HOMEGROWN EXPERTISE Recruiting speakers for the annual Brookline Distinguished Lecture Series may suggest the proverbial shooting fish in a barrel. In a town where seemingly every neighborhood boasts Nobel Prize winners, acclaimed novelists, renowned historians, and nationally recognized academics, deciding whom not to invite to speak may be a bigger challenge than deciding who should be on the roster.
But it’s the challenge that Claudia Dell’Anno, director of Brookline Adult and Community Education, met willingly as she planned the upcoming speakers series. “Brookline has a lot of fascinating residents, and we are looking to spotlight our many leaders, visionaries, and innovators, but we are also looking to encourage thought-provoking conversations and a lively exchange of ideas,” Dell’Anno said.
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The new season of the lecture series kicks off on Sept. 26 at 10:30 a.m. with healer and acupuncturist Carol Green, who offers a twist on the conventional lecture format by inviting participants to join her on a walking meditation in Larz Anderson Park.
Other speakers in the series include journalist and author Anthony Flint on “Le Corbusier: The Original Star Architect” Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.; radio and newspaper reporter Margery Eagan on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.; and author and scholar Maxim D. Shrayer, who will discuss his memoir “Leaving Russia: A Jewish Story” on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. With the exception of the walk in Larz Anderson Park, all events in the series are held at Brookline High School, 115 Greenough St. Admission for the walking meditation is $10; all other lectures are $6 . For more information, call 617-730-2700 or go to www.brooklineadulted.org.
LENS ON THE PAST The Watertown Free Public Library, at 123 Main St., is hosting a retrospective of the past 50 years of work by local photographer Joseph Flack Weiler, with a selection of black and white gelatin silver prints depicting scenes from locations including Watertown, Boston, Gloucester, Paris, and Afghanistan, through Sept. 30. For hours and more information, call 617-972-6431 or go to www.watertownlib.org.
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MUSIC IN A MUSEUM On Wednesday, Sept. 16, Non-Event and the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum present the first fall concert in the Experimental Music in the Great Engines Hall series, featuring Australian performance artists Lawrence English and John Chantler. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the performance begins at 7 in the museum, overlooking the Chestnut Hill Reservoir at 2450 Beacon St. in Brighton. The general admission tickets are $15, or $10 for museum members and students. For more information, call 617-277-0065 or go to www.waterworksmuseum.org.
CATCH A FILM OR TWO The Concord Film Project opens its season on Tuesday, Sept. 15, with a screening of “Timbuktu.” Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, “Timbuktu” tells the story of a cattle herder and his family who find their usually quiet lives, typically free of Muslim jihadists determined to control their faith, abruptly disturbed. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the film begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and include a bag of popcorn. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online. Other films in this fall’s lineup are “White God” on Oct. 13 and “Force Majeure” on Nov. 17. All screenings take place at the Umbrella Community Arts Center, 40 Stow St. in Concord. Go to www.theumbrellaarts.org or call 978-371-0820 for tickets and information.
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CALLING ALL TOY SOLDIERS (AND THEIR OWNERS) On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Fort Devens Museum opens its doors to fans of miniature military figures. Those who played with toy soldiers in childhood, studied military regalia, or spend long hours playing the board game Risk will feel right at home at this gathering, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum is on the third floor at 94 Jackson Road in the Devens community, off Route 2’s Exit 37. For more information about the free event, go to www.fortdevensmuseum.org.
ART ON PAPER 6 Bridges Gallery in Maynard (formerly the Artspace Downtown Gallery) presents “Happenstance & Intention,” an exhibition of works on paper by Gail Erwin, Jane McKinnon Johnstone, and Natalie MacKnight. The show will continue through Sept. 26 at 6 Bridges Gallery, 77 Main St. For more information about the space, which features works created by local artists, go to 6bridgesgallery.com or call 978-897-3825.
Send ideas to nancyswest@gmail.com.