What are the hot new books? Get ready to make your lists. The class will focus mainly on fiction books and will include all the highly anticipated titles coming out soon, as well as some sleeper hits that you can discover first. There will also be a concerted effort to include upcoming nonfiction titles. Plus, we will talk about smaller press regional titles. Share your favorite reads, too.

The beloved children’s book “The Little Prince,” by the French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944), was actually written in the New York City area in 1942 while the author was in exile in the United States early in World War II. Saint-Exupery was originally known as the “Poet of the Air” for his books on flying, especially his memoir “Wind, Sand and Stars” (1939), but “The Little Prince” would become one of the most popular books in the last 75 years. “The Little Prince” on one level is a fable of a child prince from another planet who comes to earth. But in a deeper sense it is a children’s story for adults because of its themes of the importance of love and friendship and of seeing life anew through the eyes of a child. This program will explore the wartime and American origins of “The Little Prince” and the underlying meaning of what has been called a “spiritual journey disguised as a children’s story.” Required reading/text: "The Little Prince," by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, any printing of the 1943 Katherine Woods translation or of the 2000 Richard Howard translation. Suggested reading: "Saint-Exupery: A Biography" by Stacy Schiff, and if reading the 75th Anniversary Edition of “The Little Prince” ISBN-13: 978-1328479754, the additional material about the history and making of the story.

No American writer has captured the era in which he lived better than F. Scott Fitzgerald. As a member of the "Lost Generation," his turbulent lifestyle is reflected in his writings about the excess and heartbreak that often accompany the quest for the "American Dream." While concentrating on “The Great Gatsby,” we will discuss the life and times of Fitzgerald and his place in American Literature. Read the first twenty-five pages of "The Great Gatsby" ISBN 0-7432-7356-7 for the first class.

Nature and art have the power to reframe perspectives and offer moments of release during times of uncertainty. The exhibition “Forces of Nature: Renwick Invitational 2020,” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, turns to nature for inspiration to help explain what it means to be human in a world that is increasingly chaotic and detached from the physical landscape. The exhibition presents works inextricably entangled in how art and nature relate to one another. On a macro and micro scale, they reflect a heightened ecological awareness that stems from a desire to commune with and advocate for the natural world. Working in a wide range of craft media, from fiber and mosaic to metal and glass, the artists examine the long history of art’s power to engage with the natural world through unconventional and highly personal perspectives.

Renowned NH storyteller Sebastian Lockwood brings the classics to life in his retelling of Homer’s “Odyssey” and “The Tales of the Arabian Nights.” The dramatic retelling includes dangerous sea voyages, gifted and able women and the perils of the journey of brave men to return to their homeland. While the stories were written centuries apart, we can see how they began in one culture and are re-born in another with a new intent and meaning.

Robert Frost wrote that sometimes we just know a poem is immortal when we first hear or read it. We will explore poems from "Immortal Poems of the English Language" by Oscar Williams and other sources. Poets will include William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Mary Oliver and several others. Copies of the poems will be sent to all participants before the course meets. This is a discussion course not a lecture.

April in Paris. Jazz era Paris is risqué and exciting. Saloon host and doyenne of cafe society, Ada Bricktop, host luminaries such as Cole Porter, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and F. Scott Fitzgerald at her Montmartre hot spot Chez Bricktop. Josephine Baker arrives on the shores of France in La Revue Negre, Cole Porter pens the lyrics and melodies of this bright, young time in world history. Join Nanette Perrotte in recapturing this exciting time in Paris in song, film and the written word.

Curious about poetry? At once accessible and off-putting, the art of poetry is currently enjoying a resurgence in America. This class invites conversations about poems both classic and contemporary, provides you with fun prompts for writing your own poems and creates a supportive environment in which to revise your poems. Finally, you will have the option to read your poetry aloud to your classmates and prepare to share your words with the world! All levels of experience with poetry are welcome.

How do science fiction authors treat the issues of aging? How has that changed over time, or has it? We'll look at topics such as rejuvenation, prolonged life and immortality, through the lens of short stories, excerpts from novels, movies and television shows - some familiar to class members and some unfamiliar. Participants are encouraged to suggest material and/or topics for the course! Required reading: “Methuselah’s Children” by Robert Heinlein, any version/IBSN.

Whether you’re a devoted Shakespeare fan or a budding thespian, you will enjoy this informal, interactive approach to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Shakespeare’s wonderful and hilarious comedy of love. Featuring young lovers, fairies, an enchanted forest, a mischievous prankster and a group of comical tradesmen, the play is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved and most performed. Since Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be heard, the class will use an approach that has the instructor and participants reading the play aloud from the first line to the last (and, no, you don’t have to read aloud if you prefer not to). The instructor begins by framing the play, explaining the various ideas that will be explored along the way. In addition, the group will look at language, staging and how various roles have been acted over time. You will need a copy of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Textiles are so much more than fabric for clothing; they are the product of a fundamental human activity across time and culture. Textiles create beauty, express identity, display power and tell stories. They provide insights into a society's history, economics, class structure and spiritual traditions. In this course we will target three areas: Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, and will examine the basic techniques of textile production in a historic and cultural context while viewing a wide variety of examples from each area.

When we view a painting, most of us admire the skill of the painter or connect its subject to our own life experiences. Paintings may have their own stories, too, that are well worth the telling. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier is the fictionalized account of how the famous Vermeer painting of that name came to be. Harriet Scott Chessman's "Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper" is a historical novel about the American painter Mary Cassatt and her sister. "My Name is Asher Lev," an extraordinary novel by Chaim Potok, who was both a rabbi and an artist, tackles the question of what it means to be an artist in a deeply religious community that does not believe art can serve God. Class members should read "Girl with a Pearl Earring" ISBN-10 0452282152, ISBN-13 978-0452282155 for the first class meeting. Reading assignments are "Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper" ISBN-10 1583222723, ISBN-13 978-1583222720 and "My Name is Asher Lev" ISBN-10 1400031044, ISBN-13 978-1400031047.