Courses

Ages of Plagues

This remote course draws on the recent and not-so-recent past to examine literary responses to plagues. Participants engage in discussions of pandemic accounts and films while also generating their own stories of 2020.

January 5, 2021 to February 9, 2021, Zoom

Arab Spring at Ten Years: Summer or Autumn?

January 2021 marks the tenth anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings in five major Arab countries. Have the nations moved to Summer or Winter in political change?

January 12, 2021 to February 16, 2021, Zoom

Big Bang, Then What?

"Recorded history" means history written in human language. But the rest of history since the Big Bang - the other 99.99996 %, or "big history" - is also recorded.

This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Case Studies of Life Between Lives

This course examines 29 case studies performed by Michael Newton, PhD, using hypnotherapy. In each case, the subject recalls the last moments of a previous life, the passage into death, and the experience of "life between lives" in an alternative dimension of reality.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Cliffhangers: Volume 5 - Western Heroes (Part 1)

In this fifth edition of ten workshops, we will watch "To be continued" chapters of those great Saturday matinee film serials we so enjoyed in our youth.

Friday, January 29, 2021, Zoom

Comedy Tonight: From Chaplin to Carson DeWayn Marzagalli

We will watch excerpts of great comedy, from Charlie Chaplin on the Silver Screen to Johnny Carson on television, and almost everything in between. 

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

Cultivating Compassion

People have a variety of reasons for wanting to cultivate compassion, but we are all suffering-be it from pain, loss, frustration, dissatisfaction, or an unfulfilled desire for happiness.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Discuss "Cosmos: Possible Worlds"

In this course, we will watch and discuss episodes 8-13 of Cosmos: Possible Worlds, with host Neil De Grasse Tyson.

January 13, 2021 to February 24, 2021, Zoom

Drawing with Pencils

Draw using pencils from 6H to 6B or hard to soft leads. We will create our subject matter from items we have on hand at home and draw that, exploring various techniques to create a beautiful monochromatic image.

January 12, 2021 to February 16, 2021, Zoom

Female Crime Writers of Color

Writers of color are underrepresented in the minds of crime fiction fans, and female writers of color, even more so.

January 12, 2021 to February 16, 2021, Zoom

First 4,998,223 Years (Give or Take)

We begin with the first humans or almost human beings to walk the earth and continue to a series of firsts: cities, empires, iron weapons, etc.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

From Kamchatka to Colorado: Four 21st Century Novels

While we shelter at home, four contemporary novels will take us to places we're unlikely to visit to meet characters we're unlikely to forget.

This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Fun: It Does a Body Good

This highly interactive class will prove that you're a born expert at humor, creativity, and play. Through theater improv games, you'll develop your natural (not "comedy club") humorous style.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Game Night on Zoom - Trivia

Looking for some good ol' fashion fun? Join Olli for their first virtual trivia game.You will need to provide your own snacks and beverages. We will provide the questions.

Monday, January 25, 2021, Zoom

Geriatric Primer

Learn about healthy aging and common medical issues that occur in the geriatric population.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

Good Yarn: The History, Art, and Joy of Knitting in Maine

This course will provide those who love to knit (or appreciate a handmade sweater) an introduction to farmers, dyers, designers, purveyors, and makers across the state who build on Maine's rich knitting history, taking it in exciting new directions.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

Goodness Paradox

The Paradox: the human career abounds with both heart-warming good and heart-wrenching brutality. This paradox is treated in depth by Christianity, with some attention to original sin and Evolution Science.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

Great Detective Movies

Winter is coming. So let's curl up by the fire and plunge into cozy with some classic who-dun-its.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

Guided Autobiography: Writing, Sharing and Self Discovery

In a Guided Autobiography workshop, participants are led through themes and priming questions that evoke memories of known and/or forgotten events. We will write stories in response and read them to classmates. Writing and sharing life stories is an ideal way to find new meaning in life and to put life events into perspective.

January 12, 2021 to February 2, 2021, Zoom

History of Hawaii and its Traditional Music

This new course will explore the formation of the Hawaiian Islands and their history.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

How Thinking Like a Puffin Saves Seabirds

An extraordinary story of saving the puffin populations on Maine's coastal islands.

This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

How to Run a Zoom Meeting of Your Friends and Family

So, you've been in some Zoom meetings. Are you ready for the next step-hosting your own meeting? We'll start with adjusting settings (mute, blue hand up, renaming, video, and audio, waiting room, etc.).

Friday, February 5, 2021, Zoom

Improving Beginner Bridge Skills II

This course advances from the "basic basics" to the "advanced basics" in Bridge. We will review past topics and move on to BIDDING some of the common partnership "conventions" such as Stayman, Weak Two Bids, Blackwood and Jacoby Transfers.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Meaningful Conversations

What ignites the fire in us to be fully alive in these times of isolation? Meaningful conversations are what many students have shared as their favorite part of my classes.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Metaphors of Consciousness

To some degree, this is a repeat course on the subject of consciousness.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Murder at University

Examination of four British and American classic murder mysteries from the 1930s through the 1980s.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

OLLI Membership 2020-2021

You must be a current member in order to participate in OLLI Programs.

June 21, 2020 to June 19, 2021

Pandemic Pilgrimage: Calling Forth Our Truth

Pilgrimage is about inner transformation through journeying. With many of us venturing no further than our own back porches or apartments for months, is this even still a possibility?

January 22, 2021 to February 5, 2021, Zoom

Reading and Discussing Favorite Short Stories

If you're a fan of the short story, and if you've ever been put off by the "English teacher exegesis" style of reading, this repeat class might be for you; it will focus on thought-provoking questions and relaxed discussions as we read a variety of short stories each week.

January 12, 2021 to February 16, 2021, Zoom

Remembering the '40s

This course is one part history, one part personal recollection, and one part music. Students will enjoy the decade's most popular radio, film, and stage music against the backdrop of one of the most salient periods in United States history.

January 14, 2021 to March 4, 2021, Zoom

Science of Happiness

In this workshop we will explore the science behind happiness. We will discuss and engage in practices that have been proven to increase an individual's happiness, including mindfulness, gratitude, and kindness.

Friday, January 22, 2021, Zoom

Six Easy Pieces

This accessible introduction to physics highlights the foundational chapters from The Feynman Lectures on Physics. The course builds on Richard Feynman's ability to reduce complex subjects into simple pieces and stories.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Sixties Through the Great Speeches of the Sixties

Mention the 1960s and various images come up: a youthful president being sworn in and later assassinated, the Vietnam War, courageous young people protesting segregation or marching against that war, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the landing on the moon, the start of the woman's movement, the exuberance of Woodstock, the burning of the cities.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom
March 15, 2021 to May 3, 2021, Zoom

Titus Andronicus: Shakespeare's First Tragedy

Titus Andronicus was probably written in the early 1590s while Shakespeare was also engaged in writing his first few history plays: Henry VI & Richard III.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Understanding Finance and Investing

This course is suitable for individuals who want to learn basic finance and investment in a neutral environment, also for those who want to boost financial self-confidence. 

January 12, 2021 to February 16, 2021, Zoom

Voice-Overs: Now Is Your Time!

In what could be one of the most enlightening two hours you've everspent, this repeat workshop will showyou how YOU could actually begin using your speaking voice for commercials,films, videos, and more!  

Friday, February 5, 2021, Zoom

W.B.Yeats: A Dominant Force in Ireland's Literary Revival

W.B. Yeats: a magician, a poet, a dramatist, a creator, a senator, an autodidact, an astrologer, a Nobel prize awardee, an Oxford Don?

January 22, 2021 to February 5, 2021, Zoom

What is Classical in Classical Art?: A View of the Nature of Classical Art Through the Ages

Nineteenth-century art historians viewed Classical Art beginning in Greece and spreading throughout the rest of the Western World through the High Renaissance as a purely Western phenomenon.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

What the World Needs Now

How can we combat the inequities of inequality, the ills of the healthcare system, the injustices in our judicial system, the degradation of the environment, the divisiveness in politics, and the shortcomings of the media?

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

What's So Funny about Zen?

Zen Buddhism can teach us about ourselves, about our perceptions, about the nature of reality. Humor can do those things too.

January 13, 2021 to February 17, 2021, Zoom

Whither the Palestinians in the Wake of Middle Eastern Realignments

The recent development in 2020 in Middle Eastern alignments with the establishment of diplomatic relations between two Arab states and Israel and the threat of Israeli annexation of parts of the Israeli occupied West Bank raises the issue of the very future of the Palestinian People, Let Alone a Palestinian State...

Friday, January 29, 2021, Zoom

Why Do Russians Like Putin?

American politicians and media are appallingly ignorant of a country they nevertheless feel justified in criticizing. Meanwhile, US universities are red-lining their Russian-language programs.

January 14, 2021 to February 18, 2021, Zoom

Writers' Workshop: Fiction

This ongoing workshop is a supportive peer group of 10 fiction writers working to improve their short-story writing skills. Each month, members send their work to one another in advance of the meeting. Each is responsible for constructive feedback of the work to be shared and discussed at the next session. The workshop will evolve in response to the interests of its members. New members are welcome.


This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Writers' Workshop: Memoir

This ongoing workshop is not a class but a supportive group of memoir writers who share and respond constructively to each other's work. New members are welcome, to a limit of 12.


This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.

Writers' Workshop: The Shiny Day Poets

This ongoing poetry-writing workshop is limited to 12 members. Participants may volunteer to prepare a short poetic presentation and design a related prompt for the next session. One week before each workshop, members will email a copy of their poem to all other members, who will print the poems and write comments on hard copies for discussion on workshop days.

This course contains no sessions
Click here to be notified about the next scheduled program.