May 22, 2025 Celebrate Books, Music and Poetry During Live! At the Library in June

Live! At the Library in June will offer a dynamic evening of music, literature and conversation. Visitors on June 5 are invited to begin the night with a compelling talk by I. Augustus Durham who will explore the musical connection between Marvin Gaye and George Gershwin. Later in the evening, join acclaimed novelist Thomas Mallon for a discussion of his newly released book, “The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries.”

Also that night, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Washington Post Associate Editor Jonathan Capehart will present his memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home.” During this conversation, Capehart will discuss how he embraces the journey to finding his voice.

During Live! At the Library on Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the beautiful Great Hall overlooking the Capitol while visiting the Library’s exhibitions and programs.

Visitors are also invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces.

Ticketing
For events during Live! At The Library, please use the event registration ticketing link found next to the event below or at loc.gov/live. This ticket grants access to the program as well as the Library’s exhibitions and the happy hour portion of the evening.

Programming Highlights for May

June 5: Scholar and author I. Augustus Durham will explore connections between Marvin Gaye's music and the influence of George Gershwin. This event will take place in the Whittall Pavilion at 6 p.m. Register for this event.

June 5: Novelist Thomas Mallon will talk about his just-published book, "The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries, 1983-1994," about the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis with Library of Congress Literary Director Clay Smith. The Library holds Mallon’s personal archives, including his diaries, drafts and correspondence. This event will take place in Room LJ-119 at 6 p.m. Register for this event.

June 5: Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalist Jonathan Capehart, will discuss his memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home” with Peabody Award-winning journalist Michele Norris. This event will take place in Room LJ-119 at 7 p.m. Register for this event.

June 12: Join a poetry reading and conversation with Lina Rozbih, an Afghan-born novelist, poet, and journalist. As an acclaimed and award-winning writer, Rozbih's work addresses contemporary life, spirituality, Afghan culture and issues of human suffering. This event will take place in the Whittall Pavilion at 6 p.m. Register for this event.

Exhibitions On View

• A new exhibition, “The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution,” explores the lives and legacies of George Washington and King George III of Britain, adversaries during America’s war for independence. The Library of Congress brings their papers together for the first time to reveal the real men behind the myths. 
• “Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress,” the inaugural exhibition in the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery, draws from the Library’s rich Americana and international holdings in more than 450 languages and a variety of formats created across time and continents. “Collecting Memories” marks the ways and the means cultures preserve memory. 
• Take a trip through a re-created version of Thomas Jefferson’s Library, which assembles 6,487 volumes that founded the Library of Congress, and learn how one of America’s great thinkers was inspired through the world of books. 
• “Herblock Looks at 1975: Fifty Years Ago in Editorial Cartoons,” features the work of Herbert L. Block (1909–2001). Known to the world as Herblock, he was one of the most influential political commentators and editorial cartoonists in American history. This display features a selection of his work from 1975. On view through Aug. 6. 
• A new display, “Showstoppers: American Creators from Broadway to Hollywood,” features items from the Library’s Music Division, which holds more than 28 million items that document music, theater and dance in the United States and beyond. This display features select items showing how American songwriters, composers, dancers, choreographers, actors and directors have shaped popular culture. On view June 3 through Aug. 13. 
• "A National Treasure: The Library of Congress" is a small display that celebrates the history of the Thomas Jefferson Building, which opened to the public on November 1, 1897. Designed in an Italian Renaissance style, this building features the works of more than forty American sculptors and painters. It was also the first building in Washington, D.C., designed with electric lighting. The state-of-the-art facility was built to accommodate the Library of Congress’s burgeoning collections. 

Live! At the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new ways during extended evening hours from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday nights. The series regularly features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.