Phil Hesser
The Academy for Lifelong Learning CBMM’s Spring/Summer semester , which kicked off last month, has 5 offerings starting in May. First, “Life in Limbo:The Islands of the Middle Chesapeake” with Phil Hesser will meet Tuesday mornings from May 1-22 at the Talbot Senior Center in Easton. The history of Chesapeake Bay has always been intertwined with the Bay’s islands, which have long supported flourishing biological and human communities. Many of these islands, however, have almost vanished, beset by climate and habitat change. This course will examine the islands on the middle Chesapeake Bay, focusing on human settlement in the changing landscape. Topics include: 1) Taylors and Sharps: Cannons and Cats; 2) Lower Hoopers, and Holland: Disappearance and Diaspora; and 3) Bloodsworth & Barren:Birds, Birddogs, and Bombs; and 4) Tilghman and Deal: Condos, Communities, and Climate Change. Participants will explore how the islands of the Chesapeake reflect the changes that have taken place around the Bay and the challenges that may face the region in future. Phillip Hesser, Ph.D., taught in the US and Africa and served with the UNHCR and AED. He can be found teaching at Salisbury University and Chesapeake College; running the marshes with his retrievers; or
working on Blackwater: A Guide for Exploration, and Sitting in Limbo: Lifeand Livelihood on the Tumps of Chesapeake Bay.
Landscape designer and sculptor Jan Kirsh
On May 10, there will be a spring visit to the home of landscape designer and sculptor Jan Kirsh. Walk through her small, informal garden where a handful of her whimsical Fruit & Vegetable Sculptures are sited. The garden is comprised of a series of rooms; it’s a comfortable, naturalistic planting with thought given to developing privacy, while adding color and interest throughout the seasons. Textural combinations play a significant part in this shaded garden. Highlights include unique paving, native trees, cozy sitting spaces, seasonal planters and numerous flowering shrubs. The studio will also be open for viewing of the latest fruit and vegetable sculptures in progress. Jan will be on hand to discuss both the garden’s evolution and the inspiration behind her sculpture. Jan Hirsh has developed the garden during her nearly 30 years in Bozman. During the same time period, she has continued to design and install numerous gardens and larger landscape projects on the Eastern Shore with collaboration and help from local contractors. Trained in fine art originally, Jan combined her practical horticultural knowledge with a sense of design to create a welcoming small scale garden.
Author John Reisinger
And, on May 14, The Academy for Lifelong Learning CBMM will welcome John Reisinger to their Meet the Author Series, at the Steamboat Gallery at the museum. In his lecture “The stories behind the stories: Two new mysteries and the real-life Roaring 20s crimes that inspired them” , John Reisinger will talk about the crimes that inspired his Max Hurlock Roaring 20s Mysteries in which a fictional husband and wife team from St. Michaels solves the mysteries. Hear about the sensational poisoning case that inspired Death on a Golden Isle, the unusual way it was solved, and how it was handled as a mystery set at the exclusive Jekyll Island Club. Also learn about the notorious Wilson-Roberts case of a double shooting in a locked room and how it provided the framework for Death of a Flapper. And finally where the fictional St. Michael’s couple, Max and Allison Hurlock, came from and how Max got an unusual nickname. It would be a crime to miss this! John Reisinger is an engineer and former Coast Guard officer who lives in Easton and previously presented The Secrets Behind the Structures at ALL. He is the author of Master Detective, Evasive Action, and Nassau, as well as the Max Hurlock Roaring 20s Mysteries. John has presented several talks in the area on writing, crime and forensics.
In addition ALL will host a tour of the Easton Airport on May 17 and a tour of The Calhoon MEBA Engineering School on May 22. For more information about the Academy for Lifelong Learning and these offerings, call the CBMM at 410-745-2916 or download a catalog online at https://www.cbmm.org/all. Also on Facebook at facebook.com/academy for lifelong learning at cbmm.
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