OLLI at Granite State College is composed of members over age 50 with a passion for learning. One of the many perks of OLLI membership is the companionship of members who share the common experiences of growing up in the ’50s and ’60s, who likely cut their political teeth on one side or the other of the Vietnam War, and even who might have been more than just observers of the “free love” culture and might or might not have “inhaled.”
So any opportunity to get together and compare notes, whether about the spicier side of the good old days (the unofficial conversations) or about what makes us who wer are is eagerly embraced, even in the current environment of getting together without being together. Enter Zoom and people who love to share.
OLLI members in Concord have come together to share experiences related to meeting celebrities, to getting caught in weather catastrophes, to fun childhood traditions, to world travel and fascinating souvenirs, to the strangest food ever eaten, and, most recently, to the movies.
While comparing notes on best action series, best tear jerker, favorite acting duos, worst movie ever and so many other movie topics, it became evident that many OLLI members love their movies. The one category of courses that we haven’t continued on the Zoom platform has been the very popular film courses. So, what to do to satisfy that pent-up demand? A movie SIG (Special Interest Group)! Much like a book club assigns a book to read and then comes together to discuss it, the movie SIG will choose a film to watch and then get together to discuss.
OLLI members embraced the new semester with some 1,200 enrollments in classes to be held from August through December. Of special note, coming up in the first couple of weeks of the term is an opportunity to listen to Alexandria Peary, New Hampshire State Poet Laureate, reading poetry selections from the four books she has authored. Peary is also known in the state for her development of mindful writing workshops for youthful survivors of the opioid crisis.
Stories will be a hallmark of the first several weeks as Tom Eastman will share stories of his 30 years working on the North Country newspaper The Mountain Ear and the history and legend of Passaconaway, the Merrimac chief and Sachem of the Pennacook, will be offered by Sebastian Lockwood.
An unusual opportunity presents itself in a four-session course offered on Saturday afternoons on Muhammad and the Birth of Islam, presented by Joseph Spoerl, a philosophy professor from Saint Anselm College.
Registration for OLLI courses is open. Members may register online for any course up to two days before the course’s start date. Non-members may register by telephone on Thursdays.
OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a program of Granite State College, is hard at work bringing enrichment and involvement to New Hampshire seniors for their health and well-being.