OLLI North and Central Pinellas Dine-Around
Facilitator: Genie Sturgell

OLLI participants often enjoy meals planned to enhance local educational trips. North County members would like you to join us at a variety of north and mid-county
restaurants. Participants will be able to order from the menu, and each member will be responsible for his/her own meal cost and tip. The following restaurants have been scheduled through March. Contact the Call Center to make your reservation for each month. Bring a friend! Meet at 5:00 p.m. at the restaurant. Group size is limited.

3728PH   Thursday, January 5, 5:00 p.m.
Romano's Macaroni Grill
28795 US 19 North, Clearwater

3729PH   Thursday, February 2, 5:00 p.m.
Bon Appetit
150 Marina Plaza, Dunedin

3730PH   Thursday, March 1, 5:00 p.m.
Bonefish Grill
2519 North McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater

Please register in advance on-line or by calling the OLLI office at 727-864-7600.

3733CE Great Courses: From Monet to Van Gogh: A History of Impressionism
Facilitator: Angela Baisley
Wednesdays, January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, March 7, 14, 21 and 28
Noon - 1:30 p.m.

In this Great Courses DVD series, Professor Richard Brettell creates a vivid, "virtual" museum through which to appreciate the genius and enduring accomplishments of the Impressionists: the men and women who, in a few short decades, forever changed the art of painting.

Whether the subject was a city street, a holiday beach, a harvest field or a demoiselle's boudoir, the Impressionists virtually invented the sensibility - urbane, contemporary, ever-changing - that today we take for granted as the "modern."

Who were the Impressionists? What's the difference between a Manet and a Monet? How does a Pissarro landscape differ from one by Cézanne? Were they really as personally scandalous as the Establishment alleged? And why is Impressionism, a 19th-century phenomenon, still so appealing in the 21st?

Join us for this 24-part DVD series. We'll cover two thirty-minutes segments each session. So, bring a bag lunch and learn about the Impressionists and their timeless works of art.

Location: Continuing Education Center.

This activity is free of charge to members but please register in advance.

3732PH Great Courses: Books That Can Change Your Life: Part Two
Facilitators: Karin and Bob Sampson
Mondays, January 9, 16, 23, 30 and February 6; 10:00 a.m. - Noon
continuing Mondays, March 5, 12, 19 and 26; 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

Join us at this OLLI interest group to watch and discuss the series Books That Have Made History. These are books that shaped the minds of great individuals, who in turn have shaped the events of historic magnitude. This term we will focus on parts 19-36 of the most essential writings in history.

This course does not analyze the literature or discuss it in detail; rather, it focuses on intellectual history and events. Join us as we take the underlying ideas of each great work and discuss how these ideas can be put to use today in moral and ethical life. From the Aeneid to George Orwell and 1984, the selections range in time from the 3rd Millennium B.C. to the 20th Century, and in locales from Mesopotamia and China to Europe and America.

You need not have been present for the first part of this series to join us for these fascinating sessions.

Location: Palm Harbor
This activity is free of charge to members.
Please register in advance.

3731CE Writers' Circle
Facilitator: Pat Brown
Tuesdays, January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 21 and 28
10:00 a.m. - Noon

Writers' Circle is an opportunity for aspiring and experienced writers to meet and read in an atmosphere of consideration and encouragement. The two-hour class is organized to help writers improve and develop their talents through discussions on elements of writing and suggestions for improving content and style. There is time to read and be heard by one's peers and receive helpful criticism for better composition.

Members are encouraged to read their work although it is not required. Writers of all genres are welcomed to share their interest but those writing articles of a professional or academic nature are beyond the scope of this class. The group is limited to 20 members.

Cost: Free. Members Only
Location: Continuing Education Center

3734CE Wine Group
Facilitator: Pat Tamalis
Wednesdays, January 4, 18, February 1, 15, 29, March 7, 21, April 4 and 18
4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Enjoy wine? Want to know more? Discover a world of wine through sampling, group discussion and speakers on the various types, regions and terminology of wine. Learn how to read labels, discuss how to find the wine that's right for you and gain confidence in ordering wine.

Members Only.
Cost: $10 - $15 per session, depending on the event.
Location: Continuing Education Center. Please bring a wine glass to meetings. Space is limited.

3735CE Poets' Circle
Facilitators: Carol Alt and Jack Vanek
Thursdays, January 12, 26, February 9, 23, March 8, 22, April 12 and 26
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

This OLLI member interest group is for writing poets who want to improve their skills. As a member of this "working group," you will be asked to bring copies of your poetry for the group to critique.

Several of our members are now published poets, which greatly reflects on the value of sharing and learning from each other. We are happy to invite new serious poets to the group, which is deliberately kept small (limit 12) so that we all get a chance to read and share at most every meeting.

In the past we have produced chapbooks of our poetry, and this season we'll look into sponsoring a poetry reading event on campus which would be open to all.

Guests are always welcome to sit in and observe.  Membership is limited, so advance registration for each season is requested.

Cost: Free. Members Only
Location: Continuing Education Center
Please register in advance. Space is limited.

3736CE Cuba Interest Group
Facilitators: Laurie Clement, Yanira Angulo-Cano and Tom Santee
Wednesdays, February 15, 29, March 14 and 28
Noon - 1:00 p.m.

So close yet so far away, Cuba remains an enticing mystery to most citizens of the USA. For many of us, first-hand memories of the island nation were formed 50 years ago. For others, photos of old automobiles and decrepit buildings might suggest that not much has changed since the diplomatic and commercial embargo began in 1963.

Yet Cuba is more than black and white photos. Home to over 11 million people on the largest and most populous island in the Caribbean, Cuba is a fascinating mixture of people, cultures and customs.

Let us explore the culture through its literature, film, documentary, Internet sources and first-hand accounts of recent trips to Cuba. Laurie Clement and Tom Santee visited Cuba in January 2010. Yanira Angulo-Cano is Professor of Spanish at Eckerd College.

Cost: Free. Members Only
Location: Continuing Education Center

3737CE Book Discussion Interest Group
Facilitator: Eileen Deegan
Tuesdays, January 10, February 14, March 13 and April 10
11:00 a.m. - Noon

Avid and enthusiastic readers, this is the interest group for you. If you enjoy stimulating reading and discussions of all book genres, then you will definitely want to join this group. We meet on the second Tuesday of the month to discuss characters, themes, plots and so much more.

Join us as we start off the New Year with Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. This is a historical novel of how one woman's gift transcends class and social prejudice to lead to some of the most important scientific discoveries. Though it is a fictionalized account, it is the true story of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, whose discoveries in Lyme Regis, England, led to a more honest discussion of science and religion in the 19th Century. The author weaves historically factual events into a compelling narrative and provides the reader with an illuminating story of two extraordinary women bound by their friendship and finding fulfillment in a shared passion for science.

Participants should read the assigned book prior to class and come prepared to share.

Cost: Free. Members Only. Space Limited.
Location: Continuing Education Center

Francis Wilson Playhouse Theatre Interest Group
Facilitator: Nancy and Gene Wathen

Francis Wilson Playhouse was recently voted Best Community Theatre in Tampa Bay. The next exciting theatre events are as follows:

3738PH Bus Stop (a drama)
Saturday, January 28, 2:00 p.m.
Director: Nicholas G. Rinaldi

Bus Stop is an American classic that nostalgically takes us back to the 1950s. While a Winter snowstorm rages outside a roadside diner, marooned bus passengers are creating a storm of their own. Characters include a young nightclub singer, an equally young cowboy with all the romantic finesse of a rodeo bull, the diner's proprietor, the bus driver, a middle-aged scholar and a high school girl. A wise old cowboy and the local sheriff provide the mature anchors to this quiet storm that produces an undertow of sex, lies and a touch of perversity served alongside all the coffee and doughnuts!

Ticket Price: $18 for OLLI Members only.
Reservation Deadline: Friday, January 13

3739PH Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (a musical)
Saturday, March 3, 2:00 p.m.
Director: Jason Fortner

Winner of three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards in 1978, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas tells the true story of the Chicken Ranch, a Texas brothel caught in the middle of a television crusader's campaign. Filled with colorful characters, Whorehouse is fun for grown-ups. Toe tapping country fun! (Adult situations and language)

Ticket Price: $22  for OLLI Members only.
Reservation Deadline: Thursday, February 16

3740PH Moonlight and Magnolias (a comedy)
Saturday, April 14, 2:00 p.m.
Director: Alan Mohney

Based on a true story, this hilarious fast-paced farce centers on the creation of the film, Gone with the Wind. As the hours tick by, three Hollywood writers race the clock to deliver a would-be successful screenplay portraying the various characters of the novel. Reminiscent of a Marx Brothers comedy. Frankly my dear, if you give a damn about having fun, don't miss Moonlight and Magnolias.

Ticket Price: $18 for OLLI Members only.
Reservation deadline: Friday, March 30