June 2-September 10
Tuesday-Thursday
 
OLLI @Berkeley is pleased to announce its summer Interest Circle schedule. The groups will start meeting on June 2 and go through September 10 at the times noted.

If you would like to join a group, please contact the Interest Circle facilitator or the OLLI office, or simply drop in on a meeting. If an Interest Circle does not have a facilitator yet, let the OLLI office know if you are interested. The meeting schedules for the summer will be posted outside the OLLI classrooms in University Hall.

If you were an OLLI member at any time during the 2008-09 academic year, there is no cost to participate. All others must become a summer OLLI member to participate ($25 check made out to "UC Regents" or cash should be given to an OLLI staff member). Summer student ID cards will be issued by request only.

NOTE: All circles will meet in University Hall, 2199 Addison Street, in the rooms indicated below.
 

Tuesdays (starting June 2)
10:00 am-12:00 noon
Room 41B
International Fiction Book Club
Facilitators: Lorraine Parmer (lorraineparmer@comcast.net; 510.233.1792) and Suzan Kaufmann (suzan.kaufmann@att.net; 510.508.3244)

Exploring diverse cultures through contemporary international fiction. Book choices to be decided at first meeting.

10:00 am-12:00 noon
Room 41C
Carbon Addiction: Energy Policy, Politics and Possibilites
Facilitator: Tom Graly (tgraly@gmail.com; 510.207.2250)

This Interest Circle will address a wide range of energy-related issues. Policy questions such as Cap & Trade vs. Carbon Tax, who are the winners and losers. Science issues regarding Clean Coal, nuclear fusion, biofuels, wind, solar and other sources of energy. Political options for developing economies like China and India. And more....
 
1:30-3:30 pm
Room 41B
Sacramento Politics: The State Budget
Co-facilitators: Mary Bergan (marybergan@aol.com; 510.532.1856) and Nikki Maziasz (nikmaziasz@aol.com)
(Meets every other week)

We will share information and perspectives on the state of California politics, looking particularly at the years-long budget crisis and at what is being done in Sacramento right now to get a balanced budget and a reliable cash flow. Veterans of the budget and tax wars are being invited to share their perspectives and perhaps a bit of wisdom.

1:30-3:30 pm
Room 41C
Discussing Poetry
Facilitator: Kathleen Weaver (kathaweaver@yahoo.com)

We will take a close look at some poems (photocopied texts), mostly 20th century. Participants are encouraged to bring poems for discussion. For example we might look at works by Rilke, Yeats, Lowell, Plath, Ted Hughes, William Carlos Williams, Marianne Moore, Louise Gl�ck, Carolyn Forch�, Anne Carson, Lowell, Jane Kenyon, Keats, Joy Harjo, Wallace Stevens, Bly, Mark Doty, Neruda, Vallejo, Creeley, translations from Chinese, etc. Not just masterpieces, but a range. The goal is to share enjoyment of  poems through freewheeling and close discussion--to delve into a poem's sense, methods, ambitions, and general artistry. No homework except to find poems to address. No prior experience of poetry discussion needed.
 

Wednesdays (starting June 3)
10:00 am-12:00 noon
Room 41B
Poems to Read Out Loud
Facilitator: John Argue (jargue@pacbell.net; 510.985.2645)

We will read poems aloud (not your own poems since this is not an open mic). For the first meeting, John Argue (facilitator) will bring his copy of Essential Pleasures: Poem to Read Aloud, Robert Pinsky, Norton, New York, 2009. Members can bring their own copies if they wish. We will share copies during the meeting. John will also bring a dictionary. One person will read a poem aloud, twice through. It will be followed by discussion to clarify images, define words, find rhythms, and suggest meanings. The person then reads the poem again. incorporating ideas from the discussion. Other options are doing a reading as a chorus, having multiple voices reading lines antiphonally, and reading with a musician.

10:00 am-12:00 noon
Room 41C
Shakespeare: Out-Loud and Ruminated
Facilitator: Alan Bodine (alanbodine@comcast.net; 510.845.0974)

Shakespeare's works will be read out loud, with roles changed at the end of each scene. We pause for discussion anytime anyone has a question or observation. The first play is "Julius Caesar." Please bring a copy. The group will choose subsequent plays.

1:30-3:30 pm
Room 41B
Learning to Learn: How Older Adults Learn Differently
Facilitator: Susan Hoffman (berkeley_olli@berkeley.edu; 510.642.9934)

In this Interest Circle, we are going to investigate for ourselves how we learn, what are the ideal conditions and context for learning, and how we can present ourselves with challenging and novel experiences. The insights of the group will inform OLLI's curriculum planning efforts as well as potential research areas on older adult learning. Some members of the group may choose to help with reviewing the current literature and research on older adult learning as well as what major research universities are saying about the older learner. 
 
1:30-3:30 pm
Room 41C
Shakespeare in Transition
Facilitator: Open

Format to be discussed at first meeting.

 
Thursdays (starting June 4)
10:00 am-12:00 noon, this group starts June 11
Room 41C
Memoir Writing
Facilitators: Karen Grassle (pacifikaren@yahoo.com) and
Paul Feyen (pfeyen@sbcglobal.net). Backup: Maryly Snow (maryly@snowstudios.com)

At the first meeting, we'll share ideas and then draft a general week-to-week outline. Everyone is encouraged to contribute readings from other memoirs or memoir writing books or exercises that have been useful to you (bring copies to share if appropriate). We can do a combination of discussion and writing. Suggested readings from the co-facilitators are Patricia Hampl's "I Could Tell You Stories" and Judith Barrington's "Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art." Paul Feyen will be conducting the first session on June 11.
 
1:30-3:30 pm
Room 41B
The Economy
Co-facilitators: Sandy Pyer (hikingbootgrammy@gmail.com) and Karen Wolff (karenwolff@mac.com)

This Circle will focus primarily on the current status of the national economy. Viewed as a continuation of the dialogue started with thepast winter lecture series, we would like the group to participate in setting the direction of our discourse. Suggestions at this point include reading books by leading economists such as Paul Krugman, Naomi Klein, and Robert Reich. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan has also been recommended. We will also explore the possibility of recruiting speakers.   
 
1:30-3:30 pm
Room 41C
Are Social Networking Tools for Me?
Facilitator: Open

Is now the time for you to use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, or some other social networking application? What is there after email? Find out if it's time to take a step further into the WorldWideWeb. Share what you know and what you want to know with other OLLI members.

 
Fridays (contact the facilitator for details)
Lunching Adventures
Facilitator: Lucille Poskanzer (lbposkanzer@lbl.gov)

This is an opportunity to explore various cuisines offered by restaurants in San Francisco.
 
Most of these lunches will cost under $20, sometimes even under $15 (note the Indian Buffet will be more expensive, probably around $22-$25). In general we split the check, unless someone has ordered something out of the range of the others. Alcoholic drinks are paid for by the individual. Space is limited. All dates are on Fridays. If you are interested, contact the facilitator.
 
June 19: Modern Italian
July 17: Indonesian
July 31: Turkish Mediterranean
August 14: Peruvian
August 28: Afghani Cuisine
September 25: Elegant Indian Buffet

Chick-O-Pea's
The Falafel Place
1926 Shattuck Ave. between Berkeley Way and Hearst, Berkeley
510.540.8880
www.chick-o-peas.com
 
Brand new and sparkling clean, this small storefront  offers organic falafel pita sandwiches, which you can embellish with a gourmet "falafel bar." So pile on the hummus, tahini, pickled onions, vegetables, and feta salad, and feast away, all for about $7. They also have specialty French fries with various sauces, salads, and soups, but the pita is the best deal. Order at the counter, and sit at one of the tables inside or outside in a lovely quiet patio.

The Writers' Workshop at OLLI SF State
Mondays, June 22-July 27, from 4:00-6:00 pm ($125; 6 meetings)
SF State Downtown Campus, 835 Market St, San Francisco

If you are a writer (poet, playwright, journalist, memoirist, or fiction writer) who is in the midst of a writing project and wants the structure of an ongoing group, this course, taught by OLLI @Berkeley Director Susan Hoffman and prize-winning playwright Joan Holden, may be the one for you. The course is limited to 12 writers and operates with four people reading at each class meeting. In a supportive learning environment, each writer receives verbal feedback from the instructors and fellow writers and an encouraging assessment on the strengths of their work. Workshop participants also have a chance to submit writing for an anthology that will be published this fall, at an additional cost. To enroll: Call the Registration Desk at 415.405.7700, wait for recorded message, then press 5 on your phone key pad to speak directly with a registration person.

Course #: CE 8847
Section: N01
Schedule #: 95022


Science Cafe
Held the first Wednesday of every month from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Cafe Valparaiso at La Pe�a Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. This is a Cafe Scientifique-style forum for discussing interesting and important scientific issues. To celebrate the Year of Science 2009, there will be a different scientific theme each month. For more information, visit http://bnhm.berkeley.edu/about/sciencecafe.php

Wednesday, June 3
Mary Power, Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley
"Algae mats, bugs, fish, and bats: Mapping the future of rivers of the California North Coast"


Pathways to Work at 55+
SF State's OLLI has compiled some resources for people who are needing to return to work.  
www.cel.sfsu.edu/olli/pathways-work.cfm


Boomer Venture Summit
The Boomer Venture Summit, to be held at Santa Clara University on June 17 at 8:30 am, is an exciting one day event to meet others who are starting businesses for people over 40. The all day fee is $99. The morning program includes speakers from AARP, Ken Dychtwald of AgeWave, and a range of venture capitalists. For details, visit www.scuboomerventure.com.