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Special Interest Groups   

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OLLI at USM offers many diverse activities beyond the classroom. Open exclusively to current OLLI members, our Special Interest Groups provide great opportunities to connect socially with people with similar interests.

To participate in any Special Interest Group, you must be a current OLLI member. Special Interest Groups are not intended as instructional events. Most groups that previously met on campus at Wishcamper will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. Many programs run year-round, except for July and August.

If you want to learn more about the individual SIGS please visit the OLLI Special Interest Groups webpage and then come back here to Sign In and register!

SIG sign-ups for 2025-2026 open on Wednesday, May 28th.

  • BICYCLE & NOSH
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 5/20/2025 - 11/30/2025
    Times: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
    Days:
    Sessions: 0
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: Mark Love
    Seats available: 96

    If you like to bike, how about joining a group of OLLI members for a ride every couple of weeks with a delicious treat along the way? This group does not meet in the winter months.

    FMI: Contact Mark Love at mlove196@maine.rr.com

    Meets whenever a member leads a ride

 

  • BOOK CLUB
  • Remote
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/18/2025 - 6/18/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 10
    Building: Remote
    Room: Zoom
    Instructor: Anna Messmer, Karen Winslow
    Seats available: 57

    Members meet each month, September through June, to discuss readings from various genres, including contemporary novels, classics, biographies, memoirs, short stories, etc.

    FMI: Contact Karen Winslow at kpwinslow@yahoo.com or Anna Messmer at aemessmer@maine.rr.com

    Meets the 3rd Thursday of the month, remotely via Zoom

 

  • BRIDGE CLUB
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/3/2025 - 6/24/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 43
    Building: Wishcamper Center
    Room: 211
    Instructor: Barbara Freeman
    Seats available: 97

    Those who enjoy playing bridge for fun are welcome to join this group, which meets weekly.

    FMI: Contact Barbara Freeman at bhfreewoman@gmail.com

    Meets in-person in Wishcamper, weekly, Wednesdays, 3:15 - 5:15, Sept - June.

 

  • DOWNHILL SKI CLUB
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 11/1/2025 - 11/1/2025
    Times: Arr
    Days: Arr
    Sessions: 0
    Building: Off Site
    Room:
    Instructor: Lois Winter
    Seats available: 99

    A seasonal outlet for downhill skiing enthusiasts, the club welcomes new and returning members. Skiers plan trips to area mountains when snow conditions are good and driving conditions permit.

    FMI: Contact Lois Winter at loiswinter54@gmail.com.  You'll need to provide additional safety/contact information before receiving notice of upcoming ski trips.

    Generally weekly during downhill ski season, when driving and snow conditions on the mountain permit.

 

  • ECLECTIC DIALOGUE JUNCTION: A TAPESTRY OF CONVERSATIONS
  • Remote
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/11/2025 - 6/11/2026
    Times: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 0
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: Elizabeth Housewright
    Seats available: 91

    Embark on a stimulating journey of diverse discussions with our special interest group. Join us monthly from September to June for engaging conversations sparked by thought-provoking articles, intriguing podcasts, or captivating topics that resonate with the curious mind. Each month will be a different topic: attend those that interest you.

    FMI: Contact Elizabeth Housewright at ehousewright@gmail.com 

    Meets via Zoom the 2nd Thursday of the month starting at 7 pm, September - June.

 

  • HISTORY BOOK CLUB
  • Hybrid
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/18/2025 - 6/18/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 10
    Building: Wishcamper Center
    Room: 203
    Instructor: Dawn Leland, Karen Day
    Seats available: 24

    Members read and discuss one work of history each month. Works include social, political, economic, and foreign-policy history as well as biography, autobiography, memoir, and historical fiction.

    FMI: Contact Dawn Leland at lelanddm@gmail.com

    Meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday, 3:15 - 5:15, hybrid (both in-person and remote concurrently)

 

  • LET'S KNIT!
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/8/2025 - 6/29/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: M
    Sessions: 40
    Building: Wishcamper Center
    Room: 105
    Instructor: 
    Seats available: 4

    We are a group of dedicated knitters who meet at the Wishcamper Center during the Fall, Winter, and Spring terms. No instruction is provided, but all experience levels are represented. Knitting together builds community.

    FMI: Contact Linda Cunning at cunninglk@gmail.com.

    Meets weekly, Mondays, 3:15, OLLI Library, Sept - June

 

  • Mindful Meditation
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/3/2025 - 6/24/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 0
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: Cheryl Anderson, Richard Welsh
    Seats available: 95

    We meet for guided and/or silent meditation, some learning and discussion.  All levels of experience are welcome.

    Meets weekly on Wednesday, 3:15 - 5:15, Sept - June, in-person in Wishcamper

 

  • OLLI SINGERS
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/19/2025 - 5/15/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:00 PM
    Days: F
    Sessions: 0
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: Bob Swerdlow, Vicki Swerdlow
    Seats available: 99

    Singing is fun and good for you, too: mind, body and soul. Rehearsals Friday afternoons and concerts fall and spring. Four-part choral music: spirituals, folk, pops, Broadway and more.  We keep it upbeat and fun - join us!

    FMI: Contact Bob Swerdlow at OLLISingersAtUSM@gmail.com

    Meets weekly during OLLI's fall and spring terms.

 

  • PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB
  • Blended
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/18/2025 - 5/21/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 10
    Building: Wishcamper Center
    Room: 105
    Instructor: Sharon Roberts
    Seats available: 96

    Shutterbugs at OLLI at USM meet and learn from each other while sharing their love of photography.

    FMI: Contact Sharon Roberts at sroberts4664@gmail.com.

    Meets monthly, 3rd Thursday, 3:15 - 5:15 in person but on Zoom during the winter months. Some off-site field trips at various times during the year.

 

  • PICTIONARY GAME NIGHT
  • Remote
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 7/1/2025 - 6/30/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 0
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: Stephen Dorneman
    Seats available: 93

    Come join the fun! Stick figures are our specialty and sometimes they look like the word we are trying to draw. No art ability required. Meets twice monthly on Thursday afternoons via the easy-to-use Zoom whiteboard.

    FMI: Contact Stephen Dorneman at stephendorneman@gmail.com.

    Meets via Zoom, 2 Thursday a month, starting at 3:15

 

  • SCIENCE READING CLUB
  • Remote
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 7/16/2025 - 6/17/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 12
    Building: Remote
    Room: Zoom
    Instructor: Elizabeth Housewright
    Seats available: 91

    Each month, this group reads and discusses articles from the latest issue of Scientific American.

    FMI: Contact Elizabeth Housewright at ehousewright@gmail.com 

    Meets the 3rd Wednesday of the moth via Zoom

 

  • TRAIL STEPPERS
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 7/3/2025 - 6/25/2026
    Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 49
    Building: Off Site
    Room: Portland
    Instructor: David VonSeggern, Linda Werner, Jane Foley
    Seats available: 24

    This walking group strives to get OLLI members outdoors in the Portland area on easy to moderate walks that promote good health, social mixing, and understanding of our natural environment and our cultural heritage.

    FMI: Contact David von Seggern at vonseg1@sbcglobal.net.

    Meets weekly, Thursday, 10-12

 

  • TRIVIA GAME NIGHT
  • Remote
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 7/1/2025 - 6/30/2026
    Times: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
    Days:
    Sessions: 0
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: Elizabeth Housewright
    Seats available: 93

    Join us for some laughs and interesting questions that will have your brain scanning your mental files for what some may call trivial information. You provide your own snacks and beverages. We provide the questions! You are one click away from an evening of good company and laughter.

    Register once for this Special Interest Group (SIG) and you will remain on the email list until July 2026 and will receive all relevant communications.

    All sessions will be via zoom, one or two Monday evenings a month September through June at 7PM.

    Meets one or two Monday evenings a month September through June at 7PM

 

  • VIRTUAL BOOK EXCHANGE
  • Remote
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/24/2025 - 6/24/2026
    Times: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 10
    Building: Remote
    Room: Zoom
    Instructor: Anne Cass
    Seats available: 97

    Bibliophile? Looking for the next book to read? Join in and share a title or two. Leave with the title of the next book to add to the stack! We meet on Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

    FMI: Contact Anne Cass at annebcass@gmail.com.

    Meets once a month, on the 4th Wednesday at 7 pm

 

  • Writing for Hungry Spirits
  • In-Person
    Fee: $0.00
    Dates: 9/2/2025 - 6/30/2026
    Times: 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
    Days: Tu
    Sessions: 0
    Building:
    Room:
    Instructor: Lynne Mentzer
    Seats available: 6

    Are you hungry for more than food? Are you hungry for spiritual nourishment? Are you ready to write your way to a deeper connection with your spiritual self? Come write and grow with us as we explore creative writing techniques and prompts in a positive and supportive environment.

    Meets every other Tuesday, 3:15 - 5:15, Sept - June,

 

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