Return to Course Catalog

Welcome to the Osher Lifelong Learning Instituteat Sierra College Spring 2025 Registration is Open! Spring 2025 Term Dates: (M) February 3 - (F) May 16 > OLLI Extras > Author Spotlight Lunch Pail Series

Author Spotlight Lunch Pail Series   

Coming Soon! | Spring 2025

Select Fridays | at 12 Noon | Online via Zoom

Current OLLI at Sierra College Membership is Required to Participate
Become a Member / Renew OLLI Membership: Click Here!

Author Spotlight Series 2025

Series Description — Our region is home to a variety of terrific authors who write a wide assortment of books. This monthly series of interviews will introduce us to some of these interesting, local writers and their books.

An Added Benefit  Your class fee is a donation to the Sierra College Food Pantry. One hundred percent of the registration proceeds made from the Author Spotlight Lunch Pail Series will be donated to the Sierra College Food Pantry. Thank you for joining our cause to help end student food insecurity on our campuses and in our community. 

The Food Pantry is open to all Sierra College students experiencing food insecurity regardless of income. The Food Pantry’s stock consists of a variety of non-perishable items. Students must be currently enrolled at Sierra College to use the food pantry. There is a Sierra College Food Pantry located at both the Rocklin and Grass Valley campuses, which gives scores of local homeless and food insecure youth a weekly box of food. More information can be found on the Sierra College Food Pantry webpage or Click Here!

Thank you, OLLI members, for your support of this crucial resource for our Sierra College student body!

*Tip: To view the Author's book cover in larger scale, click on their Series' Title below (in dark gray box with white letters).

 
  • Author Spotlight Lunch Pail Series: Earth Month – Rosanne McHenry – Tales of a Rogue Ranger (April) 
  • Interviewer/Moderator: Joan Griffin
    Dates: 4/18/2025 (only)
    Days: F
    Times: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
    Sessions: 1
    Fee: $5.00 (SC Food Pantry Donation)
    Location: Online via Zoom 
    Recording: *This class is being recorded. *Recordings will expire after 30 days.
    Seats Available: 287 | Max Enroll: 299
    SKU: SprALIT131 

    April 18 – Rosanne McHenry – Tales of a Rogue Ranger – Earth Month

     

    Tales From A Rogue RangerBio: Rosanne McHenry lives with her husband in Auburn, California, beside the American River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. She has worked as a National Park Ranger and a California State Park Ranger in many different locations over the years, including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mt. Rainier National Park, Auburn State Recreation Area, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and Death Valley National Park, among others.

    Book: Protecting the people from our parks and the parks from our people is a curious challenge unique to park rangers. Tales of a Rogue Ranger contains the stories of real people and Mother Nature, giving the reader a fascinating peek at the life of a park ranger. McHenry regales her readers with madcap adventures, telling her stories with humor and wit. Tales From a Rogue Ranger is a fun read for anyone who loves being out in the great outdoors.
    *Proceeds will be donated to the Sierra College Food Pantry. Membership Required.
    *Class Dates: 4/18 (only).  
 

  • Author Spotlight Lunch Pail Series: Grant Faulkner – Flash Fiction, Brevity (February) 
  • Interviewer/Moderator: Joan Griffin
    Dates: 2/14/2025 (only)
    Days: F
    Times: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
    Sessions: 1
    Fee: $5.00 (SC Food Pantry Donation)
    Location: Online via Zoom 
    Recording: *This class is being recorded. *Recordings will expire after 30 days.
    Seats Available: 294 | Max Enroll: 299
    SKU: SprALIT111 

    February 14 – Grant Faulkner & Pep Talks for Writers

     

    Pep Talks for WritersBio: Grant Faulkner is a longtime Berkeley resident, though he originates from the Midwest, having come to the Golden State for school. Grant has published a number of books about writing and creativity and even more articles in writing and literature-related publications. He cohosts the podcast Write-minded and writes a weekly blog/newsletter Intimations. Grant is the former executive director of NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month, co-founder of the online literary journal 100 Word Story, and executive producer on America’s Next Great Author, a reality TV show about writers in production of 2025.

    Book: Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo

    Every writer knows that as rewarding as the creative process is, it can often be a bumpy road. Have hope and keep at it! Designed to kick-start creativity, this handsome handbook from the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) gathers a wide range of insights and advice for writers at any stage of their career. From tips about how to finally start that story to helpful ideas about what to do when the words just aren't quite coming out right, Pep Talks for Writers provides motivation, encouragement, and helpful exercises for writers of all stripes.

    *Proceeds will be donated to the Sierra College Food Pantry. Membership Required.
    *Class Dates: 2/14 (only). 
 

  • Author Spotlight Lunch Pail Series: Mother’s Day – Barbara Lawrence – Drawing Water (May) 
  • Interviewer/Moderator: Joan Griffin
    Dates: 5/16/2025 (only)
    Days: F
    Times: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
    Sessions: 1
    Fee: $5.00 (SC Food Pantry Donation)
    Location: Online via Zoom 
    Recording: *This class is being recorded. *Recordings will expire after 30 days.
    Seats Available: 290 | Max Enroll: 299
    SKU: SprALIT141 

    May 16 – Barbara Lawrence – Drawing Water – Mother’s Day

     

    Drawing WaterBio: Barbara Olson Lawrence is inspired by sunrises, persistent rivers, and beautiful sentences. In her thirties, as a single mom working in a college library, she earned a BA in art and exhibited her work in juried shows in museums and galleries in the San Francisco Bay Area. A native Oregonian, she now lives in Northern California’s Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada foothills. On her daily walks she collects fallen leaves for later drawings using her favorite pencil.

    Book: Drawing Water: The Art of Finding My Way is a memoir of resilience and overcoming odds. It is a testament to the power of kindness and caring interventions to heal a damaged heart. 
    Barbara Olson Lawrence learned very early on to tell the difference between people who meant her harm and those she could trust. Her beloved grandfather’s lessons imparted strong life strategies. Her second-grade teacher and a store clerk filled the void left in her heart by her mother’s neglect and destruction. How can someone be a good mother if she never experienced good mothering? Barbara answered that question by seeking out nurturing helpers and wise mentors. Always, making art saved her.
    *Proceeds will be donated to the Sierra College Food Pantry. Membership Required.
    *Class Dates: 5/16 (only).  
 

  • Author Spotlight Lunch Pail Series: Women’s History Month – Anna Crowe, Audiobook Narrator (March) 
  • Interviewer/Moderator: Joan Griffin
    Dates: 3/14/2025 (only)
    Days: F
    Times: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
    Sessions: 1
    Fee: $5.00 (SC Food Pantry Donation)
    Location: Online via Zoom 
    Recording: *This class is being recorded. *Recordings will expire after 30 days.
    Seats Available: 292 | Max Enroll: 299
    SKU: SprALIT121 

    March 14 – Anna Crowe – Audiobook Narrator

     

    Anna Crowe - Audiobook NarratorBio: Anna Crowe is a Southern California-based voice actor who loves the written and spoken word. Starting with the weirdest college job possible, Anna has forged a longstanding career in communicating stories with meaning and clarity. Anna is a skilled English/Spanish bilingual talent with years of experience narrating corporate, commercials, fiction and nonfiction audiobooks and more. From her professional-grade studio, Anna infuses warmth and meaning into narration that connects, instructs or entertains.

    Books: Amazon lists 89 book narrated by Anna Crowe, including Force of Nature by Joan Griffin and Tangles by Kay Smith-Blum.
    *Proceeds will be donated to the Sierra College Food Pantry. Membership Required.
    *Class Dates: 3/14 (only).  
 

Some Title