Friday AM   

One hundred and sixty years ago, Portland was struck by a disaster that would forever change the city’s landscape. The fire, considered the worst urban conflagration at the time, swept across the peninsula, leaving more than 10,000 people homeless and destroying 1,500 buildings. By the time the flames subsided, a third of the city was reduced to smoking ruins. On this walk, we’ll explore the Old Port, an area that was among the most severely affected by the Great Fire of 1866. We’ll hear firsthand accounts from individuals who lived through the devastation, and learn about the nationwide response and the swift rebuilding of the area making the Old Port one of the few intact historic Victorian waterfronts on the East Coast.

New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture and movement.

The student will get a framework of AI’s beginnings, then explore where it has evolved to today and learn about the possibilities of what AI is capable of doing in the future.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture.

Romance is currently the highest-grossing fiction genre, generating over 1.44 billion in annual revenue (in 2023). We have a bookstore here in Portland devoted entirely to romance: Grump and Sunshine, at 40 Free Street. Notable themes and subgenres include spicy/contemporary, queer romance, YA romance, and historical (among others). In this workshop we’ll bring the books we’ve read and/or would like to read (or just a list of authors and/or titles), and discuss why we are drawn to this genre and who are our favorites.

New in-person workshop. Format includes discussion.

Caregivers spend their days supporting others — but who supports the caregiver? This one-time interactive workshop is designed to provide caregivers with the space, tools, and encouragement they need to care for themselves with the same compassion they offer others. Whether you are a family caregiver, healthcare professional, or anyone in a helping role, this workshop will help you recognize the signs of stress and burnout, understand compassion fatigue, and develop practical strategies for sustainable self-care.

New in-person workshop. Format will include lecture and discussion.

Immediately after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. started throwing around ideas of how to confront Japan. From this brainstorming a team of brave flyers called the Doolittle Raiders was formed. From personal interviews with the co-pilot of plane #1, the students will hear what it was like to be a crew member on this mission.

New remote workshop. Format includes lecture.

Sound waves significantly affect brain waves by synchronizing neural activity — a process known as brainwave entrainment — where the brain aligns its electrical oscillations with the frequency of sound, inducing specific mental states like relaxation, focus, or deep sleep. Through technologies like binaural beats, specific frequencies can stimulate delta (deep sleep), theta (meditation), alpha (calm), or beta (alertness) waves. The instructor will recount his experience as a test subject on this research. For background, see Robert Monroe’s Journeys Out of the Body.

New remote workshop. Format will include lecture and discussion.

Today, armed conflicts are ongoing around the world. At times, it may seem that there are no rules in war. Fortunately, there are rules in war, and they can make a difference. Even War Has Rules is a dynamic discussion of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and how it governs armed conflict. It will address topics such as:
• The sources of law and rules that apply to armed conflicts
• The fundamental principles of IHL that guide the development of these rules
• How IHL protects people and places during armed conflicts.
By the end of the class, participants will achieve a general understanding of IHL and will be better able to evaluate the actions of parties to armed conflicts. New in-person course. Format includes lecture and discussion.

Discover the world of model railroading! Would you like to get to know this hobby? You might think it’s about running toy trains in a circle, but depending on what you like it can be building, wiring, electronics, modelling, painting, researching, and more! It can involve computers and 3D printing if you want. We’ll look at history, terminology, skills, and the big questions to ask yourself. Rod Stewart once said, “I’m proud to be a railway modeler. It means more to me to be on the cover of Model Railroader than to be on the cover of a music magazine.”

New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture.

Curious about honey bees and beekeeping, but not ready to start a hive yourself? This engaging seminar offers an inside look at the fascinating world of honey bees through the eyes of a Master Beekeeper. Learn how a hive works, how bees communicate and produce honey, and why they are essential to our environment and food supply. You’ll discover what beekeepers actually do, see how colonies change through the seasons, and gain a deeper appreciation for these remarkable insects. No prior knowledge required—just curiosity about the hidden life inside the hive. Includes a field trip to a local beekeeper’s apiary TBA.

 New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture and hands-on learning.

We are beginning a global energy transition away from fossil fuels and toward electricity in homes, transportation, and business. We will look briefly at the science around energy usage and examine the new technologies which make electrification attractive. The advantages of electrical energy usage will be highlighted, with focus on our homes and transportation. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar will enable our energy usage to become much more planet friendly. Participants are invited to bring their own concerns and questions to the workshop. The instructor sells no products or services, and is not connected with anyone who does. New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture and discussion.
SUGGESTED BOOK: Energy: A Beginner’s Guide, Vaclav Smil, ISBN 978-1786071330

We will watch clips from some of the great musicals which were produced by the MGM Studios between 1950-55 and discuss the great composers of the following musicals: Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Rose Marie, Kismet, The Student Prince, and Singing in the Rain.

New remote workshop. Format includes discussion and film.

“The best camera is the one that’s with you.” — Chase Jarvis. For many of us, that camera is the iPhone we carry in our pocket every day. This course will cover setting up your iPhone for shooting better photos, focusing and composition techniques, editing photos on your iPhone (or iPad if you have fat fingers like me), and how to find your way to shooting in black and white on the streets
of Maine. You will need a relatively up-to-date iPhone and the Snapseed app (free in the App Store). Join the international iPhone photography community.

This is an iPhone-only class; Android or Google phones are not supported.

Repeat in-person workshop. Format includes lecture, discussion, and hands-on learning.

Maine has a long literary tradition, past and present. This workshop will highlight some of the well- and lesserknown Maine writers from the 19th and 20th century, including John Cole, Robert P. Tristram Coffin, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Elizabeth Coatsworth. We’ll learn biographical information about each writer, dip into short readings by each, and discuss. Come find your new/old favorite Maine writers!

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

Explore 100 years of American history through objects often taken for granted in everyday life: signs. Led by the American Sign Museum (ASM) staff, this course introduces the Museum’s origins and features a conversation with ASM’s founder about why signs matter. We will examine how signs have evolved due to trends in commerce and technology. We will also explore case studies of three major food companies who used signage to shape their brands. In the final session, we will take a virtual visit to ASM’s neon shop to see how a neon sign is made.  

Protest songs inspire and energize us. We’ll listen to songs from Joe Hill to Joan Baez, from Woody Guthrie to, yes, Dolly Parton. We’ll become better acquainted with these singer-songwriters and the conflicts of their (and our) times. We’ll focus in the second class on more recent protest songs. Tell me your favorite and I’ll be sure to include it!

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

Always liked verse? It could be much worse. When rhyming, the timing is key. With meter and form, we mess with the norm — you never know what you might see. We will spend a couple of hours exploring verse, meter, and rhyme, with access to several volumes of Ogden Nash as backup. Come ready to play with words!

Repeat in-person workshop. Format includes discussion and hands-on learning.

During the final stages of WWII, there were three battles that had to happen before the U.S. set foot on the main island of Japan. From interviews with the soldiers that fought there, the students will hear what it was like to step ashore and fight a dug-in enemy that had nothing to lose. 

Repeat remote workshop. Format includes lecture.

Victoria Mansion, also known as the Morse-Libby House, was constructed between 1858 and 1860 as a summer home for Ruggles Sylvester Morse and his wife, Olive. Today the house is open to the public, preserved with over 90 percent of the original furnishings and a full complement of decorative wall paintings throughout the house. This workshop will offer an in-depth tour of this amazing residence, as well as a short walking tour in the Mansion neighborhood to discuss “what the Morses saw” during their time in Portland.

Repeat in-person workshop. Format includes lecture and movement.

In this very playful gathering, you will join Delilah on her journey to enlightenment with her humorous stories and songs. Then you’ll have the opportunity to participate in some fun, easy, group exercises to share your own personal growth stories and wisdom. Which you do have! You will leave feeling refreshed and “enlightened” — about something, we don’t know what! Or at least have a good time trying!

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

“Writing Outside the Box” is a two-hour workshop designed to help writers refresh their approach and discover new possibilities in their work. Through guided exercises that encourage writing from physical sensation, intuition, and playful language exploration, participants will loosen creative blocks and gain fresh perspectives. Writers of all kinds — fiction, poetry, memoir, journaling, or other forms — are welcome. Suitable for both new and experienced writers, the workshop offers a supportive, low-pressure space to broaden and deepen one’s writing practice.

New in-person workshop. Format includes hands-on learning.