Economist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman has been named the 8th Annual Book Prize Winner by WOMEN’s WAY. Dive into her book, The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid, which explains why it is so expensive to be a woman in America, especially across races. Join a conversation with Opoku-Agyeman on November 18. See the event entry: ‘Author To Be Honored for Advancing Gender Equality.’
A wise author named Jim Bishop once said: “Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all other seasons.” And perhaps that gold is gratitude, as festive November ushers in the joy of the holiday season. From books to buttons of art, enjoy these low-cost or free fall events, which are well worth their weight in gold.
Author Sings Praises Of Marian Anderson in ‘Voice Of A Century’
Thursday, November 12, 2026. One of the greatest international singers ever, Marian Anderson is chronicled in a new book, Voice of a Century. Check out her story at the Free Library’s Author Events Series at a conversation and book signing with author Anthony Tommasini, former chief classical music critic for The New York Times.
Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, will be the event moderator. The book is an in-depth look at the late South Philadelphia contralto and civil rights champion, including her historic 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The concert drew 75,000 people and was a major step for racial justice. It was a defining moment, and the book examines how, at the time, Anderson was concerned that the concert would overshadow the rest of her career. She was also the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.
Tommasini and McGill will discuss the pioneering American singer’s artistry, legacy, leadership, and her significance today more than 30 years after her death. Participate in a question-and-answer-session afterwards.
Pre-register: $5 per person (donations also accepted), 7 p.m. EST to 8 p.m. EST. Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St. https://freelibraryfoundation.org/events/anthony-tommasini-voice-of-a-century/
Author To Be Honored for Advancing Gender Equality
Thursday, November 12, 2026. Join a conversation with the 8th Annual WOMEN’S WAY Book Prize recipient Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman. The award-winning economist is the author of The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid. She will discuss her 2025 book with Kelly Sheard, Chief Strategy Officer of WOMEN’S WAY, in a virtual event. Opoku-Agyeman will examine the cumulative financial, time, and labor costs that women confront, especially women of color, and how closing the gap benefits everyone. A question-and-answer session will follow.
The WOMEN’S WAY Book Prize was founded in 2007 to memorialize Ernesta Drinker Ballard, WOMEN’S WAY founder and Board president, whose advocacy helped shape the gender equity movement. WOMEN’S WAY is marking 50 years of addressing gender equity, and this virtual fireside chat will examine what it will take to build a more equitable economy and move gender forward in the future.
Virtual event, free, 5:30 p.m. EST. Email: info@womensway.org,215-985-3322 or https://womensway.org/events/18th-annual-womens-way-book-prize/
Artist Beau McCall, known as “The Button Man,” creates wearable art by hand-sewing clothing buttons on upcycled fabrics like the one seen here in the exhibit ‘Let’s begin in the middle.’
Textile Exhibit Is Right On The Button
Thursday, November 12, 2026. For some eye-popping creative art, check out the opening reception of Let’s begin in the middle, a new exhibit featuring seven textile artists who bring personal memory, cultural heritage, and storytelling to their art. The show is part of the InLiquid Gallery celebration of Philadelphia’s CraftMONTH.
The exhibition highlights embroidery, crochet, quilting and upcycled materials to demonstrate “the power of fiber arts to preserve history and connect generations.” One artist featured is Beau McCall, who is known as “The Button Man.” The show illustrates his stylish and resourceful creations of visual, wearable art made by hand-sewing secondhand and donated buttons onto upcycled fabrics. He says his work is “rooted in the Black cultural tradition of making something out of nothing.” The exhibit will be on view through Saturday, November 28, and open Wednesdays through Saturdays, noon to 6 p.m. EST.
The November 12th opening reception: Free, 6 p.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST; pre-registration is encouraged. Crane Arts Bldg. (Gallery 108), 140 N. American St. Email: Email: info@inliquid.org, 215-235-3405. RSVP or https://www.inliquid.org/contact
Exhibit Celebration Is A Lesson In Black Education
Thursday, November 12, 2026. Seize the last chance to get a glance at a community closing party for the public exhibit Teaching Freedom. The presentation explores Black Philadelphia’s 200-year legacy of liberation through education, featuring historical archiving, community reflection, and presentations by the Philadelphia Dreamkeepers Project. Learn about the legacy of Black education, from the pre-Civil War era through desegregation. The event will include a panel discussion, networking opportunities and more. The Teaching Freedom exhibit was organized by the Free Library Exhibitions and the Philadelphia Dreamkeepers Project.
Free but pre-register, 5:30 p.m. EST to 8 p.m. EST, Parkway Central Library (West Gallery One), 901 Vine St. https://www.eventbrite.com or Teaching Freedom Closing Celebration
New Exhibit Puts Art At Center Court
Saturday, November 14, 2026. Neil Anthony Edwards made the jump from the court to the canvas after his pro basketball career. Meet the baller-turned-artist at the opening of his latest solo art exhibit, EVANESCENCE: WE ARE ALL STILL FADING, at the Morton Contemporary Gallery. His art focuses on the 1910s to the 1960s, while adding two modern-day sports icons – the fictional Rocky Balboa and LeBron James. Each decade portrayed in his paintings unfolds and links to the next. The promotional material notes: “The tailored elegance of the 1910s, the daring glamour of the 1920s, and the cool confidence of the 1960s — all hang side by side, showing how every generation borrows from the last…”
The show is bookended by the old and new – the artist’s depiction of a scene of Rocky running down Philly’s Ben Franklin Parkway, with kids trailing him, and LeBron James (in a # 23 76ers uniform) whom he never played against. Edwards had a brief NBA stint in 2002 with the LA Clippers, while James launched his career with Cleveland in 2003.
$17.85 per person; 5 p.m. EST to 8 p.m. EST. Morton Contemporary Art Gallery, 115 S. 13th St. Email: Renata@mortoncontemporary.com, 215-735-2800 or https://mortoncontemporary.com/collections or https://www.eventbrite.com
Enjoy The Culture of Barbados
Wednesday November 18, 2026. Take time out for the World Affairs Table: Barbados, a fireside conversation with the Consul General of Barbados, H.E. Lorenzo Harewood and a culinary experience inspired by the culture of Barbados. It will all be part of a welcome reception featuring live Island music and activations celebrating Caribbean heritage. The discussion will be hosted by Lauren Swartz, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council. This hospitality event will represent the World Affairs Table series, offering in-depth gatherings with international diplomats and cultural experiences.
$85 per ticket (buy one, get one free: Use promo code: BOGO26); 6 p.m. EST to 8:30 p.m. Quorum at the University City Science Center, 3675 Market St. 215-561-4700 or https://wacphila.org/event/world-affairs-table-barbados
The work of artist Keith Andrews in the exhibit ‘Something from Something.’
Exhibit Spotlights Artists & Second Chances
Through Saturday, February 27, 2027.“Something from Something,” featuring three local artists, opened this week. Michael Butler, Dormen H. Lisby, Sr., and Keith Andrews bring their experience to their art in this exhibition that explores identity, resilience, and reformation through the paint strokes of the formerly incarcerated.
Lisby spent nearly 26 years incarcerated, where he developed his painting and drawing skills. Released in 2022, he has made good use of his reentry time. He serves as an Advanced-Level Facilitator and Lead Facilitator with Shining Light, a national nonprofit delivering strength-based, evidence-informed curriculum to the incarcerated. Butler served 17 years behind bars before, like Lisby, he rebuilt his life as a visual artist who helps formerly incarcerated individuals. Butler is the Fountain Fund’s Philadelphia site director. The exhibit is supported by the Fountain Fund, a national nonprofit expanding economic opportunity for formerly incarcerated individuals through access to financial support. “Something from Something” will be on view through February.
Free, Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. The Philadelphia Foundation Fund,1835 Market St. (Suite 2410). Email: mbutler@fountainfund.org, 267-209-0042 or https://www.fountainfund.org/
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?: EVENTS AROUND TOWN
(From left to right:)The Honorable Alando Terrelonge, Jamaica’s Minister of State, FunTimes Publisher Dr. Eric Nzeribe, and Consul General Oliver Mair at a hospitality reception in Philly in October. Photo by FunTimes Magazine.
Jamaican Leader Encourages Diaspora to Partner
The Honorable Alando Terrelonge, Jamaica’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, delivered a message of collaboration to Jamaicans abroad at a welcoming reception last month.
The event was hosted by the Honorary Consul Christopher Chaplin, as part of the second Jamaica Diaspora Northeast USA Conference at the PECO Building in Center City Philadelphia. Terrelonge encouraged Jamaicans to pursue opportunities through investment, agriculture, logistics, property, and the creative industries in America. The hopeful message called for Jamaica and the United States to continue to build an international partnership, diplomacy, and mutual opportunities in the future. Dr. Nzeribe wrote about the event right here in FunTimes, where you can read the full story.
