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This course offers an introduction to all things birds! Classroom lectures during weeks 1 & 2 will discuss bird evolution, basic anatomy & physiology, behavior, and ecology. Field sessions at Como Park and Crosby Farm Regional Park during weeks 3 & 4 from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. will focus on bird identification. Terrain: flat, wheelchair accessible paths. Expect walking at a slow pace for about 1-2 miles. Binoculars provided for those who need them. If it rains, we will meet inside for identification lessons.

In the popular imagination, lethal injection is a slight pinch and a swift nodding off to forever-sleep, it is performed by well-qualified medical professionals, it is regulated and carefully conducted, and it is certainly the most ‘humane’ form of capital punishment. In reality, not one of these statements is true. Lethal injection is nothing like what people think. This is its untold story.

Recommended reading: Secrets of the Killing State: the Untold Story of Lethal Injection by Corinna Lain, 2025.

Are you concerned about the turmoil in our economic, political and social environments? Do you want to do your part to make a difference? Do you want to stay motivated and connected? Join us for Vital Voices to share your views, listen to others and strengthen your civic identity. Together we’ll find ways to use our influence — in big ways and small ways — to make a better world. VAN will facilitate to ensure meaningful and respectful discussions. The summer session will meet for four weeks with the intent to convert to an ongoing special interest group for those who are interested.

Step into the world of ultimate indulgence with Chef Larry P. Canepa, Certified Culinary Educator, for a high-energy "food-tainment" experience that explores the rarest and most expensive flavors on the planet. This a deep dive into the history, mystery, and decadence of the world’s most prestigious ingredients. From the earthy aroma of Alba White Truffles and the buttery marble of A5 Wagyu Beef to the delicate pop of Beluga Caviar, you’ll discover what makes these delicacies worth their weight in gold.

Insight is the capacity to suspend habits of thought and emotion, thereby enhancing receptivity and heightening awareness, that leads to deeper understanding, personal well-being and enriched relationships. It is, in effect, a ‘way of knowing’ that can be developed by all people. In this 3-session workshop, we will nurture the experience of insight by actively engaging with communication forms (empathetic listening, thoughtful speech), meditative forms (sitting meditation, walking meditation, qigong), poetry, and reflections on oracular systems.

Join us to explore after-death care options for your body that minimize harm to the environment. We’ll discuss options for earth-friendly after-death care, including natural burial, water-based cremation and natural organic reduction(human composting). We will demonstrate a short graveside ceremony fitting for a natural burial. There will be time for questions and conversation.

This course examines Bruce Lee as a thinker rather than a celebrity. We will explore his ideas as a practical framework for understanding performance under pressure — not only in combat or athletics, but in work, relationships, identity, and creative expression. Participants will connect Lee’s ideas to their own lives, discovering how similar pressures can appear across very different environments and how to address them.

Recommended reading: The Bruce Lee Code by Thomas Lee, Career Press, 2023.

Join the University of Minnesota for the fifth annual Age-Friendly U Day! The event will be filled with opportunities to connect and learn something new with other older adults and fellow lifelong learners. This is also a great place to promote OLLI to others! Keynote from acclaimed author of Living Life Full Throttle Sheryl Ramstad. Featured breakout sessions on artificial intelligence and navigating change. Participants receive a free OLLI t-shirt. Discounted registration fee for OLLI members: $15.

Queering Indigeneity (QI) is an exhibit at the Minnesota Museum of American Art. This exhibit celebrates the vision and diversity of 2-Spirit, Native Queer, gender expansive artists in the Upper Midwest. QI is the result of a multi-year partnership with Penny Kagigebi (White Earth Ojibwe) and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. The goal of this partnership is Kagigebi’s hope to influence the types of artists who are supported, seen, and centered at the museum, and to show both Indigenous and non-Indigenous visitors a more comprehensive and complex story of this region’s art and artists. No course fee; Museum donations welcome.

An opportunity to enjoy a local historic site with lunch and a flowery finale to the day! Join the group at Oak Hill Cemetery, the oldest operating cemetery in Minneapolis. Walk through a review of local history in the park-like setting of this space on busy Lyndale. Then cross the street to lunch at Patrick's. The cafe is located in Bachman's greenhouse. After lunch, a tour of Bachman's will include a history of the Bachman family horticulture business and, perhaps, the historic house. The precise schedule will be emailed to participants a week before the event.