The Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL) at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) has announced its 2017 winter/spring semester of engaging and stimulating courses, presentations, and events– all planned, led, and facilitated by volunteers.
ALL will kick off the semester with its Preview Party on Thursday, January 19, 4-6 p.m. in the Steamboat Building at CBMM. The public is invited to learn about the new programs, meet members and course leaders, and enjoy refreshments from Piazza Italian Market. Participants may also register at the event.
The programs are open to all, although those who are members of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum or pay an annual ALL membership fee receive a discount on fees.
The winter/spring semester, which runs from January 23 through May 23, offers programs ranging from one-time events to eight-session courses. Topics include anthropology, music, world affairs, history, nature, literature, photography, self-improvement, math, memoir writing, local authors and more. Courses are given on the CBMM campus in St. Michaels as well as in Easton and Oxford.
John Ford and John H. Miller will lead an exploration of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” on Tuesdays, January 31- February 21 from 1:30 -3:30 p.m. The duo will also examine Great Presidential Inaugural Addresses on Wednesdays, March 29- April 19 from 1:30-3 p.m.
ALL is pleased to introduce several new music programs this semester. The Evolution of Show Tunes with Judy Amdur will feature popular songs from the 1920’s through the 1960’s on February 16 and 23, 10:30 a.m. – noon, at Trinity Cathedral in Easton. The Art, Science, and Joy of Singing with Bozena Lamparska, will teach the mechanics of singing and offer an opportunity to sing in an ensemble, Wednesdays, April 5-May 10, 1-2:30 p.m. Bonnie Forgacs will take a lighthearted approach In The Art of Listening to Opera, on Tuesdays, April 11 and 18, 10:30 a.m.-noon at the Oxford Community Center.
Rather dance? Take Square Dancing in Three Easy Steps with Ann Fallon on Thursdays, April 27-May 11, 6:30-8 p.m. at Talbot Senior Center, 400 Brookletts Avenue in Easton. Wear smooth-soled shoes, bring a partner or go by yourself, and bring what you’d like to drink and eat.
Alexandra Hamlet will present the two-session Overview to Anthropology on Tuesday and Thursday, January 24 and 26 from 1:00 3:00 p.m. On Tuesdays, February 28 through March 21, 10-11:30 a.m., Ron Lesher will lead The Euler Line: Is This a Triangle’s DNA?
In The Blessings of Our Lives: Adventures in Discovery, George Merrill and Sarah Sadler will explore meaning in the lives of elders Wednesdays, March 1-April 12, 10:30 a.m.-noon at Trinity Cathedral in Easton. Early registration is recommended; enrollment is limited to 15. Norma Trax will lead Helping Friends and Family through Grief on February 21 and 28 from 1:30-3 p.m. at Londonderry in Easton.
Norm Bell will teach Improving Your Photographs through an Understanding of Composition, on Wednesdays, March 8-22, 10-11:30 a.m. at the Oxford Community Center. Participants are expected to have a working knowledge of their cameras and have experience taking pictures.
In True Stories, Well Told, Glory Aiken will lead a journey into the art of memoir writing on Mondays, March 20 through April 24 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Enrollment is limited to 10 in this popular program.
ALL will offer several programs about local nature. Birds and Birding on the Easton Shore: Spring Migration with Dr. Wayne H. Bell is open to people with no previous birding experience on March 20 through May 8, 2:30-4 p.m. Five classroom sessions will be supplemented with four field trips March 27 through May 7, 8-10 a.m. In Bugs, Bites, and Banes – Insects vs. People on Delmarva, Phillip Hesser will focus on the relationship between people and pests, Tuesdays, April 4-25, 10-11:30 a.m. Impacts of Climate Change on the Mid-Shore Delmarva Peninsula with Bart Merrick (NOAA), Suzanne Skelley (NOAA), and Matt Whitbeck (USFWS) will be on Fridays, April 14 and 21, 10-11:30 a.m.
Dick Mattingley will offer The Value of Antiques and Objects of Art: Do You Know What You Own? Tuesdays, April 25-May 23, 10-11:30 a.m.
Developed by the Foreign Policy Association, Great Decisions Discussion Program is the longest-standing grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind. Led by Paul Carroll, the group will meet for eight consecutive Tuesdays at Londonderry in Easton, April 4-May 23, 1:30-3 p.m.
There are several intriguing single-session courses offered this semester as well.
HYPNOSIS – You’re Using It Every Day!, with Jimmy Eldred Quast, will explore Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy as a practical and effective tool for self-exploration, controlling pain, and facilitating physical healing, Friday, March 3, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Julie Lowe, managing member of Sun Wild Gardens LLS, will present Native Plants for the American Cottage Garden on Thursday, April 6, 1-2:30 p.m.
Dr. Stephen A. Goldman, a serious collector of rare and early newspapers, will offer three programs on consecutive Tuesdays, April 11-25 from 2-3:30 p.m. this semester. The first, Six Centuries of Crime in America: From Blackbeard the Pirate to Enron on Wall Street, will examine crime as seen through newspapers. Next, Dr. Goldman will present The Changing Portrayal of Women in Newspapers over the Past Six Centuries. Both programs will be at the Oxford Community Center. His third program, How to Sell on EBay, will be held at the Van Lennep Auditorium on the CBMM Campus.
As part of the Characters of the Shore series, Rich Wagner will present Nuclear Weapons: Looking the Tiger in the Eye, Again on Monday, May 15, 3:30-5 p.m.
This semester’s Conversations series feature Richard Harrison and guest speakers. Analysis of the Election, April 6, will explore why and how Trump won and why the polls were wrong. On April 13, Disaster in Haiti, will examine why Haiti has not recovered after millions in aid, and on April 20, Ethanol in Gasoline will offer a discussion on the effects and results of the additive. All Conversations will be at CBMM from 10-11:30 a.m.
In the Meet the Author: The Sheldon Goldgeier Lecture Series, Alexandra Hamlet will discuss her first novel, “The Right Guard,” a suspense-filled journey through the world of intelligence and defense in the 1970’s on Thursday, February 9, 1-2:30 p.m. Gerald Sweeney will present “A Tournament of a Distinguished White Order” on Thursday, March 16, from 2:30-4 p.m. His novel reveals the ambiguities and heartbreaks of mid-century America through the love affair of two creative New Yorkers.
The Academy for Lifelong Learning is affiliated with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is dedicated to exploring ideas, exchanging knowledge, and sharing experiences. Course details and fees are available in the new catalog and on ALL’s website, cbmm.org/ALL. To register for programs or to receive the catalog and e-newsletters, please contact Allison Speight at 410-745-4941 or [email protected].
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