Literature   

This eight-week course considers two blockbusters, one a Dickens classic and the other, a recent spinoff by Barbara Kingsolver, inspired by the Dickens story. Both speak to the ongoing perils of child poverty and the transformative power of resilience and determination. This course is not for languid or timid readers. You should have swallowed a third of David Copperfield by the time the class starts in September, and weekly readings from that point on may (depending on format) be 150 pages.

New in-person course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

As we delve into Australia, its people, and its land, we will meet deported criminals from England in an early penal colony north of Sydney; feisty Irish bushmen in the Outback resisting English discrimination; hard-living enemies in a fishing community on the west coast north of Perth; and a group of women who are long-time friends weekending in a beach community near Sydney. All are finding their way in the harsh climate of the immense megadiverse continent of Australia. We will read four novels in eight weeks with discussion facilitated by four teams of two presenters. The class is highly participatory so come prepared to immerse yourself. Please read the first half of The Secret River for the first class.

New remote course. Format includes discussion.

REQUIRED BOOKS: The Secret River, Kate Grenville, ISBN 9781841957975; The True History of the Kelly Gang, Peter Carey, ISBN 9780375724671; Dirt Music, Tim Winton, ISBN 9780743228480; The Weekend, Charlotte Wood, ISBN 9780593086445

And Ireland, long a province, be A Nation Once Again — Thomas Davis, Young Irelander

In this lecture series, we’ll follow the path of Irish Nationalism from land agitation, through the quest for Home Rule, the 1916 Rising, and to the creation of the Irish Free State. Embedded within the process, we’ll touch on how support from the new National Theatre of Ireland and a host of literary women and men helped to generate public support for independence. Ballads from the period will be included. And perhaps a bit of humor. At Joyce’s funeral, Lord Derwent, British Minister to Bern, said, in part, that “Ireland would continue to enjoy the lasting revenge on England by producing literary masterpieces.”

New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

This course is for everyone who wants to read, discuss, and write poetry, whether you’ve written before, or not. Each class will be divided among workshopping participant poems, discussing the topic of the week from The Poetry Home Repair Manual, and examples of poetry. Writing prompts will be offered for in-class writing and optional sharing. We believe that writers learn best with both praise and friendly honesty in a nurturing setting of fellow learners. Requirements: An open mind, a sense of fun and discovery, and a readiness to read and write during and in-between the classes.  Format includes discussion and hands-on.
REQUIRED BOOK: The Art of Voice, Tony Hoagland, ISBN 9781324002680

You probably have a favorite poem or two or twelve that have stayed with you like a loyal friend over the years. Would you like to share these with like-minded classmates? Read them out loud? Discuss what they meant and still mean to you? Hear what others have for favorite poems and what they mean to them? We will loosely divide our favorites into subgroups such as: poems that entrance, poems that teach, poems that protest, poems that intoxicate, poems that soothe broken hearts, and poems that delight. No one’s a poetry expert! We’re just sharing what we love.

New in-person course. Format includes discussion.