The BOLLI Bulletin - April 30, 2021
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First Blossoms - photo by Peter Gordon. To see more images by the BOLLI Photo Group, click here.
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BOLLI Calendars and Schedules
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Summer Program: Save the Dates
The months of June, July, and August will be full of excitement at BOLLI. Although we won’t be back together at Turner Street, there are learning and social opportunities for you via BOLLI Online almost every day. All times are Eastern Time.
BOLLI Lecture Series
Complimentary for BOLLI members. For detailed information and to RSVP, click here.
Hamlet: The Beginning of Modern Literature with Billy Flesch
June 7-11, 10:30am-12:00pm
The Language of Western Music: A Listener’s Guide with Gil Harel
June 28 - July 2, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Art History at the Museum: Five Virtual Tours for the BOLLI Community
with Ruth Ezra
Tuesdays, June 15, 22, 29 and July 6 and 13, 2021
3:00 - 4:30pm
China in the 21st Century: Problems and Prospects with Scott McKnight
Wednesdays, July 7, 14, 21, 28 and August 4
10:30am - 12:00pm
Broadway and the Evolution of the American Musical with Gil Harel
August 2-6, 10:30am-12:00pm
Religion in a Secular Age: Cinematic Perspectives with Jacob Meskin
Wednesdays: August 4, 11, 18, 25, and September 1
3:00-4:30pm
Faculty Seminars
Payment required. Discounted for BOLLI seasonal and annual members. For detailed information, click here.
Registration opens May 7th. Current members will receive an email at 9:00am that day with a personalized registration link. All others can register by clicking here on May 7.
Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague with Billy Flesch
Section One: June 14-18, 9:30am - 12:15pm
Section Two: June 21-25, 9:30am-12:15pm
Mozart: Man, Myth, Legacy with Gil Harel
Section One: July 12-16, 9:30am - 12:15pm
Section Two: July 19-23, 9:30am-12:15pm
A Night at the Opera for All Comers with Gil Harel
Section One: August 9-13, 9:30am - 12:15pm
Section Two: August 16-20, 9:30am-12:15pm
Special Interest Groups
These groups will continue to meet throughout the summer. Click here for more information. Individual meeting times will be published weekly in the Bulletin.
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Director's Chat Invitation
From Avi Bernstein, BOLLI Director
Please join me on Friday, April 30 following the Distinguished Speakers Lunch & Learn Event for a Director’s Update and Community Discussion over Zoom.
We will commence at 2:05 and conclude by 3:30p. Don’t miss the discussion about BOLLI’s summer program and our fall return to campus.
If you are logged on to the Distinguished Speakers Event, just plan to stay right where you are! If you won’t be, please look out for an email on April 30 with the Zoom link.
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Save the Date: CAST Performance on Friday, May 21 at 1pm
BOLLI’s Creative Acting, Storytelling, and Theater group (CAST) is set to perform a selection of scenes on Friday, May 21 at 1:00 p.m. The program will include scenes from a broad range of plays by American and British playwrights – featuring both comic and dramatic material. Plays represented include: Agnes of God; The Last Night of Ballyhoo; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Blithe Spirit; The Cemetery Club; and Our Town.
The performance will take place via Zoom. Free registration by clicking here.
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New Special Interest Group: Topics in Healthcare
The goal of the “Topics in Healthcare” SIG is to discuss issues of broad interest in contemporary medicine and healthcare policy through professional, scientific and social lenses. Our interests span surgery, internal medicine, radiology, oncology, psychology, epidemiology, biology, dental, obstetrics / gynecology, pediatrics, nephrology, and more. The group meeting format will largely consist of member presentations followed by group discussion. This group is open to all, but it is not a forum for personal medical consultation. We are looking forward to robust, interdisciplinary discussions of a variety of healthcare related topics. The group is facilitated by BOLLI members Mark Friedman, Peter Gordon, David Rattner, and Franklin Segall.
Topics in Healthcare will convene for the first time on Wednesday, June 16, 11:00am-12:30pm. To receive the Zoom link for the meeting, please email David Rattner [[email protected]].
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Zoom Best Practices and Help
We encourage you to look at the Zoom best practices that we have collected by clicking here before attending BOLLI virtual events and classes.
If you ever need help with Zoom, please don't hesitate to reach out to Nicole Grant, Program Coordinator at 781-736-2992 and/or [email protected]. Please give her as much information as possible about the issue you are experiencing. Either Nicole or another staff person or volunteer will be back in touch with you promptly.
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Distinguished Speaker Series - 1:00 to 2:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays
There is no need to RSVP. A link will be sent out the morning of the talk.
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Friday, April 30 at 1:00
James H. Barron, Journalist and Attorney
**This is a change in the schedule**
"The Greek Connection: Tales of a Whistleblower who Changed History"
This critically acclaimed author shares his non-fiction political thriller about a controversial journalist who relentlessly battles for democracy, honor and survival against abusive American and Greek governments trying to destroy him.
For more information about the speaker, please click here. For more information about "The Greek Connection," you can click here.
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Wednesday, May 5 at 1:00
Eric Giesser, Regional Director, American Israel Public Affairs Committee
"The Israel-U.S. Relationship: Built for Good"
With a new President, will the U.S. change Trump era U.S. - Israel relations? Join us to hear from AIPAC's Regional Director why our relationship with Israel needs to remain strong as an ally partnering with the U.S. to solve critical 21st century challenges.
For more information about the speaker, click here.
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Friday, May 7 at 1:00
Tanisha Sullivan, President of the Boston Chapter NAACP
"Delivering on the Promise of Equality After COVID-19"
Tanisha M. Sullivan, President of the NAACP Boston Branch, explores today her perspective on: The Great Awakening: The Commonwealth’s Promise to Keep in Post 2020. Has the Commonwealth awakened or still sleeping on promises of equality in the aftermath of Covid-19?
For more information about the speaker, click here.
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Click here for the full schedule of talks.
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BOLLI Virtual Meetings in Upcoming Weeks |
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Writers Guild
Friday, April 23 from 9:30 to noon
April 30 prompt: Killing two birds with one stone
May 7 prompt: Pick a Fairy Tale and rewrite it from the perspective of the antagonist (Example: Make the wolf the hero in Little Red Riding Hood)
Due to time constraints, writing should be limited to 500 words max. If you're not a writer but want to share a photograph with a lighthearted caption, please do so.
A Zoom link will be sent to those on the Writers Guild mailing list prior to the meeting. If you are not already on the mailing list, please contact Larry Schwirian to be added to it.
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BOLLI CAST: Creative Acting, Storytelling and Theater
Friday, April 30 from 9:30 to 11:30
This group is open to BOLLI members who are interested in dramatic performance. During the spring session, we will work on scripted scenes adapted from a variety of plays. CAST meets on Fridays from 9:30 to 11:30. For more information contact Richard Averbuch
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Director's Chat
Friday, April 30 at 2pm, immediately after the lecture
(See details under Announcements, above.)
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Conversations on Race in Our Daily Lives
Friday, April 30, 2:30-4:00
Although the group will continue its reading of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk, our discussion of the novel and its relevance will be delayed until May 28 (see website here).
Instead, the George Floyd Murder Trial will be the focus of our April conversation. The trial laid out, in real time, the themes that Baldwin weaves into his novel, many of which we have discussed over the past year. Our upcoming conversation will address the trial, its verdict, and its significance. We are continually adding relevant clips and articles to a special webpage on the Trial (here).
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New Yorker Fiction Salon
Wednesday, May 5 at 9:30am
A Zoom link will be sent to those on the New Yorker mailing list prior to the meeting. If you are not already on the mailing list, please contact Aaron Goldberg to be added to it.
For details of story please scroll down to the NEW YORKER FICTION SALON section below.
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BOLLI Play Reading Group
Thursday, May 6 from 12:30 to 2:00
If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, please contact Sue Wurster at [email protected] in order to receive our weekly Zoom link.
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BOLLI Book Group
Friday, May 7 from 9:30 to 11:00
The book that we will be discussing is What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez: A writer describes a series of encounters as a listener to other peoples' stories until one makes a startling request that draws her into an intense experience of her own. This novel brings humor, wisdom, and insight to an exploration of human connection and companionship.
If you haven't previously attended a BOLLI Book Group meeting and would like to receive the Zoom link, contact Abby Pinard and she will add you to the mailing list.
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Aging with Resilience and Enthusiasm
Friday, May 7 from 10:00 to 11:30
Welcome to May! Our meeting will be on the First Friday - May 7th. We will continue our theme, Living a Meaningful and Purposeful Life. What brings meaning into your life? Is it when you take information in by reading, watching movies or TV episodes? Is it talking with family and friends? Is it contributing to your community or your BOLLI classes? We'll explore all of this on May 7th. Looking forward to seeing you and having a meaningful morning together. Look for the email with our link next week. (If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, click here.)
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Waltham Matters SIG
Friday, May 7 at 11:00
This meeting will be a conversation with our guest Carlos Vidal, who is a member of the Waltham City Council and host of Waltham Newswatch. For more information, or if you want to add a question or issues to the agenda, please contact Dennis McCarthy ([email protected]).
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The Spring 2020 BOLLI Journal
You can view the Spring 2020 BOLLI Journal by clicking here . It is a volume that we know you will enjoy! Wonderful work from the contributors--and by the editors as well! Stay tuned for more information about print copies.
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BOLLI Banner: April Posts
"Cartoons by Sam Ansell"
"A Virtual Visit to the Rose Art Museum," by Ellen Moskowitz
Click here to read the BOLLI Banner, the source for news about BOLLI and Brandeis people and activities, as well as places and events in the surrounding communities that are likely to be of interest to members.
To subscribe, look for the SUBSCRIBE box on the BOLLI Banner page.
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BOLLI Matters: A Blog with new articles each week.
Click here to read BOLLI Matters, a blog devoted to BOLLI members and Special Interest Groups, showcasing their talents and activities.
Click here to subscribe. Or, you can look for the SUBSCRIBE button on the BOLLI Matters page itself.
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New Yorker Fiction Salon and BOLLI Book Group Selections |
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New Yorker Fiction Salon
Wednesday, May 5 at 9:30am
The story we will discuss on Wednesday, May 5 at 9:30am is “Alvin” by Jonas Eika. It appears in the April 19, 2021 issue of the New Yorker magazine.
To read the story, please click here. To read a companion interview with the author, click here.
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BOLLI Book Group
We love to read! And we love to talk about the books that entertain, inspire, and inform us!
We meet once a month for a lively discussion of a work of contemporary literary fiction. We are a “drop-in” group: All BOLLI members are invited to join us every month or once in a while, no registration required.
All meetings are via Zoom.
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What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez: A writer describes a series of encounters as a listener to other peoples' stories until one makes a startling request that draws her into an intense experience of her own. This novel brings humor, wisdom, and insight to an exploration of human connection and companionship.
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A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet: A dozen unsupervised children, on vacation with their hedonistic parents, take matters into their own hands in the wake of a natural disaster. The New York Times named this darkly comic and apocalyptic novel one of the ten best books of 2020
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For more information contact Charlie Marz. ([email protected]) or Abby Pinard ([email protected]). If you haven't previously attended a BOLLI Book Group meeting and would like to receive the Zoom link, contact Abby Pinard and she will add you to the mailing list.
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Virtual Brandeis Campus Events |
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Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts
April 25-May 1
For more information and a schedule of events, please click here.
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Enjoy Alumni College 2021 online!
Explore timely topics with Brandeis faculty and alumni speakers at Alumni College 2021 online! All alumni, parents, friends, Brandeis National Committee (BNC) and BOLLI members are invited to join the sessions. Programs will run throughout April, May, and June.
Click here for dates and details. Additional information also available here.
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Women's Studies Research Center.
The Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University is a hub of interdisciplinary exchange between scholars and artists, faculty and students, who conduct innovative research and create art with a focus on gender issues and women's lives. Their Spring 2021 Lectures, Events and Exhibitions are going virtual. Please click here for a complete schedule of their events and links to register on Zoom.
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Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02454
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