TED Talks
TED: A meditation on Rumi and the power of poetry | Leili Anvar
In an ode to the Persian language, author Leili Anvar unfurls the work of 13th-century mystic poet Rumi and reflects on how poetry gives meaning to our lives.
TED Talks
TED: The power of unconventional thinking | David McWilliams
From World War I to the 2008 economic collapse and beyond, history shows that economists don't always see the future as clearly as they think they do, says economist David McWilliams. Using the words of W.B. Yeats, McWilliams makes the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A day in the Islamic Golden Age | Birte Kristiansen and Petra Sijpesteijn
It's 791 CE. As the morning sun shines on the Golden Gate Palace, brother and sister Hisham and Asma prepare for the journey of a lifetime: the hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. They intend to travel with the big hajj caravan— but a...
Curated Video
Gael Garcia Bernal walks NYFF red carpet for interpretive telling of the life of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda
GAEL GARCIA BERNAL BRINGS INTERPRETIVE 'NERUDA' TO NYFFGael Garcia Bernal walked the red carpet Wednesday (5 OCT. 2016) for the New York Film Festival premiere of "Neruda."The movie is an interpretive telling of the life of Nobel...
PBS
Poet Amanda Gorman On How She Prepared For Inauguration Day
The poet who will carry on a tradition and present her new work, "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration this week is already quite accomplished at the age of 22. Jeffrey Brown talked to Amanda Gorman to learn more, as part of our...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The secret messages of Viking runestones | Jesse Byock
With their navigational skills and advanced longships, the Vikings sustained their seafaring for over 300 years. But for all their might, they left few monuments. Instead, fragments of stone, bark and bone found in the sites of ancient...
TED Talks
Stephen Burt: Why people need poetry
"We're all going to die -- and poems can help us live with that." In a charming and funny talk, literary critic Stephen Burt takes us on a lyrical journey with some of his favorite poets, all the way down to a line break and back up to...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why Shakespeare loved iambic pentameter - David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor
Shakespeare sometimes gets a bad rap in high schools for his complex plots and antiquated language. But a quick peek into the rhythm of his words reveals a poet deeply rooted in the way people spoke in his time - and still speak today....
TED Talks
TED: How I'm fighting bias in algorithms | Joy Buolamwini
MIT grad student Joy Buolamwini was working with facial analysis software when she noticed a problem: the software didn't detect her face -- because the people who coded the algorithm hadn't taught it to identify a broad range of skin...
TED Talks
TED: The surprising spread of Idol TV | Cynthia Schneider
Cynthia Schneider looks at two international "American Idol"-style shows -- one in Afghanistan, and one in the United Arab Emirates -- and shows the surprising effect that these reality-TV competitions are creating in their societies.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The poet who painted with his words - Genevieve Emy
Among the great poets of literary history, certain names like Homer, Shakespeare and Whitman are instantly recognizable. However, there's an early 20th century great poet whose name you may not know: Guillaume Apollinaire. Genevieve Emy...
Crash Course
Before I Got My Eye Put Out - The Poetry of Emily Dickinson: Crash Course English Lit
In which John Green concludes the Crash Course Literature mini-series with an examination of the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Sure, John explores the creepy biographical details of Dickinson's life, but he also gets into why her poems have...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The pleasure of poetic pattern - David Silverstein
Humans are creatures of rhythm and repetition. From our breath to our gait: rhythm is central to our experience, and often brings us pleasure. We can find pleasure in the rhythm of a song, or even the rows of an orchard. Of course, too...
TED Talks
TED: Give yourself permission to be creative | Ethan Hawke
Reflecting on moments that shaped his life, actor Ethan Hawke examines how courageous expression promotes healing and connection with one another -- and invites you to discover your own unabashed creativity. "There is no path till you...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Romance and revolution: the poetry of Pablo Neruda - Ilan Stavans
Get to know Pablo Neruda, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. -- A romantic and a revolutionary, Pablo Neruda was one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, but...
TED Talks
TED: Please don't take my Air Jordans | Lemon Andersen
Would you kill for a pair of Air Jordans? Lemon Andersen spins a tale of someone who did, reciting a poem by Reg E. Gaines. These verses taught Lemon that poetry could be about more than self-expression, and could sound like music when...
Crash Course
Roman Theater with Plautus, Terence, and Seneca: Crash Course Theater #6
In which Mike delves into the theater of ancient Rome. It wasn't all gladiators and Christian-killing, you know. There was theater, too. Roman drama drew heavily on Greek drama. So heavily, in fact, that many of the stories and...
Crash Course
Shakespeare's Sonnets: Crash Course Literature 304
This week, we're learning about sonnets, and English Literature's best-known purveyor of those fourteen-line paeans, William Shakespeare. We'll look at a few of Willy Shakes's biggest hits, including Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare thee to a...
Curated Video
Landmarks - Mount Everest
MOUNT EVEREST REVERED BY ALL WHO SEE IT. EVEREST STANDS 8048 METRES TALL OR 29 THOUSAND AND 29 FEET AND STRADDLES BOTH THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF NEPAL AND TIBET. ITS STATUS AS THE ROOF OF THE WORLD HEIGHTENED THE DESIRE OF MANY TO CONQUER...
Curated Video
Landmarks - Michaelangelo Masterpiece
MICHAELANGELO MASTERPIECE THE NAME MICHELANGELO HAS RESONATED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR FIVE CENTURIES. AN UNSURPASSED ARTISTIC MASTER IN WHICHEVER MEDIUM HE PUT HIS HAND TO, PAINTING, SCULPTURE, FRESCO AND DRAWING. EVEN IN THE UNLIKELY...
Wonderscape
Maya Angelou’s Early Life: Finding Her Voice
This video explores the early life of Maya Angelou, from her challenging childhood in segregated Stamps, Arkansas, to becoming the first African-American cable car conductor in San Francisco. It highlights her journey of overcoming...
Wonderscape
Youth Leading Social Justice Movements
Explore the inspiring journeys of young activists like Thandiwe Abdullah, Amanda Gorman, Malala Yousafzai, and Emma Gonzalez, who are at the forefront of movements such as Black Lives Matter, education reform, and gun control. These...
Curated Video
Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde, a trailblazing Black feminist, poet, and essayist, passionately explored intersectionality, identity, and activism, leaving an enduring impact on literature and social justice.
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 5.1 Performance: Theseus and Hippolyta Lines 1-30a
This video features a performance of the opening lines from Act 5, Scene 1 of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," where Theseus and Hippolyta discuss the strange tales told by the four lovers of Athens. Theseus expresses skepticism about the...