HOMECOMING LECTURE BY OLLI INSTRUCTOR LINDA RUGG
(Re)discovering America: The Vinland Sagas and the Idea of a New Land
Saturday, October 9, 12:00-1:00 p.m.  
Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall, UC Berkeley

During the 13th century, Icelanders wrote down tales that their ancestors had passed down about a series of voyages that took place around the year 1000--nearly 500 years before Columbus's famous voyage of discovery in 1492. These stories detail the first-recorded encounters between Europeans and the people inhabiting what we call North America, and the Icelanders called Vinland. Learn about the Vinland Sagas, examining them for their style, historical value, and reception by scholars, nay-sayers, adventurers, filmmakers, and enthusiasts. Sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkeley (OLLI @Berkeley).

NEW DEAL ART EXHIBIT AT THE BEDFORD GALLERY IN WALNUT CREEK
The Bedford Gallery presents The American Scene: New Deal Art 1935-1943, a stunning collection of work created during the Great Depression as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)'s Federal Art Project. The exhibition opens Sunday, October 3, and is co-organized by president of the National New Deal Preservation Association and OLLI Spring 2011 faculty member Harvey Smith. The Bedford Gallery is located at 1601 Civic Drive in Walnut Creek (925.295.1417).

KATHRYN ROSZAK'S DANSE LUMIERE PERFORMS "PENSIVE SPRING: A PORTRAIT OF EMILY DICKINSON"
A singer, a dancer, and an actress, all portray Emily Dickinson in vignettes illuminating the poet's life.

Sunday, October 10, at 3:00 p.m.
Presented by Santa Sabina Center at Santa
Sabina Chapel, 25 Magnolia Ave., Dominican University, San Rafael

Tuesday, October 19, at 8:00 p.m.
Presented by Berkeley Chamber Performances at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley

THE DNA AGE: PERSONAL STORIES FROM THE GENETIC FRONTIER
Monday, October 11, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Wheeler Auditorium.
Free and open to everyone on a first-come, first-seated basis

The panel will seek to shed light on the challenges new genetic information poses for all of us by exploring the personal stories of people who are grappling directly with its benefits and burdens. Moderated by New York Times National Correspondent Amy Harmon, the panel features three individuals she wrote about in her Pulitzer Prize-winning series, "The DNA Age." How do you face the future as a 22-year-old when you know you carry a gene for an incurable illness that will almost certainly strike in middle age? What do you do at age 33 when you find out you can eliminate your high genetic cancer risk -- but only by undergoing surgery that can be physically and psychologically arduous? Where do you go when a test pinpoints the genetic cause of your child's developmental differences, but offers little information about how to address them? How do family members respond to knowledge that may change their perception of themselves and each other? These are some of the questions that will be asked and answered as the panelists tell their tales. A doctor who uses genetic tests in his practice will add his medical expertise. Please bring your own questions about both gene testing and journalism.

LUNCH POEMS WITH WRITER AND OLLI INSTRUCTOR ZACK ROGOW
Monday, October 25, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Lunch Poems invites you to a dramatic reading of a new play based on the poetry and life of Nazim Hikmet, Turkey's greatest modern poet. Entitled Things I Didn't Know I Loved, the play is by Zack Rogow, cofounder of Lunch Poems. The event will be introduced by Professor Robert Hass and directed by Barbara Oliver, who founded the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. The reading will feature four of the Bay Area's top actors.
JAZZ CAFE: Discounts for OLLI members
From September 22-December 22, 2010, show your OLLI student card and get 10% off.* The Jazz Cafe is located at 2087 Addison Street, just across the street from Freight and Salvage Coffee House.
* Discount good for food and non-alcoholic beverages.