Recorded Online-Zoom Courses   

This summer our fiction short story focus will be on the early American writings of Washington Irving. Both stories we will discuss via zoom are available on-line and free. We will have read “Rip van Winkle” by the first class and the second class will focus on “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Hope you can join me to read and discuss these two American Classic short stories. Session: 2 

This summer we will focus on the most popular Native American classic in America - “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” by Sherman Alexie. This easy read won the National Book Award in 2007 while it’s also one of the most banned books in America by right-wing conservatives. This is a fun read and leads to a great discussion. Sessions: 2 

While some of us think of the 1930s and 1940s as Hollywood’s “golden years,” its beginnings in the Teens established everything that it was to become in later decades. Join us in this exploration of D.W. Griffith, Thomas Ince, Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett, and Charlie Chaplin. From triumphs and tech innovation to bankruptcies and scandals, early Hollywood paved the way for what was to come and what is still with us. The course will include lectures, discussion, and videos of documentaries and movie clips.
Sessions: 3 

We explore the music of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Danish: DR Symfoniorkestret); is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). The DRSO is based at the Koncerthuset (lit. translation in English, The Concert House) concert hall in Copenhagen. The roots of the orchestra date back to the singer Emil Holm, who expressed a wish to establish a full-time symphony orchestra in Denmark. In collaboration with fellow musicians Otto Fessel, Rudolf Dietz Mann and Folmer Jensen, the orchestra was founded in 1925, with 11 players in the ensemble and conductor Launy Grøndahl having a leadership role, though without a formal title. The orchestra grew to 30 players within a year. The orchestra performed its first public concert in 1927 and began to give weekly concerts in 1928. In 1930, Holm recruited Nikolai Malko to a similar key role like Grøndahl as conductor with the orchestra, though again without Malko having a formal title. Early concerts were at the Axelborg building. In 1931, the orchestra began to give concerts at the Stærekassen hall of the Royal Danish Theatre. After going into exile from Germany in the 1930s, Fritz Busch worked extensively as a major conductor of the orchestra in parallel with Malko, though again with no formal title. By 1948, the orchestra had attained a membership of 92 musicians. Sessions: 1  

The Commonwealth of Virginia sent several Presidents and First Ladies to the White House. We will look closely at those couples, with a special focus on the First Ladies and the other women who empowered and supported those Presidents. While we’re at it, we’ll check out their Virginia homes, too. There are seven in all: the Founders, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe; the 30-day President, Harrison, and his successor the Traitor, Tyler; and the only 20th Century Virginia President, Wilson. Sessions: 5 

Drawing from a variety of time-tested disciplines, this class offers effective, results-producing movements designed specifically for the OLLI student at whatever your level is. These exercises will add strength and elasticity to your muscles and frame while protecting and strengthening your back. You will also work your heart in a very gentle way and achieve freedom in movement and less pain. Best of all, we're doing all this to the music we know and love: '50s, '60s and '70s. It is not too late to rejuvenate your body! Wear comfortable clothing. Sessions: 15 

Sing along as you read along! Taylor Jenkins Reid’s delightful book “Daisy Jones & The Six” has taken the world by storm—now a best-seller and a hit TV series. “Daisy” is gripping and realistic novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup. Set mostly in California in the rock & roll heyday, it will be a familiar and fun trip down memory lane for all of us Boomers. We’ll meet three times, first to introduce the book, then to review and discuss the book. Students will have two weeks to read the book on their own. Sessions: 3  

Sing along as you read along! Taylor Jenkins Reid’s delightful book “Daisy Jones & The Six” has taken the world by storm—now a best-seller and a hit TV series. “Daisy” is gripping and realistic novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup. Set mostly in California in the rock & roll heyday, it will be a familiar and fun trip down memory lane for all of us Boomers. We’ll meet three times, first to introduce the book, then to review and discuss the book. Students will have two weeks to read the book on their own. Sessions: 3  

Find more genealogy records and clues for your ancestors, faster, when you use special Google search techniques. Learn how to find your search terms in uploaded documents and PDF files, how to find books on specific places or surnames, and more. We will also discuss Google Books, Alerts, Images and possibly Google Earth. Be sure to print the handout ahead of class so you can follow along as the presenter demonstrates the techniques listed. Sessions: 1  

As doors were closing in Europe, they were opening in America, despite the Great Depression. Together we will discover how immigrants, some of them escaping the Nazi regime, created the Hollywood music that we have all loved since childhood. We'll explore how that migration changed the landscape of American culture. We'll learn how famous scores, like those of Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Ben-Hur, or Psycho were written and performed. Anecdotes and stories will be combined with audiovisuals and musical examples. Sessions: 6 

Life Reflections are inspired by a series of stories, photos, meaningful objects, favorite quotations, life lessons & traditions. Celebrate & preserve stories as poetry, artwork, memory books, shadow boxes or written collection. This introductory workshop uses mind-mapping & memory prompts to identify, develop & organize stories. Multiple handouts provided. Sessions: 4  

This will be our first look at the 2024 election. We will discuss the new primary calendar, take a peek at the early polling numbers, review the changes to the Electoral College, examine the 2024 US Senate map and more. Sessions: 1 

The new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) pushes the engineering and exploration of space a giant leap forward. We will compare the JWST with its predecessor the Hubble Space Telescope and discuss their differences. We'll end by showing some of the JWST images and explain what's groundbreaking about them. Sessions: 1 

The United States federal census, which started in 1790, is a key records collection for anyone doing genealogy research. While the accuracy of the information can sometimes vary (for reasons explained in this presentation, with many examples), you can count on finding much valuable information on your ancestors in the census. Includes 10-page handout. Sessions: 1  

FamilySearch.org is the largest free genealogy records archive on the internet, with more than 7 billion name-searchable records from around the world: vital records, census, military, land, probate, and more. Learn why you need to search Records, Books, the Catalog AND Historical Images. As important as Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org is a goldmine waiting for you to explore it. Includes 10-page handout. Sessions: 1 

In February 2023, the Nevada County Arts Council became one of 13 California agencies to administer part of the $60 million California Creative Corp grant. The grant is intended to be an economic and workforce recovery pilot program to fuel positivity, regain public trust and inspire health and safety across California. It is also very much like the Federal Writing Project, part of the WPA of the 1930s, also created for many of the same goals. Learn about the American Guides published by the Federal Writing Project, the subversive triumph of the participating writers and how this new grant program is similar as well as how it is very different. How can you participate? This is a part presentation and part workshop. Session: 2