American writers have long challenged the notion of the 'small town' as a place where "dear hearts and gentle people" gather to enjoy conversation with one another over "white picket fences." Sherwood Anderson, Robert Frost and Sinclair Lewis are among those who rejected the romantic view of small-town America portrayed in popular culture. We will read and discuss "Main Street" by Sinclair Lewis and short selections from other American authors. Read the first 100 pages of "Main Street" ISBN 13:978-1-4209-5931-4 for the first class.

Learn counted cross stitch by stitching a tulip in your chosen color using cross stitch and backstitch. Students will need to bring 4 skeins of floss, a light and dark shade in the color of the tulip and 2 greens for the leaves, 3 or 4 inch embroidery hoop, #22 or #24 tapestry needles and scissors. Instructor will donate 14 count adia fabric- for the project. Finishing techniques will be discussed.

This two-hour workshop will focus on voice for the public speaker or actor. From basic breath support to honest voice to being heard in the last row of the balcony, we will turn our attention to this important building block of all performance or public speaking. No experience or prior training is necessary. Participants will leave with a very basic vocal warm-up and some practical tips for improving their voice as an actor and speaker. Come prepared to move a little and to speak!

Discuss the brilliant coming-of-age story by Ray Bradbury. Enter his sensory imagination as he takes us on a stroll through the summer of 1928. Meet some unforgettable characters such as Bill Forrester, Helen Loomis, Colonel Freeleigh and the Lonely One. Please read " Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury ISBN 0-553-27753-7 by first class.

This course examines the work of the highly accomplished and prolific musician Franz Joseph Haydn, who wrote 104 symphonies, 68 string quartets, over 50 keyboard sonatas, numerous concertos, chamber works, choral pieces, and songs, many of which are still in the repertory. Haydn solidified the formal structure of the symphony, string quartet, and classical era sonata, and was one of the earliest internationally renowned "rock stars" of classical music. Among the composers influenced by Haydn were Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and even Prokofiev.

As we move closer to a third decade of the twenty first century, scholars are obliged to determine which works of American literature should continue to represent the "American literary tradition" and which need to be excised in favor of contributions from more recent writers. Such assessments inevitably involve additions and deletions which will please some readers and gore the oxen of many others. What, then, is to be done with Ernest Hemingway, once projected as a permanent fixture in the canon, but whose prose and gender politics have landed him in some rather hot water? What are the arguments for retention and what are the arguments for expulsion? Required readings are the short stories "Indian Camp" and "My Old Man."

The seminar will discuss "The Iliad," one of the defining documents of Western life. It dramatically describes bitter conflicts between heroes, the intervention of the gods and the tragic consequences of uncontrolled rage. Please read book 1-4 Lattermore translation is preferred.

Flannery O'Connor (1929-1964) is best known for her brutal and hilariously funny short stories set in the American South. Considered by many to be the most important Catholic fiction writer of the twentieth century, O'Connor leads her readers into a comically fallen world that is visited by grace in a shocking and mystifying way. Stories such as "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" and "Revelation" have helped to shape the art of American fiction writing. The first session will offer a glimpse into O'Connor's early and intensely personal struggle to forge an authentic life of prayer. We'll learn about her great longing to find God, and, even more compelling, her deepest fears that she herself - her ego and even her artistic talent - are blocking God out. This presentation will lead us through O'Connor's dark night of the soul, and finally allow us to derive some very practical ideas for developing an authentic relationship with God. The second session will be a discussion of her comedic shocker of a short story: "Revelation." Participants will meet one of O'Connor's most notorious characters: the sanctimonious Ruby Turpin, who encounters the beatific vision in a rural Georgia pig "parlor."

Using the Currier Museum of Art's collection and current exhibition, this course will introduce participants to ways of approaching, thinking about, and appreciating art. We will begin in the classroom with a brief overview of different genres of art followed by an exercise where we look together and discuss one picture in order to introduce some of the fundamental building blocks of art. Participants will then tour the Currier's galleries with a docent to closely examine some of the museum's highlights, including the exhibition A Life Made in Art: Maud Briggs Knowlton. The group will return to the classroom to debrief. The tour segment involves some walking and standing; collapsible chairs are available.

An introductory woodworking class is designed to teach you how to use hand tools to make a bluebird house. Bluebirds were an endangered species in NH for many years, but they have made a comeback due to the efforts of concerned citizens who put up bluebird houses every spring. A set of house plans, materials, and instructions will be provided. Students are encouraged to bring their own hand tools to the class, but the basic tools needed (saw, hammer, drill, tape measure, and square) will be available from the instructor.

This course discusses the creation process of the world premiere production of The Boyg. The Boyg tells the story of Per Krohg, a famous Norwegian painter, who was imprisoned by the Nazis during Germany's occupation of Norway from 1940-1944. During his imprisonment, Krohg covered the walls of his cell with paintings and illustrations from Norwegian folklore, notably images from Henrik Ibsen's verse play Peer Gynt. Theatre KAPOW's Artistic Director, Matt Cahoon, will lead the class through the creation process of how the kernel of an idea becomes a play and illustrate, through Krohg's story, the power of art to get us through the darkest of times. Students should familiarize themselves with Ibsen's play Peer Gynt (any edition).

Join us in a well-established OLLI tradition - lively discussions of this chronicle of our times. Started in 1925 as a humor magazine, "The New Yorker" soon became a preeminent forum for serious fiction and journalism. With a circulation above 1 million and content by the most respected writers of fact and fiction, it is one of the most widely read and influential American magazines. Facilitators Jones and Monnelly will choose the first readings; after that, the class decides. You'll need access to the magazine (subscriptions at www.newyorker.com or check with your local library.)

Plato's Symposium is an ageless dialogue on the nature of love. The scene is a private drinking party among friends who decide to celebrate the virtues of the Greek god Eros. It is arguably the most private, most poetic, and most secretive dialogue in the Platonic corpus. It is both amusing and enlightening, and deeply philosophical. The text for the class is available online at https://www.amazon.com/Plato-Symposium-Hackett-Classics/dp/0872200760. Please sample some of it before the first class.

Have you ever been curious about oil or acrylic paint, but were too intimidated to try? Do you love the NH landscape? If YES, join us for a truly beginner experience in oil or acrylic painting: 3 classes indoors for very basic instruction through lecture and demonstration, and then 2 sessions of outdoor painting. Learn about proper materials and techniques, basic color theory and the history of landscape paintings. Find out how to select the best site to paint ... and then do it! Note: students will need to purchase basic paints/brushes, etc. and complete simple assignments before we paint outdoors. A recommended materials list will be provided before class; students should expect to spend $40-$55 for these supplies. You will need to be able to carry your supplies and walk to our painting site. **Please note: this is NOT a watercolor class**

In June of 2019 more than 200 sign painters and artists from around the world descended on Keene, NH and painted 16 outdoor wall murals in the city's downtown area over a 3-day period. The topics were chosen by public vote from a list of 30 topics suggested by a local committee. These topics illustrate the history of Keene through people, places, events, businesses and institutions from the city's past. This public art is attracting visitors from near and far. The class will illustrate the murals and will share the stories of all 16 and their impact on the history of the community.

In this class, we will read and discuss poetry about war and other political struggles. We will look at a few poems about the Civil War and the European political situation around the French Revolution. Most of the session will be spent discussing poems of WWI, Vietnam, more recent political struggles in Africa and the Middle East as well as racial and social conflict in America. How does poetry through the 20th and 21st century communicate truthfully the horrors of war, the pain of suffering, the vigor of resistance and the power of hope?

This exploration is related to Old Hippies Part One, but it is not necessary to have taken that class nor to have been a hippy to explore the ideas of the era of cultural change in the 1960's. We will discuss these readings in order: "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse; (any edition) "Sometimes a Great Notion" by Ken Kesey; and "The White Album" by Joan Didion (0-67183444-4).

Existentialism is not a system of assertions, but an attitude from which to interpret experience. In this course we will examine a little bit of background from particular thinkers, and then explore how their ideas are embedded in the films. It is best to view the films prior to the first class. The first film, "A Thousand Clowns" is an adaptation of a play by Herb Gardner, with Jason Robards trying to resist the conformity of the 1950's. The second film, "My Dinner with Andre" is almost entirely a conversation between theater director, Andre Gregory, and Wallace Shawn, who wrote it. Both films are available to view for free on YouTube, by searching the title. The films may also be available at public libraries, or through inter-library loan. By viewing the films ahead of time we can examine and discuss scenes that illustrate particular ideas. No prior knowledge of the existential thinkers is necessary. The characters in the stories give us lots of questions to discuss.

This course demystifies musical language and basic music theory for people who have had limited or no musical training. We will cover the words that musicians use to describe a musical piece, the notations that communicate the music to musicians and even a brief explanation of the science behind musical sounds.