In 1935 Albin Michel published Invasion 14, French novelist Maxence Van der Meersch’s semi-autobiographical account of the German occupation of northern France during World War I. It fell one vote shy of winning the Prix Goncourt. This session will explore the factors contributing to Invasion 14’s initial acclaim; the novel’s subsequent fall from the pantheon of classic war novels like Henri Barbusse’s Under Fire; and the new appreciation it is garnering today. Shaping each of these trends is a complex interplay between experience and memory. The presenter will also discuss the path that brought a historian to the endeavor of translation.

In 1935 Albin Michel published Invasion 14, French novelist Maxence Van der Meersch’s semi-autobiographical account of the German occupation of northern France during World War I. It fell one vote shy of winning the Prix Goncourt. This session will explore the factors contributing to Invasion 14’s initial acclaim; the novel’s subsequent fall from the pantheon of classic war novels like Henri Barbusse’s Under Fire; and the new appreciation it is garnering today. Shaping each of these trends is a complex interplay between experience and memory. The presenter will also discuss the path that brought a historian to the endeavor of translation.

In this newlypublished collection of letters written by Flannery O'Connor to her mother while in graduate school, a new perspective emerges--one of a slightly more congenial mother-daughter relationship between the two of them than has been previously understood. Dr. Miller, who edited the collection, will discuss the insights she has gleaned from this new perspective of the author's intellectually formative period, including what she learned about the craft and discipline of writing, the artistic community O’Connor was becoming a part of, and also fun insights about her day-to-day grad school life.

For those concerned about racism in this country, this beautifully written book will make a difference. As one reviewer notes: “Informed by scholarship and brought to life by the stories of people living today, Dr. Smith’s debut work of nonfiction is a landmark of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of our country and how it has come to be” Each section of the class will focus on discussion of about fifty pages of Dr. Smith’s book. Participants should have read the fifty pages before each class.

A CURTAIN OF GREEN is Eudora Welty's first short story collection, and it contains many of her most famous pieces, such as "A Worn Path," "Why I Live at the P.O.", and "Petrified Man." Some pieces are wildly comic, while others present tragedies. Welty considers a wide range of Southerners--both blacks and whites, men and women of all ages--and doesn't hesitate to present disturbing images, such as a captive black man forced to dress as a woman and bite off chicken heads, or a tranquil gardener who contemplates killing her helper. The brilliant writing carries all before it.

The class traces mystery fiction from the American hard-boiled detectives of the 1920s-1940s to the myriad choices readers have today. Mystery writing moved on from the predominately British 1920s Golden Age of mystery fiction across the "pond" to the American hard-boiled detectives of the 1930s and 1940s. What we have today are the descendants of that rich early history, mystery writing to satisfy even the most demanding reader.

The class traces mystery fiction from the American hard-boiled detectives of the 1920s-1940s to the myriad choices readers have today. Mystery writing moved on from the predominately British 1920s Golden Age of mystery fiction across the "pond" to the American hard-boiled detectives of the 1930s and 1940s. What we have today are the descendants of that rich early history, mystery writing to satisfy even the most demanding reader.

Mystery readers have high expectations when they open a book. Mystery authors know what they have to deliver to demanding readers, but are readers aware of those five main elements that constitute a "good" mystery?This class strives to make us clever consumers of mystery fiction.

Mystery readers have high expectations when they open a book. Mystery authors know what they have to deliver to demanding readers, but are readers aware of those five main elements that constitute a "good" mystery?This class strives to make us clever consumers of mystery fiction.

Journaling is widely known to help process emotions and the ever-swelling waves of grief. Loss is felt not only in death and in declining health, but also at the end of marriages, friendships/relationships and careers. If you’ve experienced loss recently or even a few years ago, journaling can help you tease out the thoughts that keep you awake at night while acknowledging the loss and providing a means of moving forward and even inspiring new goals. Learn how to journal effectively from a seasoned writer who has used journaling as a healing tool to navigate multiple types of loss.

Writing about an interesting person or family member can be challenging, particularly when they don’t want to talk about their life because of controversy, or perhaps you or your subject have a fear of harming others in the process. Whether you are writing a memoir or a biography, or simply documenting family history for future generations, find out how to ask the tough questions to preserve a complicated or delicate history while honoring and respecting the person and their story. In this workshop learn interviewing tips and how to ask the right questions.

We read short items and selections from some of the world's best fiction and non-fiction. As well as interesting insights we strive for personal growth and social engagement. This year, 2022-2023, we will read the selections in the Great Books Foundation anthologies Modern American Poetry (978-1-880323-88-5, $26) and The Nature of Life, v.1 (ISBN 978-0-945159-72-8, $20). Used copies may be available on the Internet.

We read short items and selections from some of the world's best fiction and non-fiction. As well as interesting insights we strive for personal growth and social engagement. This year, 2022-2023, we will read the selections in the Great Books Foundation anthologies Modern American Poetry (978-1-880323-88-5, $26) and The Nature of Life, v.1 (ISBN 978-0-945159-72-8, $20). Used copies may be available on the Internet.

Each year the Foreign Policy Association publishes a booklet analyzing eight topics they believe offer opportunities and/or risks to the United States. This discussion course expects participants to buy the 2022 Great Decisions booklet read the assigned material, and come to class prepared to offer individual insights and opinions. This semester’s course is a continuation of the spring semester's course, and will cover the last four topics in the Foreign Policy Assoc. booklet for 2022. Quad Alliance, Drug Policy in Latin America, Industrial Policy and Biden's agenda. The booklet is available from the Foreign Policy Assoc. Website (https://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/).

Explore the complex relationship between poetry and place in a course with Athens's first poet laureate, Jeff Fallis. We will read and discuss poems that are closely related to particular locations and landscapes (including Athens!), and we will write poems of our own that investigate our own personal connections to the places that made us. We will try to figure out if Wendell Berry's adage that "If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are" is actually true. No previous experience with poetry is necessary!