Thursday   

This poetry writing workshop will examine resistance poems written during significant periods of history from the American Revolution to the present day. Workshop participants will use published resistance poems as models and inspiration to write their own resistance poems, which can then be shared, discussed, and revised during the workshop. Among the poets we will read are Phillis Wheatley, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Allen Ginsberg, and Amanda Gorman. The workshop time will be devoted to discussion of published poems and participants’ poems.  The writing of poems, as Mary Oliver tells us, will need to be done at the solitude of the writer’s desk.  

Booked for Life invites lifelong learners to explore the enduring power of literature and memory. We will examine how books shape identity across time, revisit historic and contemporary works, and engage in thoughtful discussion on themes of resilience, legacy, and imagination. In addition to reading, participants will practice writing short reflections and personal narratives as a way of preserving memory and passing on stories across generations. The course concludes with a visit to the RISE Selfie Museum, a unique storytelling space that highlights women’s history and invites participants to consider their own voices within a larger cultural narrative. 

In this course, we will dive into the more unusual side of literature, namely speculative fiction, a type of fiction where the laws of nature do not apply. Starting with Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, to short stories by authors like George Saunders and Karen Russell, we’ll discuss why these stories are considered speculative. We’ll also explore the underlying meaning of each story, as well as why the author chose this particular sub-genre. Lastly, we’ll question whether the story was successful. The course’s overall goal is to better understand why speculative fiction is a powerful sub-genre in literature. 

The course will look at the past, present, and future of unions and the world of work. In the late 19th century, unions established a presence in our political and economic life, facing constant violence and opposition. Workers organized on an unprecedented scale in the 1930s, leading to a long period of prosperity and labor peace in the post WWII era. Millions of Americans entered the middle class and established organized labor as a vehicle for social mobility. In the late 1970s and 1980s the business community, supported by an emerging right-wing political opposition, launched an assault on union influence and drove an agenda that diminished the percentage of American workers in unions from 35% to 10%. Globalization and the fissuring of the economy contributed to labor's decline as well. There are signs of creative forms of organizing in the changing workforce – among low- waged workers, women and workers of color, and workers in the new "innovation economy.” The last two sessions will focus on the increasingly precarious conditions at work, the gig economy, some of the new forms of organizing, and whether organized labor can challenge fundamental issues of income inequality and global corporate power. This course was previously offered in Fall 2025. 

Arguments about sex differences are a part of the current zeitgeist, so a foundational understanding of how sex works on a biological level is critical to being an informed voter and citizen. In this course we will explore how plants and animals determine sex, why they do that, how it evolved, and what the term ‘sex’ even means.  This course doesn’t have a political agenda, but hopes to empower its students to think intelligently about political issues of our time. 

Are you going to France or to a French-speaking country? If so, you need to be able to communicate at least at a minimum to show that you are making an effort toward the culture of the host country. The people there will greatly appreciate (even if they answer in English) and may even be friendlier. In this class you will learn French basic vocabulary and phrases in a conversational setting. The course will integrate the Mango Languages computer program to practice and reinforce your new skills at home. 

Join the ultimate dance-fitness class that beats a boring exercise workout any day! Zumba® Gold is part of the Zumba® dance-based fitness program, which is specifically designed for active older adults. We dance to the same wide-variety of Latin and Other International rhythms as well as pop, disco, and '50s/'60s songs. It's not a dance class, though, so just let the music move you however you feel it! Stand up or sit down - you're at home, so do what works for you! Dress to move and keep that water bottle handy! 

The contemporary world has seen renewed and sharpened contests between competing (although sometimes overlapping) political worldviews; authoritarianism, democracy, liberalism, conservatism, social democracy, communism, fascism, and nationalism. This course will try to better understand the underlying philosophical ideas of these ideologies by considering the thought of such figures as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Mill, Marx, Bernstein, Lenin, Schmitt and Arendt. The lectures and class discussions will assume no outside class reading, but relevant readings will be suggested. The goal of the course is not to persuade anyone to endorse or reject any view, but rather to explore what can be said for or against it in order to deepen our understanding of the position. 

Through discussion, some lecturing and recommended readings we will try to refine our complex and often inconsistent relationships with animals. Why do we love some, hate some and eat others? We will explore evolutionary psychology, speciesism, the influence of our cultural heritage and increasing knowledge of animal capabilities to help us clarify our personal attitudes towards the animals with which we share our planet. 

Learn simple, chair-friendly practices to steady the nervous system. Each session blends brief education (why breathing helps), guided meditation, and gentle movement you can do at home—no mat required. We’ll cover pacing the breath, grounding with the senses, and light mobility for stiff spots. Leave with a 10-minute daily routine and a personal “calm kit.” 

Join us for a tour of Boston’s colorful religious history. What basic beliefs did the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims share? Did Cardinal Cushing support Billy Graham’s Boston Crusades? How did Malcolm X’s pilgrimage to Mecca lay the groundwork for the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center? What does the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge symbolize? You’ll learn answers to these questions and many more. Boston is home to the spiritual and the skeptical alike; if you’re interested in local history, this course is for you. 

Being an empath or highly sensitive person is a profound gift — but in today’s noisy, stressful world, it can also feel overwhelming. This 5-week class will help you understand your sensitivity, create healthy boundaries, and learn practices to stay grounded, centered, and at peace. Through gentle exercises, guided meditations, and heartfelt discussions, you’ll explore how to manage emotional overload, reconnect with your intuition, and honor your sensitivity as a source of compassion, creativity, and inner wisdom. By the end, you’ll feel more balanced, empowered, and aligned with the true strength of your empathic nature. 

This course will explore the history of the Boston Public Schools system, from its inception in 1642 through the tumultuous busing crisis of the 1960s and 70s and to the district’s present-day realities of charter school competition, Exam School politics, and school mergers. As the first public school system in the nation, BPS holds a unique position within our city and country’s history – this course will allow participants to consider how BPS has changed over time and to explore what lessons the district’s history holds that can help to shape the future of public education in Boston and beyond. 

Recognize the address? Mary Poppins came to visit 17 Cherry Tree Lane and transformed its inhabitants, the Banks family. We will explore imaginative and unusual ways to approach creative writing with the same whimsy and determination as Mary Poppins. Give yourself the gift of time to notice the magic of words and nearly ‘fly’ into writing your own stories or poems. Through writing prompts and writing sessions, your imagination will be invited to the page. Participants will be encouraged to share their work and offer positive comments to others. Prior creative writing experience is not necessary. Please come ready to write, please keep camera on during sharing and prompts to encourage our special community.