WYPR Events

Profs and Pints Baltimore presents: “The Science of Curiosity,” on understanding and cultivating your desire to learn more, with Todd B. Kashdan, professor of psychology and founder of The Well-Being Lab at George Mason University and author of Curious?

[Doors open at 5. The talk starts at 6:30. The room is open seating.]

We’ve all heard that curiosity killed the cat, but in reality, curiosity is the secret sauce behind human achievement, vitality, deep connection, and resilience. Often given minimal attention and regarded merely as one of many useful personality traits, it actually represents a complex, high-octane psychological strategy that can be harnessed to live a life that is happier, richer, and more meaningful.

Move beyond the clichés about curiosity to explore the true mechanics of the “hungry mind” with Dr. Todd Kashdan, whose laboratory at George Mason University serves as an incubator of scientific knowledge on how people can live better and reach their potential.

He’ll begin with a provocative look at how curiosity functions. Then he’ll dive into a discussion of curiosity’s diverse dimensions and its benefits as well as its costs.

From there he’ll explore a few strategies to cultivate this psychological strength and look at the downstream benefits of doing so.

Harnessing the power of curiosity is not just about asking "why?" It’s about understanding the trade-offs we make when we choose where to invest our limited time and energy.

You’ll walk away with practical, science-backed strategies to boost your own curiosity and channel it for success in your career, your relationships, and your daily life. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID.)

Image: Studying the comet NEOWISE in August 2020. (Photo by Palonitor / Wikimedia Commons.)

Profs and Pints Baltimore presents: “Doing Well When Unwell,” on drawing from philosophy to cope with what ails us, with Drew Leder, M.D., professor of both western and eastern philosophy at Loyola University Maryland and author of The Healing Body: Creative Responses to Illness, Aging, and Affliction.

It’s part of the human journey that sometimes our body “betrays” or challenges us and we can no longer take our health fully for granted. Such setbacks, as well as chronic conditions, can disrupt our relationships to our body, to others, to our experience of lived space and time, and to even to our identity and sense of meaning.

Explore how to deal with such bodily challenges existentially as well as medically with Dr. Drew Leader, an internationally known scholar who has written several books on bodily experience and its implications for philosophy.

He’ll discuss 20 different strategies for coping creatively with bodily challenges—falling under broad categories such as “escaping the body,” “embracing the body,” or “remaking the body”—and their benefits and drawbacks. You’ll get a better understanding of which ones you are employing already and which ones might work better for you.

His talk will deeply engage with the legacies of continental philosophy while also drawing insights from the traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Both your mind and your body might be better off for your having attended. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Bar doors open at 5 pm. The talk starts at 6:30).

Image by Canva.

The Ebola epidemic that began in West Africa in late 2013 cause more than 11,000 deaths. It was ended through the efforts of local health care workers, such as the one shown, and a massive response by organizations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Dr. Mike Bray, an Army medic in Vietnam and former virus researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, will discuss Ebola virus disease, the history of outbreaks and the progress made in the past 10 years in developing approved vaccines and treatments.

The Ebola epidemic that began in West Africa in late 2013 cause more than 11,000 deaths. It was ended through the efforts of local health care workers, such as the one shown, and a massive response by organizations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Dr. Mike Bray, an Army medic in Vietnam and former virus researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, will discuss Ebola virus disease, the history of outbreaks and the progress made in the past 10 years in developing approved vaccines and treatments.

Towson University Department of Art + Design, Art History, and Art Education Faculty present examples of their recent aesthetic concerns in a broad range of media.

Compton is a NYC based illustrator, exhibition designer, and Director of Exhibitions & Collections at the Society of Illustrators, the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. In addition to participating in numerous exhibitions, he is also the Co-Director of ICON: The Illustration Conference. His work combines humor and heart to make complex ideas feel human and tangible. Compton received a BFA in Illustration and Art History from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Noah Pierre, guitar & vocals
Ricky Jefferson, keyboards & piano
Mike Paxton, saxophone
Jordon Stanley, drums
Oliver Unger, electric bass

Noah Pierre Band returns to Keystone for the album release show of their new record entitled, “Inwards”. This sophomore album marks a progression in their sound, continuing on themes from “Frames” with a broader array of influences. This concert will conclude a 3 show run in support of the album. Noah Pierre is a Baltimore-based guitar player who has played behind artists such as Jarrod Lawson, Ron Holloway, MegaGoneFree, Micah Robinson, and others. With Noah Pierre Band, he has performed at the Maryland Music Awards in 2024 and was featuring in WBAL-TV's Holiday Special in December 2024.

Greg Hatza, organ
Peter Fraize, saxophone
Brian Kooken, guitar
Robert Shahid, drums

In 1994, Greg met Joey DeFranscesco who told him the Hammond B-3 was enjoying a popular renaissance. He formed the Greg Hatza ORGANization and has been performing and recording on the instrument non-stop since that time. With the trend towards more advanced electronic keyboard and rhythms now, Greg adapted to the trend, switching from the Hammond B-3 to the electric keyboard and piano.

In the late sixties, Baltimore was still an organ town and had its share of great players. It was here that Greg really got a chance to hone his jazz organ skills by playing with the best musicians in town. Lenny’s club was a great stopping point for national jazz artists who came to Baltimore to perform. He also met and got to play in jam sessions with such personalities as Kenny Burrell, Groove Holmes, Damita Joe, Philly Joe Jones, Roland Kirk, Les McCann, James Moody, and Sonny Stitt.

International punk band Gogol Bordello’s infamous annual holiday shows are expanding this year with a stop in Baltimore, MD at Nevermore Hall on December 27 with support from SUPPORT & ACCOLADE.

This comes at the heels of Gogol Bordello’s recent album announcement, We Mean It, Man! – co-produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Gang of Four, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Amyl & The Sniffers, IDLES) and Adam “Atom” Greenspan (Amyl & The Sniffers, IDLES) – out February 13, 2026 via frontman’s Eugene Hütz’s label Casa Gogol Records.

Listen to uplifting dance floor crusher “Hater Liquidator” out now

Following the 2023 collaboration with Bernard Sumner (New Order, Joy Division) on "Solidarity," We Mean It, Man! fuses Gogol Bordello's raw energy with electronic layers, loops, and gated-drum rhythms – an evolution of experiments first explored on Gypsy Punks (produced by Steve Albini).

Full Sail: A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats is an inaugural winter fundraising celebration benefiting the Downtown Sailing Center (DSC), a Baltimore-based nonprofit guided by the mission Sailing is for Everyone. Founded in 1994 on the Inner Harbor, DSC is a U.S. Sailing–accredited organization that removes barriers of cost, access, and representation through inclusive sailing programs for youth, adults, and individuals with disabilities. Through hands-on experiences on the water, participants discover the transformative effect of moving in concert with the wind, leaving with lifted spirits and lasting confidence that shapes not only the course of a boat, but the course of a life. Held February 21 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, Full Sail will bring together community leaders and supporters for an evening of food, drink, music, and storytelling in support of equitable access to Baltimore’s waterfront.