Participants will read one book per month and join in lively discussion with your peers. Discussion leaders may differ each month. (Class will be the second Thursday of each month) Topics include: An Inspirational Salem Witch Trials and Edwardian-Era Time-Travel Historical Romance, a 500-mile pilgrimage along the Way of St. James in Northwestern Spain, a 1907 automobile trip from Rhode Island to New Hampshire, and finally a humorous telling by chickens of world-wide Christmas traditions.

Sept. 11: For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer

Oct. 9: Two Million Steps: BAND-AIDS, COCKTAILS, AND FINDING PEACE ALONG SPAIN'S CAMINO DE SANTIAGO by Patrick Devaney

Nov. 13: Katharine's Remarkable Road Trip by Gail Ward Olmsted

Dec. 11: A Chicken Was There at Christmas: Throughout History and Around the World, When the Sun Rose on Christmas Morning, A Chicken Was There by A. A. Davenport 

ALL BOOKS ARE REQUIRED

Co-faciliators: Karen Christensen and Donna Sue Blankenship

An understanding of the world's wisdom traditions can be an invaluable tool as we navigate through life. This course presents a thoughtful and engaging exploration of world religions: their histories, beliefs, practices, and unique aspects. Various spiritual and philosophical perspectives will be discussed. Participants will gain a greater appreciation of how global cultures and religious traditions play an important role in our contemporary lives.

Required book: The Great Faiths Explored and Explained by John Bowker; ISBN 978-0-7440-3475-2 

Is poetry, which has some reputation for being incomprehensible or even deliberately obscure, worth the trouble? If you have never read a poem that has deeply moved you or, as Emily Dickinson described it, "make you feel as if the top of your head is coming off," you may not really have experienced poetry. Poetry challenges us because it uses language differently than prose and strives to recreate experiences and emotions. Participants will learn some tactics for decoding poetry and, hopefully walk away with at least one poem that literally send chills up your spine. We will read a variety of poems from a variety of eras and traditions. Although this is a continuing class, no prior class is required.

Facilitator: Carl Hays

In a world of fake news, conspiracy theories, and post-truth, psychologist Steven Pinker helps us make sense of making sense. Join our discussion of Pinker's new book about rationality and hear him explain how our brain is not a basket of delusions and why being rational is essential but scarce.

Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters by Steven Pinker NOT REQUIRED