Fine Arts, Film & Literature   

The final four films of the AFI’s 100 Greatest Films list will be viewed in this Winter term session! Participants watch each film and, if time allows, have a brief discussion.

Consider the consequences of either succumbing to or surviving a corrupt world. Billy Wilder's classics Double Indemnity (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950) dramatize the consequences of succumbing; his 1959 and 1960 comedies Some Like it Hot and The Apartment celebrate survival. All four reflect the enduring art of this foreign-born, Vienna-raised, Berlin-trained, 1934-transplanted Hollywood director and his clear-eyed take on American culture.

When Bridgerton premiered on Netflix and became a phenomenon, people either (a) watched the first series and immediately read all of the Julia Quinn novels; (b) watched each series in turn and ignored the novels; or (c) ignored the whole thing. All three types of people are welcome in this class, in which participants will read one novel a week for eight weeks, and we’ll discuss them in class. We will be considering the genre of romance novels, the history and culture of Regency England, and anything else that pops up in our heads. For the first three weeks we will reserve time at the end of each class to compare and contrast novels one, two, and four with their respective Netflix versions for those who have seen them. Eating Regency Era food for lunch during the Zoom classes is optional.

Join us to have fun with writing. Practice observing, using your imagination, and expanding your use of language. Engaging prompts will help you explore several different genres, including poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. LIMIT 12

Counterparts features paired works around themes such as love, art, science, literature, and gender. Discussions will include stories, essays, and poems from writers ranging from David Sedaris to Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, George Eliot, Betty Friedan, and Michel Foucault. LIMIT 16

The goal of this memoir writing group is to finish (or nearly finish) one piece in our eight weeks together. Activities include mostly writing and workshopping with some short informative lectures and examples. LIMIT 16

This interactive, hands-on workshop will explore basic theater concepts through short scenes and improv games. No experience necessary! LIMIT 15

Stephen Crane was a much admired writer who died far too young. Class participants will read and discuss several of his poems and prose works.

This class will more fully flesh out the brilliant work and vibrant lives of some of the most important writers of the Harlem Renaissance than in the class offered during the fall term. Authors to be discusses include Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Jesse Fauset, Countee Cullen, Gwendolyn Bennett, Claude McKay, Nella Larson, Jean Toomer, Paul Robeson, and Wallace Thurman. It is not a requirement to have attended the previous Harlem Renaissance class.

At just one-hundred-forty syllables, fourteen lines, and ten syllables per line, the sonnet is a simple, brisk poetic form; yet it has a five-hundred-year history in English, with new sonnets continually being composed. What makes this kind of poem so potent and so attractive to poets and readers? (One even adorns the Statue of Liberty.) We will study the form, its variant rhyme patterns, and how it works. We will read sonnets by Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Frost, and many others, including perhaps people in the class. Some of the sonnets we will read are about love, some are humorous, some are profound, and all of them will be interesting, enjoyable, and thought provoking.

Beginners, intermediates, and those who just want to get together to paint while inspiring others: bring a brush and join the class! The weekly sessions consist of a demonstration, time to paint and ask questions, and the opportunity to share individual projects. Basic watercolor supplies are required. LIMIT 20