Thursday PM   

How can we experience peace in such turbulent times? “Happiness is your own treasure because it lies within you.” — Prem Rawat. This nine-week course features empowering videos of author Prem Rawat’s talks on ten themes: peace, appreciation, inner-strength, self-awareness, clarity, understanding, dignity, hope, and contentment. You will have the opportunity to discover, focus, and reflect on your own humanity and inner resources. The facilitators will involve participants with videos, activities, and meaningful interactions that explore the themes of personal peace and the art of living well.  Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.
SUGGESTED BOOK: Hear Yourself: How To Find Peace In A Noisy World, Prem Rawat, ISBN 9780063070745

Gift yourself some moments of accessing your innate inner peace while longer daylight is just beginning to return. The class will introduce mindfulness and insight meditation practices that can be helpful in developing more awareness of one’s habitual inner processes, and wider appreciation of our perception, outlook and action in daily life. Class sessions will include introductions to various techniques, a guided meditation or practice, followed by time for questions and group discussion. Intention of the course: One may find a comfortable way to incorporate an increased awareness, a feeling of greater connection in life, as well as an appreciation of our innate inner peace, between thoughts. Scheduled at a time when it could be beneficial to invite our active minds to wind down.

New remote course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and hands-on learning.

A non-technology course that explores the use of the word “cybernetics” as a way of thinking about complex and seemingly intractable situations. Using a conversational approach, special attention is given to the relevance of its concepts (like system, purpose, recursion, process, variety, observing) to decisions, problems, actions, and interactions that arise in our everyday lives. The course is not technical, and no educational background is required or expected. It is for anyone who is interested or curious about what it could mean to think differently.

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

SUGGESTED BOOKS: The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone, Steven Sloman & Philip Fernbach, ISBN 9781509813070; WTF?! How am I thinking? A Thinking Tool for Change, Jane Cull, ISBN 9781539990802

Enjoy six narrated walks through Portland’s historic neighborhoods exploring the city’s history, architecture, and people since Europeans arrived. Discuss historic structures, immigrant populations, and locally and regionally famous architects and view their works. The longest walk will be two miles in two hours. The greatest elevation change will be between Congress Street and the waterfront. All walks will be on pavement, with optional side trips into two grassy cemeteries. Wheelchair accessible. Rain or shine. The instructor will contact students about the meeting place prior to each class.

Repeat in-person course. Format includes movement.

By nature, writing is a solitary enterprise with authors working in quiet spaces with quills and pens. However, outside their workspaces is a world of conflicting politics, cutthroat business, and complex culture. In preparation for OLLI’s literary trip to England, we will dive into seven historical periods: Shakespeare in the 1590s, John Milton in the 1650s-60s, Samuel Johnson in the 1750s, Jane Austen in the 1810s, Charles Dickens in the 1850s, Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1880s-90s, and the Inklings and Evelyn Waugh in the 1930s-40s. Our quick exploration will include kings and queens, political rivalries, literary and artistic trends, and a glimpse of everyday life onthe farm and in cities. Everyone is welcome; registration for the trip is not a requirement to join the class.

New in-person course on Wednesdays. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

Back by popular demand, this updated course offers a clear, engaging introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it’s rapidly transforming our world. From self-driving cars to chatbots and precision medicine, we will explore how AI works, where it’s headed, and what it means for society. No tech experience needed—just curiosity! With fresh examples and timely updates, participants will gain a solid understanding of the opportunities and challenges AI presents today.

Science is full of surprises. Dyes, accidentally discovered, launched the modern pharmaceutical industry. A failed experiment opened the door to new physics. Discoveries are never just facts. They are moments of creativity, struggle, and chance with farreaching consequences. In this course, we will explore the human side of science, tracing breakthroughs in biology, chemistry, physics, and more. We will ask not only what was found, but how and why it matters.

The vast extent of popular music available on YouTube is truly awesome, and it’s all for free! In this course, we’ll spend eight weeks exploring six decades of pop music of multiple genres. Remember The Ed Sullivan Show, Perry Como Show, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, British Broadcasting System’s Top ‘o’ the Pops, etc.? We’ll tune in. Big bands of the 1930s? Check. Crooners of the 1950s? Yessiree. Girl groups of the early 1960s? Yup. Late 1960s British Invasion? Got ‘em, mate. Singer-songwriters of the 1970s? You betcha. We’ll cover about six decades of pop music from the 1930s to the 1980s. Special emphasis will be given to the 1960s, with its happy mashup of rock, folk, soul, gimmick songs, and many others. Repeat in-person course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

Line dancing keeps us moving and is loads of fun. You don’t need to know how to do it already! Join returning and new enthusiasts to learn several dances in various modes and kinds of music (rock, cha cha, samba, country, easy listening, etc). You need to be steady on your feet, know your body and whether you need a rest, and be able to move for two hours (with plenty of water breaks). If you can walk a mile or two comfortably, this class will likely work for you.

Repeat in-person course. Format includes movement.

This course is the Second Installment of the reading of Ulysses. As a reminder, we’re using an annotated, projectable text augmented by audio from Irish RTE. Those who missed the First Installment and wish to join may do so. To catch up a bit, read the first three chapters of Harry Blamires’ book. Also, there’ll be a synopsis of progress-to-date to open the Second Installment. Don’t miss this unique presentation and guided opportunity to experience the most influential novel of the 20th Century!

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

REQUIRED BOOKS: The New Bloomsday Book, Harry Blamires, ISBN 0415138582; Ulysses, James Joyce, Annotated, D. Gifford with R.J. Seidman, ISBN 0520067452

An introduction to the basics of this fun, relaxing, & easy art method has therapeutic effects as well! During this 5-week class, simple designs are arranged within structured spaces to create beautiful art. Fundamental pen strokes, design elements, embellishment ideas, and shading techniques are covered. If you can write your name, you can do Zentangle!

Repeat remote workshop. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Course Materials Kit is $15 + postage and will be mailed directly to the registrants. Payment can be made directly to the facilitator via Venmo or a check.

An introduction to the basics of this fun, relaxing, & easy art method has therapeutic effects as well! During this 5-week class, simple designs are arranged within structured spaces to create beautiful art. Fundamental pen strokes, design elements, embellishment ideas, and shading techniques are covered. If you can write your name, you can do Zentangle!

Repeat remote workshop. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Course Materials Kit is $15 + postage and will be mailed directly to the registrants. Payment can be made directly to the facilitator via Venmo or a check.

One of the basic tenets of the Zentangle Method is “There are no mistakes.” It is also one of the most challenging concepts for Tanglers to fully embrace! This 5-week course will explore how to expand one’s perspective regarding this Zentangle mantra. Classes will use both Zentangle original tangles as well as those designed by fellow CZTs. Visual step-by-step directions on how to draw the tangles will be provided for each class.
New remote workshop. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Course Materials Kit will include an original Zentangle No Mistakes Journal, a variety of colored pens, and several shading tools. The kit is $15 + postage and will be mailed directly to the registrants. Payment can be made directly to the facilitator via Venmo or a check.