On Monday, February, 17th, Chesapeake Forum leads an excursion to Washington D.C’s Museums of the Mall.  Kick back, relax and enjoy an executive bus ride to some of the world’s most extraordinary museums, including the Air & Spaces Museum, African American Museum (both of which require passes) or the National Museum of Art, to name a few.  

The bus will leave from the Easton Fire House at 9 a.m. sharp.  Come earlier to get your seat. There will be three pickup/drop off points along Museum Mall. The last pick up will begin at 3 PM.

There is Indoor/outdoor cafe dining available at most of the museums in a first-come-first-serve basis.  Please note that the African American Museum and the Air and Space Museum require free passes or tickets (https://www.si.edu/visit/tips).

Field Trip to the Museums of the Mall is one (1) session, Monday, Feb. 17th from 9 AM – 5 PM. $80. In person at Easton Fire House 315 Leonard Road, Easton.  To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org.

NEW this semester!  Join Chesapeake Forum for Current Geopolitical Affairs, the first-ever Forum program hosted by the Centreville YMCA.  Take a deep dive into events that are affecting our world, following a format similar to Great Decisions.  

Current Geopolitical Affairs is hosted by Bob DeGour,  a 1973 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who served in the Navy Intel community before transitioning to the private sector.  DeGour is currently the senior advisor to the annual Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference and moderates the Conference’s roundtable on current strategic issues impacting the United States.

One former student described the discussions as “Interesting, eye-opening … Many points of view offered by participants with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds.”

 

Geopolitics provides a framework to help understand the interplay of the world’s economic, military, political, and geographic landscape. Using reputable and objective sources including RANE/Worldview and Geopolitical Futures, the class will tackle contemporary foreign policy challenges, world conflicts, and economic opportunities.

Several days before each weekly session, timely and applicable analyses will be distributed to participants to guide our discussions. 

Current Geopolitical Affairs is eight (8) sessions Thursday, January 30th, February 6, 13, 20, 27 March 6, 13 and 20th from 1-2:30 PM. In person at the Centerville YMCA 210 Vincit Street, Centerville.  Special introductory price:  $35.00.  To register visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to residents of the Eastern Shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

Take a deep dive into the African American experience in Dorchester County, Maryland in Focusing on the Past for Change in the Future from the Chesapeake Forum on February 6th.  Join instructor Dion Banks as he steps back into the past to walk in the footprints of the enslaved and other iconic African American heroes from the late 1700s to the present day, using stories and experiences as a case study to inspire and create change.  The landscape will be used to connect with the history of the African American experience, from enslavement to the present day.

Banks will explore how artworks serve as empowering symbols for individuals within the community by showcasing African American figures, culture, and achievements. He will delve into how these artworks serve as visual reminders of the past, preserving and amplifying the African American narrative and allow present and future generations to learn, reflect, and gain a deeper understanding of the collective history. 

With an understanding of the African American experience, the class will challenge stereotypes, raise awareness about ongoing struggles, and encourage collaborative efforts toward a more inclusive and equitable society. 

Dion Banks is a lifetime member of the Dorchester County NAACP, served on numerous boards for service organizations, and is president and co-founder of Eastern Shore Network for Change (ESNC).

Focusing on the Past for Change in the Future is two (2) sessions, Thursday February 6th and 13th from 1:30 – 3 PM.  Hybrid (in person at the Easton Family YMCA, ZOOM or recording). $40.00. To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

---

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

What better way to chase away the winter blues than with an afternoon spent making art? Join artist Jen Wagner in her downtown Easton studio for a fun, creative afternoon of mosaic making on January 21st from 1:30 – 3 PM.  Wagner is a mosaic artist whose work is in private collections and public commissions around the country.  Locally, her work adorns places like the Chesapeake Multicultural Center and Ava’s Pizzeria in St Michaels to name two. 

Even if you don’t think you have an artistic bone in your body, this workshop will free your creativity and spark joy.  Dig into Jen’s collection of dazzling beads, colorful glass and bits of ceramic to create your own masterpiece.  Jen will provide the tools and instruction.  All you have to do is have fun!

Intuitive Mosaics is one session, Thursday, January 21st from 1:30 – 3 PM.  $60.  In person at Jen’s studio 10 South Talbot Street. To register visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

---

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

Dementia can be a terrifying diagnosis both for the patient and loved ones.  If you been recently diagnosed, are a caregiver for someone with dementia or are just worried about a family history of the disease, Understanding Dementia, will help you develop a basic appreciation for what happens as the brain is changing. Learning about brain function will help you understand not only what is lost but what is retained, in order to provide the right support.

You will discover the value in what remains as the condition progresses, as well as an introduction to supportive responses that work. The goal is to see that the person living with dementia is doing the best they can, rather than assuming that they are simply not trying, or doing something on purpose. 

Finally, you will learn to identify for yourself when it is time to pause your agenda, and seek support for yourself or the person living with dementia.  

“This course offered a lot of useful ways to relate to those suffering from dementia as well as an understanding of how persons suffering from dementia experience their surroundings,” commented one student.

We will conclude by learning how we, as care partners, can become advocates for people, as relationships and tasks of daily living are impacted.

Understanding Dementia is one session either January 21st from 10:30 a.m – 12 PM or March 18th from 1:30 PM – 3 PM.  $10.  In person at the Easton Family YMCA.  To register visit https://chesapeakeforum.org

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore.  To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

Chesapeake Forum kicks off its Winter 2025 session with Dr. Wayne Bell’s ever popular birding course, Oh Wow! It’s Waterbirds!, starting on January 16th.    If you have ever looked out on the Bay or up in the sky and wondered what was floating on the water or flying overhead, this is your class.   

Dr. Bell combines two classroom sessions with five field trips.  As one former student said:  “The field trips were meticulously planned and executed across a variety of habitats and illustrating the objective in excellent fashion besides affording access to several places with restricted or no public access.”

Oh Wow! It’s Waterbirds consists of two classroom sessions on January 16th and February 20th from 2:30 – 4 PM and five field trips. Classroom sessions are hybrid (in person at the Easton Family YMCA, ZOOM or recording).  Field trips are in person at different locations on the Eastern Shore.  $80.00  Registration for classes begins January 9th.  For more details visit https://chesapeakeforum.org. 

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

After the tinsel has settled and the last of Santa’s helpers has gone back to the North Pole, it will be time to join Chesapeake Forum for its annual Winter Preview Party on Wednesday, January 8th at the Academy Art Museum, Easton from 3:30 – 6 PM.  The event is free, but reservations are required at https://chesapeakeforum.org.

Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments while getting a first look at what is coming up at the Chesapeake Forum this winter.   Brief video clips from each Chesapeake Forum teacher will explain what their course is about and what students can expect.  There are a wide variety of subjects on offer from cooking, local history, global events to literature, museum trips, personal enrichment and more.  Classes open for registration January 9th at 7 AM. 

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization that provides lifelong educational opportunities for residents of the eastern shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].

As Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”  That applies to the short story as well – it can take a long time to write one!  Find out what goes into crafting a compelling short story by reading and discussing some of the masters in Chesapeake Forum’s “The Short Story”,  led by Sam VanNest, starting Wednesday, Nov. 6th. 

In the first week, the class will read two different examples of how to frame a story from Roald Dah and Mark Twain.  That is followed in week two with stories told in the first person from Frank O’Connor and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  Finally, the class will examine stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jai Chakrabarti that are narrated in the third person.  Digital copies of all stories will be sent out in advance. 

People who have taken Sam’s classes before rave about him. “Sam led discussions with very effective probing questions to elicit much response. He did not try to lecture or dominate the discussion. He is knowledgeable and comfortable in his role as discussion leader,” a former student commented. 

Sam VanNest graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in ’09 and received an MA in English from University of Oregon, before moving back to Easton in ’14 to write and teach. He was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare neurological disorder, at age 15.

The Short Story is three sessions, Wednesday Nov. 6, 13 and 20th from 10:30 AM – 12 PM. HYBRID (in person at the Easton Family YMCA, via ZOOM or recording). $40. To register, visit https://chesapeakeforum.org. Expect to gain a better understanding of what makes a good short story, and hopefully, open new avenues for future reading.  

---

Chesapeake Forum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities for residents of the Eastern Shore. To receive Chesapeake Forum’s newsletter, please send your name and contact information to [email protected].