The BOLLI Bulletin - January 20, 2023


View as Webpage

Photo by Marty Kafka

BOLLI Calendars and Schedules

 

BOLLI Events Calendar

Spring 2023 Course Schedule

Announcements

Message to the BOLLI community from Director Avi Bernstein

I am writing to share the bittersweet news that Megan Curtis, after a decade of outstanding service to the BOLLI program, is stepping down from her position to become Director of Membership at the Boston Bar Association.


The BBA, a professional organization for lawyers and legal professionals with 15,000 members, has won the lottery with Megan. At BOLLI, Megan has been instrumental in our meteoric growth since 2015, having played just about every role imaginable at BOLLI and concluding her time with us as Senior Associate Director.


Megan shares that she is especially excited to develop virtual and in-person educational programs for the BBA, and to develop networking sessions and industry-based conferences in her new position.


Megan’s last day at BOLLI will be January 31. Until then, you may reach her at mcurtis@brandeis.edu.


Many of you have worked closely with Megan at some point during her ten years at BOLLI. Her contributions have been enormous, especially in meeting the challenges of these last few years. I am sure that some of you would like to express your gratitude to her personally. With Covid, holding a reception in her honor is challenging. As an alternative, we invite you to write Megan a note on this virtual bulletin board. 


Megan has touched so many members over the years and has elevated our organization with her impressive organizational gifts. I am certain she will do the same wherever her career takes her. Please join me in wishing Megan the very best in her new venture.

The Spring 2023 Course Catalog is now available!


BOLLI will offer both in-person at 60 Turner Street and online courses this Spring. 


Please click here to go to the Spring class schedule and course descriptions, which you may view in a number of ways.


  • You can view the list of classes on each of the days by clicking on a given day. If a particular course title whets your interest, you may read the full course description by clicking on its title. To see all descriptions together, scroll down beyond the grid.


  • You can filter the course list by day of the week, class period, category, duration (5 or 10 week), and modality (online or in person).


Registration will run from Monday, January 9 through Friday, January 27. You may click here to start the process.


Registering for courses by January 27 will ensure that you have an even chance of getting into the classes that you want during the Course Assignment lottery, which will be run shortly after early registration closes. 


Spring 2023 courses will begin the week of February 27 and run through the week of May 8, with a break the week of April 3. 5a courses begin the week of February 27 and end on March 30. 5b Courses begin the week of April 10 and end the week of May 8. Click here for the spring 2023 schedule.

Dates for Spring 2023 Term at BOLLI


January 9 - 27 - Online registration. (Study groups are assigned by lottery, not first come first served, so you may register at any time during those three weeks.) 


Monday, February 6, 9:00am - Study group assignments to be sent out via email 


February 27 - Spring term classes start. Click here for a full Spring 2023 course schedule.


(5a classes end on March 30 and 5b classes start on April 10 - No courses during Spring Break April 3-7)

Distinguished Speaker Series this spring


This Spring, the BOLLI Distinguished Speakers Series will have the pleasure of welcoming:


  • Former United States Congressman, now Princeton University professor, Mickey Edwards on March 3
  • MIT political scientist and network commentator Carol Saivetz on March 17
  • Author, educator, and environmental activist Bill McKibben on April 13
  • Former Massachusetts Governor, now co-director of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, Deval Patrick on May 5.


There will be others you won't want to miss. Stay tuned for more information on the full program. All speaking engagements in this series take place on Zoom from 1:00 to 2:00pm ET, usually – but not always - on Fridays.

Arts and Culture Excursion SIG visits The Lyric Stage Company on Sunday, January 29

 

Join us at The Lyric Stage Company (140 Clarendon St. Boston) for Preludes.

 

Preludes unfolds in the hypnotized mind of composer Sergei Rachmaninoff as he attempts to overcome his writer’s block.  The production has played in London and at Lincoln Center to strong reviews and in Boston it features multi-awarded local musical theater professionals.

 

The cost of tickets, including a private talk back with the director and lead actors, is $50.  BOLLI participants may bring a partner to the event.

To add a pre-show social opportunity, the group will gather at 1 pm at Precinct (154 Berkeley St Boston) before proceeding to the Theatre for the 3 pm curtain. Lunch will be paid individually.  


Please consult the Lyric Stage website https://www.lyricstage.com/ for more information about the production, parking and accessibility.  

Checks are payable to Glenda Fishman, mailed to 29 Fairmont Ave, Newton 02458. Email to gstarfish@aol.com If you prefer to pay by PayPal or Venmo or want to change Lyric subscription tickets to this performance.

Attendance is limited to 30 participants. 

BOLLI Virtual Meetings in Upcoming Weeks

Writers Guild

Friday, January 20 from 9:30 to 11:00


January 20 prompt: What career would you choose if you could not have taken your chosen career path?


January 27 prompt: Write a coming-of-age story about your children


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.

BOLLI Photography Group

Friday, January 20, from 10:30 am to 12 noon


Members are asked to submit their (2) Photo Challenge images and (1-3) Extras by Tuesday, January 17th. This month, for one of the Photo Challenge images, submit one using the prompt “Reflections”. Upload all photos to Brandeis Box.  


Any new BOLLI Members are welcome to join the BPG.  For further information contact:  Joanne Fortunato at: joannefortunato@yahoo.com


For further information contact:  Joanne Fortunato at:  joannefortunato@yahoo.com

Poetry Writing Group

Friday, January 20, from 11:00 to 12:30


Are you a writer of poetry? Do you aspire to write poetry? If so, come to our monthly session, which is designed to give writers of poetry at all levels an opportunity to share their work with others, receive constructive feedback and become further inspired. 


A Zoom link will be sent to those on the Poetry Writing Group mailing list prior to the meeting. If you are not already on the mailing list, please contact Peter Schmidt to be added to it. Questions? Contact Peter Schmidt, schmidtpeter@comcast.net  

New Yorker Fiction Salon

Wednesday, January 25, at 10:30am

Note the time this week


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 the story please scroll down to the NEW YORKER FICTION SALON section below.

Current Events Discussion

Wednesday, January 25 from 1:00 to 2:30


We will meet each Wednesday through Feb 22. The format for each session will try to feature discussions of international, national/ domestic, and local news.

 

Come and participate in what is certain to be lively and informative debate. We welcome all points of view. This is a drop-in program which does not require attendance at every meeting.

 

For more information and/or to register and receive the zoom link, contact Beth Davis, BethGDavis@aol.com.

BOLLI Publications

The BOLLI BANNER:



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.

Blog - Lifelong Learning in a Secular Age:


Click here to check out BOLLI's new blog, essays on the transformational power of BOLLI learning -- reflections by

BOLLI Lecturers and Fellows.

New Yorker Fiction Salon and BOLLI Book Group Selections

New Yorker Fiction Salon

Wednesday, January 25 from 10:30 to noon

Note the time this week


The story we will discuss on Wednesday, January 25 at 10:30 is “Princess” by T. Coraghessan Boyle. It appears in thNovember 2, 2022 issue of the New Yorker magazine.


To read the story, please click here, and to read a companion interview with the author, click here


For further information, please contact Aaron Goldberg at aaron_goldberg@alum.mit.edu.

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.

Friday, February 3 at 9:30am

The Furrows by Namwali Serpell: When Cassandra is twelve years old, her younger brother disappears on her watch. The family is torn apart by grief and doubt and as she gets older, Cassandra is haunted by her lost brother. In lyrical prose, the novel takes unexpected twists and turns as it explores memory and mourning. 

Friday, March 3 at 9:30am

Lessons by Ian McEwan: Over more than seventy years, from after World War II to the Cuban Missile Crisis to the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current pandemic, Roland Baines, scarred by the effects of childhood abuse, is buffeted by both personal and global crises. Lessons is a remarkable demonstration of superlative storytelling by a prolific author at the height of his powers.

For more information contact Charlie Marz. (cmarz@rcn.com) or Abby Pinard (apinard@snet.net). 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.

Brandeis Campus Events

Rose Art Museum: Click here for a preview of events at the Rose in 2023.

Brandeis  University
BOLLI | 781-736-2992 | bolli@brandeis.edu | www.brandeis.BOedu/bolli 
Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, MA 02454