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Online Class: A ZOOM invitation link will be sent one day before each class session begins.
Using prepared questions and our own observations, the discussion each month will explore a book from current best-seller lists. Selected books for the Winter 2023 semester are:
April
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Historical Fiction
Published in 2019, 340 pages
May
The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
Mystery
Published in 2020, 338 pages
June
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Published in 2020, 351 pages
Please read A Long Petal of the Sea before the first class. The facilitators will send a list of discussion questions for each book to all registrants prior to each Book Club session.  
Kathleen and William Hillegas are long-time members of both Elderwise and the Book Club. Both are avid readers, and look forward to a lively exchange of ideas, opinions, and interpretations.
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Fee: $45.00
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Instructor(s): William Hillegas
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Dates: 4/24/2023 - 6/26/2023
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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Sessions: 3
Days: M
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Building: Online Course
Room: Online Classroom via Zoom
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Online Class: A ZOOM invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.
Two Brave and Honest Voices: George Orwell and Albert Camus
In this class we will discuss the writing, ideas, and politics of two genuinely towering figures of the 20th century. George Orwell (1903-1950) of England is best known for his last novel, 1984, but his writings and activism encompassed many themes: democratic socialism versus Soviet Communism, the use and abuse of language in politics, the class system, the value of the natural world, and the dangers of colonialism. Albert Camus (1913-1960) of France is often considered an existentialist philosopher, a label he denied. Camus was preeminently the voice of morality at a time when morality was in short supply. He too grappled with issues of colonialism (in particular, his native Algeria), Soviet Communism, and the dangers of nihilism. Grappling with his concept of the absurd, Camus’s novel The Plague can be read as a plea for human solidarity. Both men died prematurely, but left their powerful mark on the literature, politics, and philosophy of our time. Join us as we discuss these authors’ contributions to our attempts to come to grips with the crises of today.  
Gene Homel has taught history and politics since 1973 at universities and colleges in Ontario and British Columbia. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, and has written and presented extensively on history and culture.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Gene Homel
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Dates: 4/17/2023 - 4/17/2023
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: M
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Building: Online Course
Room: Online Classroom via Zoom
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In-Person Class: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church.
Provincial Customs and . . . Unbearable Ennui: Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (1856)
Dull, satiated, bored, or boring – Gustave Flaubert despised the bourgeoisie. In a letter to Louise Colet, he described the likes of Charles Bovary (a country doctor) and Rodolphe Boulanger (a wealthy landowner) as “two mediocrities in the same milieu.” Yonville’s shopkeepers, pharmacists, and clergymen did not escape Flaubert’s spleen either! All had a hand in Emma Bovary’s life and tragic end. Join Ioana for a discussion of Gustave Flaubert’s portrayal of society’s middle class. She recommends a full reading of Madame Bovary prior to this discussion.
Text: Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary. Translated by Eleanor Marx Aveling.
Several paperback editions are available at local libraries, and through bookstores and online book vendors.
Ioana Fracassi has been teaching literature at Michigan’s Madonna University for 22 years. Although her repertoire is focused mostly on British, American, and African American authors, her first love remains European literature, especially French, Italian, and Russian. Ioana would like to dedicate this class to her mentor and beloved friend, the late Laurence Rudnicki, Professor of French literature at the University of Michigan, and of English literature at Madonna University.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Ioana Fracassi
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Dates: 6/23/2023 - 6/23/2023
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: F
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Building: Vineyard Church
Room: Classroom at the Vineyard Church
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Online Class: A ZOOM invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.
Did you know that expressing gratitude is good for our emotional and physical health? After touching on the science of gratitude, we will turn to some intriguing writers and poets to see what wisdom we can reap from their gratitude journey, and, in some cases, how practicing gratitude literally saved them. Through their lives and words, we will reflect on the relationship between gratitude and growth, gratitude and joy in the face of difficulties, and other connections. By diving into and embracing gratitude, we may discover ways to enrich our own lives and the lives of those around us.
Jennifer Clark is the author of a children’s book and three full-length poetry collections. Her latest book, Kissing the World Goodbye (Unsolicited Press), ventures into the world of memoir, braiding family tales with recipes. Jennifer has facilitated a variety of workshops in diverse settings for over 30 years.
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Fee: $15.00
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Instructor(s): Jennifer Clark
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Dates: 4/26/2023 - 4/26/2023
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 1
Days: W
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Building: Online Course
Room: Online Classroom via Zoom
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Online Class: A ZOOM invitation link will be sent one day before each class session begins.
Join us for this class where we will read and discuss There There, Tommy Orange’s debut novel and a 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Acclaimed by critics as “powerful,” “compassionate,” “eloquent,” and “riveting,” the book uses multiple points of view to introduce an ensemble of Native American characters negotiating life in 21st century urban America, while anticipating attendance at a powwow in the Oakland (CA) Coliseum. During the first class, we will explore Orange’s writing style, plot development, and characterization. In our second session we will continue this discussion, followed by a focus on the novel’s major themes.
Text: Orange, Tommy. There There (2018). Vintage Publishing.
Cecilia Donohue retired in 2013 following a 25-year career of undergraduate instruction, graduate teaching, and academic administration. She now resides in rural Tennessee with her husband Bill and their menagerie of two horses, one cat, and one dog. Cecilia has written extensively on America’s southern authors and poets, notably Robert Penn Warren. She is currently an associate editor of The Steinbeck Review.
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Fee: $30.00
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Instructor(s): Cecilia Donohue
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Dates: 5/5/2023 - 5/12/2023
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
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Sessions: 2
Days: F
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Building: Online Course
Room: Online Classroom via Zoom
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