , author of Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger Examining the intersections of race, gender, and politics in a popular monthly Cosmo column, Brittney Cooper is also a professor of…

Don Winslow | The Border

The author of numerous international bestselling crime novels, Don Winslow is the recipient of dozens of awards and spots on myriad best-books-of-the-year lists. These books include The Winter of Frankie Machine , The Force , and…

Steve Luxenberg | Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation

A 30-year writer and senior editor at The Washington Post , Steve Luxenberg has overseen reportage that has won a host of awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes for explanatory journalism. He is the author of Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey in…

Pete Buttigieg | Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future

In conversation with Tamala Edwards , anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition The multifaceted, 36-year-old progressive mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg is a Rhodes Scholar and Harvard graduate. Nearly a decade ago he left…

Bernard-Henri Lévy | The Empire and the Five Kings: America’s Abdication and the Fate of the World

In conversation with Carlin Romano , Critic-at-Large, The Chronicle of Higher Education , former literary critic The Philadelphia Inquirer and author of America the Philosophical . “Perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France…

Howard Schultz | From the Ground Up: My Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America

In conversation with William Kristol, founder and former editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard . The former chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz led the java giant from eleven cafes in the Seattle area to more than 28,000…

Victor LaValle with Justina Ireland, Sam J. Miller, and Alice Sola Kim | A People's Future of the United States: Twenty-five Visionary Stories

Amidst a climate of division, tumult, and fear, what will the United States look like tomorrow? In A People’s Future of the United States , 25 diverse writers synthesize hopeful, cynical, prescient visions of a country shaped by…

Feminista Jones | Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets with DaMaris B. Hill | A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing

Social worker, public speaker, community activist, and blogger Feminista Jones is the author of the novel Push the Button and the poetry collection The Secret of Sugar Water . She was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in…