Nerd Nite Memphis (think TED talks with beer!)

Hey, Folks,

Nerd Nite Memphis brings together a curious community through informal talks on research, culture, art, and everyday life.
Be there or/and be square!
Pearl Bryan: Sites, Relics, and Ballads of a Gilded Age Murder
by Ewelina Boczkowska & Stephen Chalmers
On February 1, 1896, seven-months-pregnant Pearl Bryan was murdered and decapitated in northern Kentucky by her lover and his roommate. Dubbed “the crime of the century,” the case captivated the nation, inspiring extensive newspaper coverage and more than 25 folk songs.
This talk explores Pearl Bryan’s story through photographs, historical artifacts, newspaper accounts, and court transcripts. Musicologist Ewelina Boczkowska examines the folk songs that transformed the murder into a morality tale, casting a young woman from rural Indiana as a cautionary figure. Together, images and music reveal how the crime was remembered and reshaped in popular culture.
Intermezzo: Jim Adelman
A Journalist’s View of Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
by Marc Perrusquia
On his first day in office, January 20, 2025, President Trump launched a mass deportation campaign targeting what his administration calls “the worst of the worst.” But what do the facts show? Marc Perrusquia, director of the University of Memphis’s Institute for Public Service Reporting, leads a team investigating the immigration crackdown’s impact on Memphis. Their findings may surprise you.

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Attendance limited only by Chess Club size (which is pretty big)!