Patchwork Storytelling Guild presents A Patchwork of Stories for Grown Ups. This live event is open to the public.  Patchwork offers Free, Pay-What-You-Can ticket options to ensure accessibility. Running Time: about 120 minutes.

For centuries, stories have been shared wherever people gathered—around kitchen tables, campfires, front porches, and village squares. On Sunday, September 6, Patchwork Storytelling Guild continues that tradition with A Patchwork of Stories for GrownUps at The Rotunda.

Hosted by storyteller and Patchwork Storytelling Guild President Denise McCormack, the afternoon brings together fourteen storytellers whose lives and experiences have led them to the ancient art of oral storytelling. Through personal narrative, traditional tales, literary adaptations, and stories inspired by cultures from around the world, each will invite audiences to listen, imagine, and connect. 

Joining McCormack in this amazing lineup are, in alphabetical order: Michele Belluomini, Ingrid Bohn, Sanjukta Bhowmik, Xavier Bradley, Jessica Dimuzio, Ray Gray, Kevin Hauver, Mara Lemos-Stein, Philip Moore, Penny Penelope, Barbara Sherf, Chris Sturgis, Nancy Taylor, and David Vanadia. More info on the tellers, their tales, and tickets HERE

You’re invited to attend the 5th Annual Local Filmmaker Showcase presented by People's Media Fund and produced and hosted by cinéSPEAK!This is event is 5th Annual Local Filmmaker Showcase presented by People's Media Fund (PMF), produced by cinéSPEAK.

How can rituals ground us in reclaiming our stories when we're far from our roots? Many of us have been displaced from our home countries because of political and/or climate instability, queerness, gentrification, and corporate greed. Yet, con fuerza (with strength), we find a way to rebuild new homes and carve new pathways in foreign lands.

Join us for a special community screening featuring films by nine Greater Philadelphia filmmakers. Together, their works explore the rituals, traditions, relationships, and shared experiences that help shape identity, belonging, and community from both diasporic and Philadelphia-rooted perspectives.

**EVENT FLOW**DOORS @ 6:00PM — Come early to mix n' mingle and enjoy light refreshments by Philly Hummus GirlFILMS @ 7:00PM—with Q&A with filmmakers to follow. The conversation will be moderated by Samíl Jimenez-Magdaleno, Program Officer at People's Media Fund.

**TICKETS**GENERAL ADMISSION: FREE! *Registration is Requested* Seating is first come, first served.

Film synopses, tickets, and more info HERE

**PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO**Photographs and/or video will be taken at this event. By attending this event, you consent to your image/likeness, voice, and/or name being used in photographs and/or film, and any reproductions or adaptations thereafter, by Independence Public Media Foundation to use in any and all print and digital media in perpetuity. If you do not wish to be photographed and/or filmed, reach out to Enni Aigbomian, Communications and Events Manager, at enni@independencemedia.org.

In The Kenning Place: A Well of Wisdom from the Collective Memory, audiences are invited to explore the reservoir of human experience, where myth, memory, folklore, and reflection meet in story and connection.

Drawing on ancient tales from the oral tradition, Denise McCormack brings to light stories that resonate across time—carried through generations and alive with relevance and meaning for living in today’s world.

The Kenning Place is created and performed by storyteller, speaker, and researcher Denise McCormack, whose work explores the meeting place of myth, memory, folklore, and personal narrative. She is president of Patchwork: A Storytelling Guild and has appeared at regional and national storytelling events throughout the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

Denise McCormack is a storyteller, speaker, and researcher of oral tradition, ancient texts, and the cultures that preserved them. She has performed and curated programming at regional and national venues, including storytelling festivals, community programs, and educational settings.

*The Kenning Place* is presented in association with Patchwork: A Storytelling Guild.Recommended for audiences 18 and up. 

Admission is FREE/pay-what-you-can. Advance registration is recommended HERE.

Ginsburg’s Howl, as read by James Dalton with the Ginsburg Beat Connection

In celebration of Ginsburg’s 100th birthday, come experience a fresh new take on Allen Ginsburg’s iconic poem “Howl” featuring performer and raconteur James Dalton. 

Join them as they explore sonic territories in jazz, blues and noise with highly emotional interpretations of the text.

Ginsberg Beat Connection Is a revolutionary ensemble featuring a revolving membership of Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York international musicians that have been on the cutting edge of the most creative music of our times playing, producing or recording with some of the most innovative and influential artists in the music industry.

Members include: Jair-Rohm Parker Wells (Machine Gun, Thomas Chapin, John Sinclair, Bob Bolden), Robert Musso (Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder, Machine Gun, John Zorn), Abe Speller (Sonny Sharrock, need more here) James Dalton ( Edinburgh Fringe, Gothenburg Fringe, New York Fringe, Reykjavik Fringe, Brighton Fringe), David Dzubinski (Doug Wimbish, Calvin Weston, Gary US Bonds, Darlene Love)”

$10 students & seniors/$15 general. Ticket link and updated poster coming soon. 

Bigga Dre Presents DECODING The INTELLECTUAL WARFARE on our YOUTH D.M.A.V.G.(Drill Music And Video Games) KNOWING FACTS & EXAMINING RISK5pm-8pm LEARN MORE:A child’s brain is not fully developed until around 25 years old, though different parts mature at different times:

• Early childhood (0–5 years): Massive brain development occurs—especially in language, emotion regulation, and sensory processing.

• Middle childhood (6–12 years): Cognitive skills like memory, attention, and logic improve steadily.

• Adolescence (13–19 years): The brain undergoes a second growth spurt. The limbic system (emotions and rewards) matures earlier, while the prefrontal cortex (decision-making, impulse control, planning) lags behind.

• Early adulthood (20–25 years): The prefrontal cortex finally finishes developing, which is why judgment, risk assessment, and self-regulation improve.

So while kids and teens can be very capable, their brains are still wiring up the most complex functions until their mid-20s.

*OPEN DISCUSSION *GUEST SPEAKERS * FOOD * Light Refreshments & EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES *All Age Event

Pay-what-you-can/donations accepted

#Eschatology #BringOurGirlsBack  #BringOurBoysBack 

Download the PSA (Public Service Announcement) at officialbiggadre.hearnow.com 

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SUBSCRIBE 

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On Wednesday, September 23 the Secret Cinema will return to the Rotunda for a brand new program called D for Design: Form and Function at Mid-Century. It will include several short films exploring the role and methods of product designers, as well as the style revolution that occurred in the post-war years (in recent times celebrated as "Mid-Century Modern"). Most of the films will be making their Secret Cinema debut.

There will be one complete show, starting at 8:00 pm. Admission is free.

Just a few highlights of Famous Films 2026 include:

About Design (1975) - A philosophical treatment of the problem of design, produced by IBM. The film employs abstract photography and creative editing along with many views of Selectric type balls, 8" floppy disks, CRT screens and other now obsolete-yet-beautiful examples of technology (ironically, this is the newest film in the program).D for Design (1956) - Produced by the Government Film Commission of Denmark, this colorful look at modern Danish furniture, fabrics, ceramics and silverware takes us inside factories to show the work of the artisans who design these bold looking products -- often basing them on patterns found in nature.

(1959) - Eliot Noyes worked for IBM for 21 years, creating their first corporate-wide design program. In this rare film, made for in-house use, he discusses those design concerns from a technical standpoint, showing how they created a practical, unified look for their new computer consoles, paper tape readers and high speed printers. Noyes would soon design the IBM Selectric typewriter and the look of Mobil gas stations, and is considered one of the key industrial designers and architects of the 20th century. A feature-length documentary about his achievements, was released in 2023.

American Look (1958) - "Improved styling constantly adds to the ease and grace and gaiety of American living." Showcasing a veritable orgy of fifties Populuxe design in furniture, housewares, appliances and packaging, American Look professes that "the basic freedom of the American people…is the freedom of individual choice." Following this extensive tour of Mid-Century Modern consumerism, we get a peek inside Chevrolet's lavish design studios, where sketch artists, clay modelers and colorists are busy at work. This visually stunning time-capsule would not be the same in black-and-white -- fortunately for us, it was printed on non-fading Technicolor film stock. Produced by prolific industrial film studio Jam Handy (for their most frequent client, General Motors).

Plus more!

Admission is FREE

Fire Museum Presents: Mir Naqibul Islam - Tabla Waves: A New SoundMir Naqibul Islam:

Mir Naqibul Islam (b. 1989 in Dhaka, Bangladesh) is a New York based tabla player from the farukhabad gharana. He has trained in the traditional guru-shishya parampara pedagogical convention of North Indian classical music from Pandit Ashoke Paul, a disciple of the great Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Mir began learning tabla at the age of seven from Pt. Madan Gopal Das at Chhayanaut, a renowned music school in Dhaka, and completed a six-year-long course from 1996 to 2001. Thereafter, he continued onto advanced tabla studies with Pandit Ashoke Paul from the farukhabad gharana. During 2010–2012, he also received training in the benaras gharana of tabla from Pandit Gopal Mishra at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center in Dhaka. Mir was also connected to the Bengal Parampara Sangeetlaya (BPS), Dhaka as a music scholar from 2014–2016 under Guru Padma Shri Pandit Suresh Talwalkar and received training in the delhi gharana of tabla during this time. Currently, Mir is continuing his advanced tabla studies with the legendary maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee.

Mir regularly performs tabla solo recitals in addition to accompanying vocalists, instrumentalists, and dancers from South Asian traditions including Hindustani and Bengali classical and semi-classical forms. He has received international acclaim for his performances for diverse audiences across Bangladesh, India, and the US. He has performed with world renowned musicians such as Pandit Krishna Mohan Bhatt, Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya, Pandit Anirban Dasgupta, Pandit Steve Gorn, Vidushi Bharati Pratap, Gyan Riley, Ben Monder, and Premik Russel among others. He has been an active member of the New York based musicians collective Brooklyn Raga Massive since 2016, playing a key role in experimental and genre crossing projects with the collective throughout.

Tabla Waves: A New Sound is a contemporary reimagining of the traditional tabla solo. Rooted in the centuries-old rhythmic traditions of North Indian classical music, Mir Naqibul Islam explores the tabla through new sonic perspectives, drawing from electronic music, improvisation, jazz, folk traditions, and other contemporary influences. At its core, the tabla recital remains the foundation, while sound, rhythm, and technology open new possibilities for how this timeless instrument can be heard.

The collaborators are:

Mir Naqibul Islam: Tabla

Srikar Ayyalasomayajula: Harmonium

Mehrnam Rastegari: Kamancheh

Randall Dunn: Synthesizer

Admission is FREE/donations appreciated