Tuesday   

King Lear may well be Shakespeare's greatest play, and performing the title role is the dream of an actor's lifetime. Together, we will explore Shakespearean drama in general, read and enact King Lear, and attend the Guthrie Theater's presentation of Kunene and the King, by South African playwright John Kani. Theater professionals will join us for discussions about bringing a play from the page to the stage. Neither experience nor comfort with Shakespeare is necessary to enjoy this course–just a desire to experience one of literature’s consummate works and ponder its contemporary parallels.

Recommended reading: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/king-lear/read/

Robert Caro’s multi-volume study of Lyndon Johnson—the best biography in American letters—will soon be completed with its fifth and final volume. We will examine volume 4, The Passage of Power, which chronicles Johnson’s relationship with the Kennedys, both Jack and Bobby, from the late 1950s through the transition to the Johnson presidency.

Recommended reading: The Passage of Power, by Robert Caro (Knopf, 2012). 

Whether you're considering part-time work, volunteer opportunities, new hobbies, or simply seeking a more meaningful retirement, understanding your interests can provide valuable direction. Based on the Strong Interest Inventory and John Holland's six interest themes (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional), this interactive workshop will help you identify your own "compass," explore activities that match your natural interests, and discover new possibilities for a pleasurable, engaging, and purposeful next chapter.

The leaves are changing and dropping from the branches of the trees all around us. This is the best time of year to learn how to identify trees using their leaves! Join a Garden Naturalist on a guided walk to learn how to use dichotomous keys and field guides to identify trees using their leaves, bark, and other key characteristics.  We'll meet at the Wirth Beach parking lot: 3200 Glenwood Ave. Hiking surfaces include paved and natural surface trails that feature changes in terrain and some hills. 

The leaves are changing and dropping from the branches of the trees all around us. This is the best time of year to learn how to identify trees using their leaves! Join a Garden Naturalist on a guided walk to learn how to use dichotomous keys and field guides to identify trees using their leaves, bark, and other key characteristics.  We'll meet at the Wirth Beach parking lot: 3200 Glenwood Ave. Hiking surfaces include paved and natural surface trails that feature changes in terrain and some hills. 

Have you ever wondered how the lights stay on across 15 states? Join us for an exclusive tour of the MISO Regional Control Center. Step inside the high-tech "nerve center" of the Midcontinent’s electrical grid, where expert operators manage a massive real-time energy market and coordinate the flow of electricity for 45 million people. See the giant video walls, witness the technology that balances supply and demand in seconds, and learn how MISO is leading the transition to a cleaner energy future. 

Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, first published in 1838, focuses on universal issues, such as family and marital relationships, debt, and power--as well as education, business, and the theater.  It is also a great read, with satisfying villains and heroes, as well as some good love stories.  Course participants will read and discuss the book in seven sessions.  The course leader will locate the novel in historical context and guide discussions.

Required reading: Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, Penguin Classics, 1999. 

Create impactful photographs by editing your images. Editing will make your images mirror the feeling or mood you had when pressing the shutter. The class goal is to learn and improve image editing skills with practice, patience, and passion. Anyone with a serious interest in photography is welcome and can use any camera. RAW file format is required – even cell phones shoot RAW. This course will start with Adobe Lightroom Classic and finish editing in Photoshop, using the new TK9 v4 Plugin for Photoshop. 

Required Software: Editing software is an investment for long-term use and is essential for proper image editing; subscription to Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop.  Purchase the Photography Plan that includes Lightroom Classic and Photoshop at adobe.com  $19.99 mo. TK9 v4 Plugin for Photoshop, available from Tony Kuyper at his website goodnight.us.

Puzzles of all kinds provide enjoyment and mental stimulation.  Solving puzzles is reported to benefit brain function by maintaining and strengthening mental competence, agility, and memory. Many people are familiar with Sudoku but may not be aware of the many other types of numerical logic puzzles. This course will explore the origins and specific rules of many of these puzzles. Solving strategies will be demonstrated and discussed. Class time will include opportunities to solve various puzzles in small groups. Whether novice or expert, this course is intended to be fun for all.

Why are we here? Not Minnesota, or even Earth, but how is it that we (and life in general) can even exist in the universe? If you like lying awake at night thinking profound thoughts, then this is the right course for you. Whether you prefer the actions of a divine hand or the random vagaries of quantum chance, there will be plenty to chew on. We will combine presentations with open discussions on the mysteries of life. Weekly readings will be on the internet, and participants wishing more detailed discussions are encouraged to explore the recommended books. 

Recommended reading: The Mind of God, Paul Davies;   A Fortunate Universe: Life in a  Finely Tuned Cosmos, by G.F. Lewis and L.A. Barnes

10-6: Sherrie Gette: More Everything Forever by Adam Becker. 

10-13: Maureen Smith: All the President’s Money: How the Men Who Governed America Governed Their Money, by Megan Gorman.

10-20: Merrily Mazza: The Think Tank Racket by Glenn Diesen.

10-27: Deborah Dillon/Steve Ballinger: Peak Higher Education: How to Survive the Looming Crisis by Bryan Alexander.

11-3: Phil Fishman: Suffrage by Ellen Dubois

11-10: Dan Hunt: King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild

11-17: Ann Knapp: The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt

Citizenship in the US is a complex issue. What is it, and what happens to people who are denied citizenship and are stateless? This is a 3-part course.1: Why citizenship matters, why vulnerable minorities are excluded, efforts to end statelessness, and the impact of wars and conflicts; 2: Citizenship manipulation from Nazi Germany to the US; and international laws guaranteeing citizenship. 3: Statelessness today: the impact of 'climate migrants', wars and borders, and anti-immigration movements. Course fee: $10