Designed and led by members, study groups are free to all OLLI-UW members. Groups offer participants self-directed learning opportunities to focus on a chosen topic for a sustained period in a community of members with similar interests. Osher peer-led study groups are exclusively for OLLI-UW members.
We have a new registration system! To check out the current study group and register for winter 2026 programs, please go to our new portal here. You may also want to bookmark it so you can return to it later. If you have any registration questions, contact us at olli@uw.edu.
A Study of Harvard University Scholar Robert Putnam’s Ideas and Research Contained In His Seminal Bowling Alone - About The Absolute Necessity of Community Bonding and Social Capital For Maintaining A Working, Vibrant Democracy
Schedule: Thursday, November 6, 13, 20 and December 4 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Location: Mercer Island Community and Events Center
This peer led Study Group will primarily study Putnam’s research and broad areas of application. We’ll also include the related works around the concept of the ‘Broken Ladder’ and a key publication produced by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), which was led by Seattle’s Eric Liu. We’ll watch the 2024 documentary, titled “Join or Die,” about Putnam’s life, his research efforts, and where successful community building has taken place. We will sketch out our own recommendations for a hypothetical Better Emerald City (Seattle). Lastly, we may bring important “consultant” practitioners into our midst to aid us in our efforts to understand and build our better Seattle.
A portion of Dr. Fahrer’s graduate studies were in the fields of Sociology and Education - both areas that Putnam values highly. He has always been interested and involved in human and organizational bonding - from his years in unique public service, higher education, lifelong human development and in corporate operations.
Mercer Island Current Events Roundtable (Zoom)
Schedule: Weekly, every Wednesday from 10:00 – 11:30 AM
Join other OLLI-UW members in discussing the events of the day in an informal and friendly environment. You may also join the group as an observer. The observers will be able to sit back and relax and learn from the dialogue. Whenever they are ready to participate in the conversation, all they have to do is raise their hand. Elliot Newman facilitates this group.
Best American Short Stories 2025 (In-Person)
Summer Schedule: Monthly - September 3, October 1 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Schedule: Weekly, Wednesdays from 1:00 - 3:00 PM (starting October 29th)
Location: Third Place Books at Lake Forest Park and various King County Library Rooms
Each fall, The Best American Short Stories showcases 20 stories published in North American literary magazines. Reading the anthology can feel like a tour of the highest peaks in contemporary fiction. This year the guest editor is Celeste Ng, herself an accomplished writer. The book will be released on October 21st. We will meet each week to explore the stories. The 2025 collection will be available online or at bookstores such as Thrid Place. This group will be facilitated by David Harrell, alum of UW’s MFA program.
Non-Fiction Study Book Group (Zoom)
This group is currently full.
Schedule: 4th Monday of the month
Time: 12:30 - 2:00 PM
Biography, memoir, science, politics, philosophy and so much more! Revisit and reflect on old reads and experience new realizations with other books in our new community of non-fiction readers! Read authors like Jon Krakauer, Malcom Gladwell, Virginia Woolf, Rachel Carson, to name a few...
October 27: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
November 24: Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo
Previous reads include: Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Tim Egan, David and Goliath by Malcom Gladwell, All About Love by bell hooks. The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama, My Promised Land by Ari Shavit, Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
North Seattle Contemporary Reads Book Group (In-Person)
This group is currently full.
Schedule: Monthly, 2nd Monday of each month
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 PM Meets at Third Place Books at Lake Forest Park
Book Selections 2025/2026:
October 13: How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
November 10: The Cure for Women by Lydia Reeder
December 8: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
January 12: Cold Victory by Karl Marlantes
February 9: The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylvainen
March 9: A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
April 13: The Round House by Louise Erdrich
May 11: Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
June 8: There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elis Shafak
July 13: The Wager by David Grann
August 10: The Caretaker by Ron Rash