OLLI at UMass Boston - 2021 Winter Programs

The OLLI office is creating opportunities for all members (and future members!) to stay engaged during the winter. The programs will be held via Zoom and are free (some course material costs may apply).

Members are encouraged to use the OLLI online registration system to sign up for these events. Winter events and programs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please click here and use your OLLI username and password to sign into the system. Once you are logged in, all winter events are listed under SPECIAL EVENTS. Your username and password are still active even if your membership has expired. Not an OLLI member? Please email the OLLI office (ollireg@gmail.com) your requests (program titles) and we will register you so you can experience OLLI this winter.

Winter Programs At-A-Glance More details for each program listed below can be found within this document.

Monday Morning Coffee Chats – Every Monday starting January 4

Live MOSAIC 2020 Readings – February 4

Traces of the Trade: A Voyage of Realization and Reconciliation – February 8

OLLI Winter Film Series: Robot & Frank (2012) – February 9

Time for Reflection – February 10

The Battle of the Bulge: the Ardennes Counterattack – February 11

Self-Care for Hectic Times Workshop – February 12

OLLI Winter Film Series: Tortilla Soup (2001) – February 16

Benvenuti in Emilia-Romagna! – February 17

Beyond Assumptions: A Cross-Cultural Friendship – February 17

Onward to Mars – February 18

Author Mamta Chaudhry and Haunting Paris – February 18

Streets of Hope: Changes in a Roxbury Neighborhood – February 22

Graphic Revolution: Prints and Drawings in Latin America – February 23

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Loved Opera, and Opera Loved Her Back! – February 24

Getting To Know You In Eight Minutes Or Less! – February 24

Monday Morning Coffee Chats – Starting January 4 9:00–10:00 a.m. Here is your opportunity to connect with other people over your morning cup of coffee! Every Monday in January and February (except Jan. 18 & Feb. 15).

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Live MOSAIC 2020 Readings Thursday, February 4 | 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Enjoy this live reading of selections from OLLI’s publication, MOSAIC 2020. As part of OLLI's 20th Anniversary celebration, the Writing Special Interest Group produced a wonderful literary publication featuring poetry, essays, and stories written and submitted by OLLI members. Over 100 pages in length, MOSAIC 2020 represents a collection of the excellent writing talent found within our membership. This event will feature some of the authors reading and discussing their published writings.

Traces of the Trade: A Voyage of Realization and Reconciliation Monday, February 8 | 1:00–4:00 p.m. A documentary film that unearths a hidden legacy of slavery in America, Traces of the Trade: A Story From The Deep North was one of the few documentaries chosen from 953 submissions to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2008. It traces a journey by Katrina Browne, the filmmaker, and nine of her cousins into the dark past of the slave trade which enriched their white New England family. Join Dain Perry, one of the nine cousins, and his wife, Constance, for an online viewing of the film followed by a conversation on race, reconciliation and healing. Traces of the Trade is both a geographical and psychological retracing of the industry of the largest slave traders in American history, the DeWolf family of Bristol, Rhode Island, and an exploration into racism in America, a legacy of slavery that continues to negatively impact the country even today. Presenters: Dain and Constance Perry are experienced facilitators who will help audience members discuss the lessons of the film. They have conducted over 500 screenings, facilitated conversations in over 200 cities and towns across the country, and overseas in Ghana and Australia. One family member said the most surprising question was whether Constance Perry, who is a descendant of enslaved people, knew about Dain’s family history before she married him. The answer: yes. Now she and her husband travel across the country as a team to screen the film and encourage group discussion of the legacy of slavery.

OLLI Winter Film Series: Robot & Frank (2012)** Tuesday, February 9 10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom 12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom The story of a relationship between a retired burglar and a household appliance more relentless than an alarm clock. Set in the near future, it focuses on Frank Weld, an aging jewel thief, played by Frank Langella, whose son buys him a domestic robot. Resistant at first, Frank warms up to the robot when he realizes he can use it to restart his career as a cat burglar.

Time for Reflection Wednesday, February 10 | 12:00–1:00 p.m. It’s been a “hard day’s night” for the past 11 months. Inundated with chaos and noise around us both locally, nationally, and globally and with fear, anxiety and sadness within, it often can feel impossible to gain clarity and know what we’re truly thinking and feeling. This presentation will give you the opportunity to sink into yourself to discover/uncover/connect with what is going on inside you in the moment, what challenges you mentally, emotionally, physically and/or spiritually and for what and how you are grateful. In between each of these reflective opportunities, you will meet with another to share your experience. Presenter: Myrna Finn is a professor emerita at Salem State University where she taught courses in all aspects of oral communication. With her motto “the truth will set you free,” she has been a life-long seeker of truth in all planes of reality - personal, relational and universal.

The Battle of the Bulge: the Ardennes Counterattack Thursday, February 11 | 12:00–1:15 p.m. After the D-Day Offensive on June 6, 1944, the Allies swept across Normandy, France. Adolph Hitler eventually decided, against the vigorous opposition of his top generals, to launch a massive and surprise attack across the heavily wooded Ardennes Forest in an effort to capture the port of Antwerp whilst dividing the British and American forces. The heroic and unexpected counterattack led by Field Marshall Montgomery, Generals Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, and George Patton, stopped the German advance in the Ardennes. Presenter: Dan Leclerc taught high school history for 20 years and was a district-wide administrator for 12 years. He holds a Master’s Degree in History from Northeastern University and has traveled throughout the British Isles, Western Europe, Russia, and Israel. He presents programs throughout the state and teaches in the OLLI program at the University of Massachusetts. Recently he served on the Governor's Commission for the100th Anniversary of World War I during which he presented the History of the Yankee Division to about fifteen communities in the Commonwealth.

Self-Care for Hectic Times Friday, February 12 | 2:00–4:00 p.m. This workshop will focus on encouraging self-care with limited time, resources, and access to the outside world. Participants will discuss how emotions and our ways of thinking may prevent us from practicing self-care. Participants will gain realistic and actionable ways to practice self-care. Presenter: A. Rahema is an educator, social worker, community organizer and the director of Radical Joy Inc. Our organization

seeks to encourage mental health so that people can achieve their positive potential in life. We also believe that staying healthy and balanced is a form of fighting against oppression.

OLLI Winter Film Series: Tortilla Soup (2001)** Tuesday, February 16 10:30 a.m. – Film showing via Zoom 12:30 p.m. – Film discussion via Zoom Three grown sisters, Maribel (Tamara Mello), Leticia (Elizabeth Peña) and Carmen (Jacqueline Obradors) try to cope and live with their father Martin (Héctor Elizondo); a veteran chef who is slowly losing his sense of taste. Martin has one simple rule: be at home for Sunday dinner and attendance is both mandatory and non-negotiable. A rift in the family develops when the sisters develop relationships and an obnoxious woman (Raquel Welch) sets her sights on Martin's affections.

Benvenuti in Emilia-Romagna! Wednesday, February 17 | 12:00–1:30 p.m. Welcome to Emilia-Romagna! One of Italy’s most overlooked regions, Emilia-Romagna is located in northern Italy, spans from the Apennine Mountains to the Po River, and is home to a vast array of historical, cultural, and gastronomical experiences that are a must for anyone when visiting Italy. Join Alice Rossi, lifelong resident of Parma and local expert tour guide, as she introduces you to her beloved Emilia-Romagna through a variety of lenses including art, architecture, geography, education, history, food, wine and regional traditions. Presenter: Alice (pronounced ah-LEE-chay) Rossi was born, and currently resides, in Parma, Italy. Although a small city, Alice chooses to live there as Parma continues to captivate her. She fully believes life should be lived with passion and smiles as we seek to realize our dreams. Her passion is food, and her dream, which she lives out daily, is to share this passion. She does so with grace, humor, and adoration of her roots. After pursuing a degree in Food and Wine Science at the Parma University, Alice worked at the Barilla Academy in Parma, where she oversaw the Department of Gourmet Touring and Taste Education. Here she developed and promoted tours specific to Food, Wine and regional specialties. Through each experience, she continued to realize how much she enjoyed working with people so she could “get the magic across.” She took these experiences with her as she became a tourist guide and tour leader who is recognized as an expert in the field worldwide.

Beyond Assumptions: A Cross-Cultural Friendship Wednesday, February 17 | 3:00–4:30 p.m. Joqui Girón-Meléndez and Genny Peterson became friends as college

freshmen. Joqui was born in Honduras and grew up in Chelsea, MA, attended a

multicultural private school, and is a city girl through and through. Genny spent

her childhood in suburban western NY, went to school with other white kids,

and, despite living in Boston for over six years now, still misses the rolling, tree-

covered hills where she grew up. As conversations about race, culture, and

(dis)connection intensified in America in the last four years, these two millennials found themselves having

conversations they decided they wanted to share with others. Join us for a conversation about going

beyond our assumptions to build cross-cultural relationships. Presenters: Joqui Girón-Meléndez is a teacher

by trade but due to COVID is serving at her high school alma mater Boston Trinity Academy as an in-house

substitute and academic supporter for students and teachers. Prior to the pandemic, she was living in

Grenada in the West Indies due to her husband starting his medical school journey. She taught at a

Montessori school and volunteered at an academic afterschool program. Overall, she does not shy away

from new experiences and enjoys hearing people's life-stories. Genny Peterson is project coordinator with

OLLI at UMass Boston. From her humble roots as a grandchild of dairy farmers in western NY, she followed

the path of curiosity towards ever-diversifying experiences: going to college out-of-state, studying abroad

in England, participating in an urban studies program located in Boston, working in inner-city charter

schools, and finally attending UMass Boston as a graduate student where she completed her masters in

Japanese history in 2020.

Onward to Mars Thursday, February 18 | 12:00–1:00 p.m. We have been fascinated with Mars since author Edgar Rice Burroughs started writing his science fiction series about the Red Planet more than 100 years ago. If all goes as planned, NASA will have launched its next Mars Rover, Perseverance, during the summer of 2020 to land on Mars in February 2021. This program will provide an update about NASA’s newest Mars mission, including the complex process of landing a spacecraft with a rover on Mars, the challenge of searching for signs of ancient life, and some of the issues involved with human Mars Mission planning. Presenter: Since retiring from UMass Boston several years ago, Pat Monteith rekindled her interest in the space program and was selected as a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador in 2016, a role in which she has conducted several dozen programs for children and adults about NASA and various space science topics.

Author Mamta Chaudhry and Haunting Paris Thursday, February 18 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. Enjoy a reading and talk with author Mamta Chaudhry as she discusses the story behind the story in her debut novel, Haunting Paris. In 1989, when Paris is preparing to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution, Sylvie is up in her apartment, mourning the loss of her lover, Julien. The accidental discovery of a hidden letter sets her off on a quest that leads her into the dark shadows underpinning the City of Light during Nazi occupation. Mamta Chaudhry’s debut novel, Haunting Paris (Nan A. Talese/ Doubleday), has been praised as “elegantly wrought” by The New York Times Book Review and “a heart-wrenching love letter to Paris” by Publishers Weekly. Marilynne Robinson called “this fine first novel . . . a small parable, pondering the nature of civilization itself,” and Russell Banks described it as “powerful and moving . . . with a heartbreaking, profoundly adult love story at its center.” Presenter: Mamta Chaudhry was born and raised in Calcutta, and came to the US for graduate studies. She got her Master’s from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami. Much of her professional career was in broadcasting classical music, and she has also taught classes in literature and creative writing. She and her husband spend part of each year in India and in France. Learn more at MamtaChaudhry.com

Streets of Hope: Changes in a Roxbury Neighborhood Monday, February 22 | 12:00–1:00 p.m. The past year was undeniably one of great challenges for many. But facing

challenges, steep ones, are not new to many in Boston. Madyun faced chronic

neighborhood housefires along with a host of other problems wrought by both

systemic abandonment and malignance. Along with other community

members, she participated in decades-long efforts to foster a vibrant, diverse,

and high-quality neighborhood along Dudley Street. In 2018, Madyun was interviewed by her son, Khalil, as

part of the Neighborhood Voices Project. In this presentation we will hear from the recorded interview as

well as from Che herself, live! talking about the past, present, and future of one of Boston’s indomitable

neighborhoods. This presentation is sponsored by the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of OLLI at UMass

Boston. Presenter: Che Madyun is an Adjunct Professor at Cambridge College in Boston and Manchester

Community College in New Hampshire teaching across the subjects of community building, women’s

studies, African American Literature, theatre, and social justice movements. Che is one of the founding

https://mamtachaudhry.com/

board members of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and Dudley Neighbors Inc, and the first

resident president. Che is featured in the award-winning documentary film, Holding Ground, and the book,

Streets of Hope: The Fall and Rise of an Urban Neighborhood, which chronicle the Dudley Street – DSNI

story.

A Graphic Revolution: Prints and Drawings in Latin America Tuesday, February 23 | 1:30–2:30 p.m. This exhibition is the first to highlight the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection of works on paper produced in Latin America over the past century. Representing a wide range of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Mexico, the works survey how artists have explored national and cultural identity during periods of political upheaval and dramatic social change. Facilitator: Arielle Levine (see bio above).

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Loved Opera, and Opera Loved Her Back! Wednesday, February 24 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. Many people know that the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a lover of

opera. It was her “go-to” place when she wanted to get away, for a time,

from the enormous responsibilities of her office. It is not so well known that

Opera loved her back. She lived across the street from the Kennedy Center

in Washington DC, home of the Washington National Opera where she was

a frequent attendee. She even encouraged the careers of young artists,

many of whom are among today’s top singers! We will look at RBG’s

relationship with Washington National Opera and at some of the operas that were her personal favorites

and the reasons why. Presenter: Mary Doller is a retired educator who has been happily active in OLLI for

the past ten years, A few years ago, she began to facilitate opera class for OLLI, and she is delighted to

share her love of opera with other OLLI members.

Getting To Know You In Eight Minutes Or Less! Wednesday, February 24 | 2:00–3:30 p.m. This is purely a social event where participants will meet and talk with one another. Using Zoom breakout rooms, folks will be paired with another person and will have eight minutes to talk and get to know each other. After those eight minutes are up, you will be paired with another person and have a chance to get to know a different participant. We hope to repeat this process so you get to meet and talk with 3-4 different people.

**A note on the OLLI Winter Film Series: Exploring Humor: How Funny Is It?** OLLI is delighted to offer the Winter Film Series again this year – with a few changes. We have chosen a number of humorous movies hoping that some good laughs will make us feel more connected and maybe even a bit more resilient. Humor (comedy?) is a complicated business. Our movie choices go from slapstick to satire, so part of the fun will be deciding if the movies, which are all labeled comedies, really are funny. We have invented a laugh-o-meter to help rate each film!

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The movies are all free on Kanopy (see more information below) and you may choose to watch them ahead of time and join us on Zoom for our lively conversation. For those who care to watch the film with others via Zoom, we plan to show the movie starting at 10:30 a.m. The discussion and conversation on each film will begin at 12:30 p.m. Kanopy is a film streaming service provided free by most public libraries. If your public library does not offer Kanopy and you are a Massachusetts resident, you can request an eCard and access Kanopy through the Boston Public Library (https://www.bpl.org/ecard/). Due to the inconsistent quality of a film being streamed via Zoom, we highly recommend that you watch these films on your own and then join us for the discussion via Zoom. However if you cannot access Kanopy, OLLI will show the movie via Zoom starting at 10:30 a.m. on the film’s scheduled day. If you have a membership to other streaming services (like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.), you may also see if these films are being offered through them.

Learning For The Love Of It! – About OLLI at UMass Boston The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UMass Boston is an inclusive, member-powered organization that offers educational and cultural programs to inspire adult learned ages 50+. Our non-credit courses are taught by volunteers with no homework, tests, or grades. The organization is funded by The Bernard Osher Foundation and is part of a nationwide network of 124 OLLI programs. At UMass Boston, OLLI is housed in the Gerontology Institute, a part of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. For more information, please visit our website or contact our office via email (ollireg@gmail.com).

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