Lectures & Conversations

Veteran journalist Bill Press sits down for an in-depth conversation with New York Times bestselling author, Lynne Olson Lynne Olson is a New York Times bestselling author of ten books of history, most of which focus on World War II. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has called her “our era’s foremost chronicler of World War…

On September 30th at 7.00 pm, two outstanding Smithsonian Museum curators will present and discuss their recent books and the key insights derived from archival research, field work, and material culture studies that increase our understanding of this quintessential American music and its global influence. Dwandalyn R. Reece will present Musical Crossroads: Stories Behind the…

Hill Center launched its new public affairs discussion series At Issue in April. The series examines the many critical issues we are faced with today. The New York Times recently published an editorial board opinion titled, “Trump’s Politicized F.B.I. Has Made Americans Less Safe,” in which it argues, “Only 11 days after President Trump was…

“Personally driven, historically necessary, and politically salient.” —Kirkus Reviews Fatemeh Jamalpour will be in conversation with Holly Dagres, Senior Fellow The Washington Institute Fatemeh Jamalpour is a feminist journalist banned from working in Iran by the Ministry of Intelligence. Jamalpour has worked as a freelance reporter for outlets such as The Sunday Times, The Paris Review…

Heating, lighting, and plumbing provide comfort and convenience to the modern home. How did the historic row houses of Capitol Hill accommodate these modern interventions? On Monday, November 10, at…

The Civil War marks the turn of DC’s firefighting efforts from volunteer firefighting brigades to a city-wide department of trained and paid firefighters. Amy Mauro, Esq., executive director of the…

Veteran journalist Bill Press sits down for an in-depth conversation with New York Times chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker and The New Yorker staff writer, Susan Glasser, for a…

“Clifford Thompson has skillfully captured in words a distinct era of American history, the specific feel over time of two major cities (Washington and New York); an intimate glimpse of the complexity of race and masculinity; and the small details of family, love, ambition, fear, fatherhood, and aging that make up a life. It is…

Veteran journalist Bill Press sits down for an in-depth conversation with historian Rick Atkinson about his new book THE FATE OF THE DAY: The War for America: Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780 Atkinson played key roles in Ken Burns' new documentary series, The American Revolution: An Intimate History,  serving as a principal advisor and on-camera…

Calling all Crossword, Spelling Bee, and Wordle Fans! If you are ever a little nosey and glance at the phone screen of the person sitting next to you on the train, or in a café, or in line at a store, there is a pretty good chance that you will see them playing Wordle, Spelling…

Hill Center launched its new public affairs discussion series, At Issue in 2025. The series examines the many critical issues we are faced with today. Dara Lind is a Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council, where she works to help the public better understand immigration policy with written resources, public engagement, and guidance of…

Profs and Pints DC presents: “The Search for Life Beyond Earth,” with Måns Holmberg, postdoctoral researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute and part of a team of astronomers looking for chemical traces of life on distant exoplanets. Are we alone in the universe? While many of us have pondered that question, astronomer Måns Holmberg of Baltimore’s Space…

Is Shakespeare relevant today? Do we really need a building dedicated to him and his times in the 21st century, when we are so heavily reliant on the virtual world? The Folger Shakespeare Library, a sleek expression of early 20th century neoclassicism, stands as one of the most interesting, privately held buildings on Capitol Hill.…

A history of Black poets in Washington, DC, reveals how they have reflected and transformed American cultural discourse The discussion will feature poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Folger Poetry Manager and eminent DC Poet, Karl Carter Washington, DC, has long been home to a dynamic and vibrant African American literary community, despite often being overshadowed…

Federal-era Capitol Hill has left few markers on our cityscape and few artifacts survive to tell its tale. Surprisingly, a special group of textiles (usually ephemeral) created by girls (often invisible in records and histories) offers the best jumping-off point for painting a picture of 1810s-1820s Navy Yard and Capitol Hill populations. Recent research into these…

Join us on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 from 7-9 pm at Hill Center for a candidate forum with the Democratic candidates for the DC mayor's race. Submit your questions in advance to [email protected]. This event is co-hosted by the DC Democrats, the Ward 6 Democrats, the Ward 2 Democrats, Capital Community News (the Hill Rag,…

Hill Center launched its new public affairs discussion series, At Issue in April. The series examines the many critical issues we are faced with today. Fact: voter fraud almost never happens in the United States. In ramping up election attacks, will the Trump administration throw the midterms into disarray? David Becker notes that "this administration…

Join us on Tuesday, May 11, 2026 from 7-9 pm at Hill Center for a candidate forum with the Democratic candidates for the Ward 6 Council race. Submit your questions in advance to [email protected]. This event is co-hosted by the DC Democrats, the Ward 6 Democrats, Capital Community News (the Hill Rag, East of the…

This conversation is a part of Hill Center's Life of a Poet series. Ron Charles will be in conversation with poet, editor, and Life of a Poet curator and moderator, Kyle Dargan. A recent New York Times article mourned the end of the Washington Post's Book World as a major blow to literary journalism and…

Simon discusses and reads from his charming new book, Ulysses S. Cat And Other Animals I Have Known “Scott Simon’s work, filled with irresistible, heartfelt encounters and journeys with animals,…

"I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim."  - Frederick Douglass This discussion is part of Hill Center's Benjamin Drummond Emancipation Day Celebration Series   In April 2015, the Benjamin Drummond Emancipation Day Celebration Series…