TODAY
Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association
Sunday, October 13,
5:30 - 8 p.m.
UNC Asheville's
Reuter Center Room 206
Member images will be reviewed by a guest presenter to assess how to take your images to the next level.
The CNPA-Asheville Region's goal is to develop a group that will more fully experience the beauty of Western North Carolina through photography. Activities in the Asheville Region include monthly meetings, photo outings, seminars, workshops, exhibits, photo contests, and image critiques. The monthly meetings are held at the Reuter Center on the second Sunday of each month from 5:30-8 p.m., with a meet and greet at 5:30 p.m. and a presentation beginning at 8 p.m.
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Meditation Special Interest Group
Steve Stevens on Tai Chi Chih: Joy through Movement
Monday, October 14, 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center, Room 102B
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Steve Stevens
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Established by Justin Stone in the 1970s, Tai Chi Chih is a moving meditation
, not a martial art or exercise program. The practice of 19 slow movements and one pose reduces stress, improves balance and flexibility, and can even lower blood pressure. Many people feel that regular practice of Tai Chi Chih brings a sense of clarity, centering, and joy.
Steve
Stevens
will discuss the origins and principles of tai chi chih. Then he will teach several of the 19 movements that circulate and balance the body's life force energy (chi),
including time for silent reflection and sharing.
Steve Stevens is a retired NC public school teacher who took his first tai chi chih class at College for Seniors in 2009. He was accredited as a tai chi chih instructor in 2013 and has been practicing and teaching Tai Chi Chih: Joy Through Movement ever since. He currently teaches classes at OLLI and at the Asheville Parks and Recreation facility, Harvest House.
All OLLI members are welcome at our meetings and one does not need to have previous meditation experience to enjoy and benefit from these programs.
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Fall Theme Term on Appalachia
Special Programs
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| Crystal Wilkinson |
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Affrilachian Writer
Crystal Wilkinson
THIS WEEK:
Wednesday, October 16, 7 p.m
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UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Kentucky and Affrilachian writer, Crystal Wilkinson is the award-winning author of
The Birds of Opulence
(winner of the 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence),
Water Street and
Blackberries, Blackberries
. Nominated for both the Orange Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, she has received recognition from The Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Kentucky Arts Council, The Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and is a recipient of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature.
Copies of Wilkinson's books will be available for purchase (and signing) at the lecture.
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Please mark your calendars for the following special events to complement our theme term Appalachia: Tradition and Change. All presentations are scheduled for the Reuter Center Manheimer Room. Events are free and open to everyone, and seating is first-come, first served.
Friday, October 25, 7 p.m
.: Kentucky writer and activist Silas House will discuss his work
Monday, October 28, 4 p.m.: As part of our Fall Member Social, Rodney Sutton will call a square dance, with live music from the Stoney Creek Boys.
Thursday, November
7, 9-11 a.m. OLLI Community Conversation on the theme term.
Whether you took classes, taught one or participated in other Appalachia programs of OLLI, come and share your experience.
Please mark your calendars to attend these wonderful programs. All programs are free and open to everyone and are funded by our Osher Foundation Endowment.
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OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
MANNA Food Bank
Working to end hunger and food insecurity in WNC
Veterans Restoration Quarters
Help Restore the Lives of Homeless Vets
Asheville Terrace Apartments Food Pantry
Provide On-Site Food Pantry Support
VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!
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The Forum
Special Interest Group (SIG)
Friday, October 18, 1 - 3 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center, Room 205
Topic: "The Case for Science:
How We Deal with Science Denial"
The weekly Forum encourages a free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants' thinking on a wide variety of topics; the group frequently focuses on current events. All OLLI members are welcome to attend.
Upcoming Topics:
October 25: The Impact of Religion on American Politics
November 1: Debt, Private and Public
November 8: Financial Support for American Education
November 15: Current Events and Selection of Future Topics
SIG Contact: Beth Johnson johnson1ea@earthlink.net
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History Book Club SIG
Friday, October 18, 1 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Room 120
American Dialogue: The Founders and Us
by Joseph J. Ellis
 Ellis examines four of our most seminal historical figures through the prism of particular topics, using the perspective of the present to shed light on their views and, in turn, to make clear how their now centuries-old ideas illuminate the disturbing impasse of today's political conflicts. He discusses Jefferson and the issue of racism, Adams and the specter of economic inequality, Washington and American imperialism, Madison and the doctrine of original intent. Through these juxtapositions--and in his hallmark dramatic and compelling narrative voice--Ellis illuminates the obstacles and pitfalls paralyzing contemporary discussions of these fundamentally important issues.
Come join the fun to share beloved books, engage in discussion, and connect with other OLLI members whose favorite subject is history!
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Travel SIG
Friday, October 18, 2-4 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Room 206
Panel Presentation: "Group vs Individual Travel?"
A panel of three experienced travelers will address the perennial question of group vs individual travel? Each of the speakers will address the pros and cons of either mode of travel, including (1) tours planned and organized by travel agencies and tour operators; and (2) trips planned by the traveler on his/her own, i.e. without assistance of travel agencies or tour operators and (3) the third member of the panel, who has a career-long experience with both types of travel, will add her own views and perspective on the question and solicit anecdotes/stories from the audience that will inform the points made by the three speakers. This should be an instructive and fun experience. Do plan to attend and bring your own stories!
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STEM Lecture
Dr. Michael Wang, OLLI, "Basic Science and Medicine"
Tuesday, October 22,
5 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center
Manheimer Room
As presented in the first lecture of this fall's STEM series on science vs. science denial, there are many examples of science denial that can have detrimental effects as a result of nonscientific skepticism. On the other hand, scientific skepticism, in which challenges to currently accepted beliefs are based on data obtained from carefully controlled experiments, are essential to scientific progress. During this lecture, we'll discuss several examples showing how scientists who questioned currently accepted views (stress causes ulcers, long-acting viruses cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), miasma is the cause of cholera, and doctors don't cause puerperal fever, etc.) have made vital contributions to our understanding of physiology and medicine.
Subsequent lectures will go into more detail on the value and importance of science, climate
change, vaccination, evolution, and ethics.
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Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society
Tuesday, October 22, 7 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Travels with Migratory Birds by Dr. Bruce M. Beehler
Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society (EMAS), in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, will host renowned ornithologist Dr. Bruce M. Beehler in a special presentation on migratory songbirds. Dr. Beehler will recount his amazing journey following the spring songbird migration from the coast of southeastern Texas north through the Mississippi River watershed to the boreal forests of northern Ontario. During his hundred-day trip, he visited scores of local, state, and national parks and wildlife refuges critical to bird migration. His presentation will touch on wildlife, nature conservation, migration research, American history, and rural culture. Dr. Beehler will share stories and photos from his travels and will discuss the importance of conserving habitat throughout the Western Hemisphere to ensure the well-being of migratory songbirds.
Dr. Beehler is an ornithologist and naturalist who has spent his scientific career studying and working to conserve birds and their habitats. He is a research associate in the Bird Division of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Dr. Beehler has published twelve books and authored more than a hundred articles about birds and nature. He received his doctorate at Princeton working on the behavioral ecology of birds-of-paradise and is an authority on New Guinea birds. He is co-author of the Princeton Field Guide Birds of New Guinea.
Signed copies of Dr. Beehler's book,
North on the Wing: Travels with the Songbird Migration of Spring, will be available for purchase at the lecture.
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 Aging and Brain Health:
Tips from the Latest Research
Thursday, October 24, 9-11 a.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Room 206
Sponsored by
The Alzheimer's Association of WNC
, this series of lectures will be offered by
Denise Young, regional manager of the Alzheimer's
Association of Western Carolina chapter, along with
area experts.
This first presentation in a three-part series is titled "
Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia." If your loved
one has been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's
disease or is simply showing symptoms, then this
program may be for you! We will explore the relationship
between dementia and Alzheimer's disease and take a
look at the changes occurring in the brain. We will also
cover risk factors, current treatments, and what's on the
horizon for research.
This event is free and open to everyone.
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Aging in Place
Thursday, October 24, 5 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Room 206
Members will be discussing aspects of Aging in Place versus moving to assisted living or a CCRC.
How do I make a choice?
How do I plan for it?
We also will discuss the preferred times for future meetings.
This group hopes to provide information and resources for members interested in creating the support needed within their homes and neighborhoods so they can "age in place" and thrive in the second half of life.
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 Performing Stand-Up Comedy 101 Class Show
Sunday, November 3,
7-9 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
The College for Seniors
Performing Stand-Up Comedy 101 presents
its annual original show. Come join instructor Randy Robins
and his class at its premier performance, designed to have you
laughing, crying and rolling in the aisles. The show will include
adult language and situations.
This event is free and open to everyone.
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College for Seniors
Curriculum Committees:
What Makes Them Tick?
You Do!
Informational Meeting
Friday, November 8, 9-11 a.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center, Room 206
OLLI members volunteer to serve on one of the 11 Curriculum Committees, which consider course proposals, interview instructors, and develop the curriculum for College for Seniors.
You can learn more about joining one as a way to create the exciting learning opportunities that our members enjoy every term.
Come to an informational meeting on Friday, November 8, 9-11 a.m. in Room 206.
Herb Gunn and Pascale Couturier will be on hand to answer your questions. Call Herb at 828.251.6873 or email hgunn@unca.edu
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Plugged-In Buncombe
Local advocacy nonprofits are offering an opportunity to join their staff in attending various City of Asheville and Buncombe County advisory board meetings. These meetings have an impact on important policy decisions made by elected officials, and participation at this level of the governance process is a great way to make needed changes in our community. For details and to sign up,
click here.
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Dear OLLI Members,
Also this week OLLI Authors will showcase the literary skill of OLLI Authors Kay Duncan and Paul "Schepp" Scheberle. You may also take part in one of our Advance Care Planning Workshops this Thursday.
Don't forget that UNC Asheville offers many other opportunities for all of us to learn. Check out the link below for the African Americans in Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia, to be held Octoer 17-19 and enjoy some of our many athletic events.
Please note the opporunities in the newsletter to submit a course proposal (by November 1) to teach at College for Seniors in Spring 2020. If you would like to be one of the many people who find and support our talented instructors, plan to attend an informational meeting about curriculum committees and development on Friday, November 8. Also on November 8 you may attend a "coffee and conversation" session on legacy planning.
Please click here to let us know of your interest.
With gratitude for all that you do to make possible our community of teachers and learners,
Catherine Frank
Executive Director
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Teach a Course in Spring 2020
for College for Seniors
Thinking about teaching??
This could be your year!
Course Proposal Deadline
for the Spring 2020 term
(March 23-May 15)
is Friday, November 1
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Theme Term on Women- Volunteers Wanted
A wide range of courses, events and speakers on the theme of women will be offered in the Fall of 2020. A steering committee is seeking a few members, men and women, to assist with recruiting instructors/courses and arranging for special events and speakers. Please share your ideas and enthusiasm and a bit of
your time to make this theme term a success. Contact Cindy Berryman-Fink at
berrymanfink@gmail.com
or Sylvie Horvath at
sylvienc7@gmail.com
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Registration for OLLIChat, the replacement online community for OLLITalk, is now open to new members.
OLLIChat is an online community where OLLI Asheville
members may share information of common interest with each other. It is designed to look and function like the old OLLITalk.
To get started, send an email to OLLIChatAVL@gmail.com, and the OLLIChat volunteers will send you an invitation.
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OLLI Authors
Kay Duncan and Paul "Schepp" Scheberle
Thursday, October 17, 5 p.m.,
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center, Room 206
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Kay Duncan grew up in a Chicago suburb, jumped from that small pond to a slightly larger one at Northern Illinois University where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She then lit out for the territories to seek her fortune: the enormous pond of Houston, where she reveled in city life, earned her master's at the University of Texas School of Public Health, then promptly changed careers to her true love, graphic design.
More true love came with finding Covenant, a liberal Christian church, developing a coterie of friends, and meeting and marrying Dennis. After 40 years of the good life in Houston, they sought more outdoor living and relocated to Asheville, replete with forested beauty, lots of live music, the richness of OLLI, and plenty of al fresco dining. Here Kay runs a free-range poetry farm, featuring sustainable metaphors and organic wordplay. Her work has been published in the
Great Smokies Review.
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 Paul "Schepp" Scheberle's writing draws from his roots, growing up on the Northeastern plains of Colorado. As a child he often wondered,
"Where do the roads lead, after they leave town?" He couldn't wait to be old enough to find the answer in every new adventure. Along the way, from one adventure to the next, Schepp met many colorful characters. He had no idea that someday he would become a writer and have the opportunity to share these characters with you, the reader or listener.
Schepp worked many different jobs and met many different characters over the years. Often he's the character in the story or poem being shared. He has been a shoe-shine boy, played the drums in beer joints as an adolescent, and worked as a road musician with many different traveling bands over the years. Alcoholism, drug addiction, bullying, suicide, love, and life are some of the topics that Schepp writes about.
Schepp is currently working on a book which is a combination of his poetry, flash fiction, and digital art, about the life of a beat up road musician. Schepp Scheberle is married to Gloria Ray-Scheberle, who is also his best friend, soulmate and mistress. The Scheberles moved to Asheville four years ago. Gloria is reconnecting to her love for acting in theatre, and sings in the Wild Asheville Community Chorus, after retiring as a public school teacher of thirty plus years.
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Thursday, October 17, 7 - 9 p.m.,
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
 This workshop will feature a panel whose members are experienced in addressing end-of-life issues. Discussion will include communicating your treatment wishes to loved ones and to medical personnel, ethical and legal issues, and the uses of advance directives. Ample time will be reserved for questions. Assistance will be provided for anyone wishing to complete a legally valid advance directive, including the notarization required in North Carolina, using the NC Advance Care Planning "Short Form".
If you have never been admitted to Mission Hospital but want your advanced directives added to the Mission Medical Record,
click here for an Advance Directive Permission form to fill out. Also, if you have existing advance directives, you may mail the "Permission Form" along with a copy of your existing Advance Directive to Mission for addition to the Mission medical record (or you can get help doing this at the next ACP workshop).
This workshop is free and open to everyone, adults of all ages. For more information, call OLLI, 828.251.6140 or email
olli@unca.edu.
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Breathless in Asheville: Joe Weaver's Fitness Class
by Jim Barroll
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Fitness Instructor - Joe Weaver
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Wouldn't it be nice if all we seniors needed to improve our fitness level was to breathe? First-time OLLI instructor Joe Weaver, preparing to teach a class in the College For Seniors Winter 2020 session, would be the first to tell you it's more involved than that. But based on his own experience, he's convinced that his class will appeal to OLLI members wary of traditional exercise programs.
Several years ago Joe moved to Asheville from Boone, where he worked as a real estate developer. Now at age 68 Joe fits right in at OLLI, even in his workout clothes. Joe initially began his fitness journey at age 24 with an interest in meditation and yoga, which eventually led him to strength training. The difference, though, was that while meditation and yoga were enjoyable and energizing, the strength training seemed more of a task. Many others have run into that same strength training wall and given up.
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African Americans in Western North Carolina
and Southern Appalachia Conference
"Existence as Resistance: Expressions of Resilience"
Thursday, October 17- Saturday, October 19
The African Americans in WNC and Southern Appalachia Conference illuminates the African American experience in Southern Appalachia including history, culture, community, and enterprise. Now in its 6th year, the three-day conference seeks to eradicate incomplete and false narratives about African Americans in this region, while creating new possibilities for the future.
This year's conference will take place Oct. 17-19, 2019 with the theme of "Existence as Resistance: Expressions of Resilience."
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Fab Friday
"Urinary Incontinence Is Not a Normal Part of Aging"
with Dr. Brian Cohen
Friday, October 18, 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
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Dr. Brian Cohen |
This talk will provide a discussion of common bladder and urinary issues encountered by men and women as aging occurs and of treatment options for these issues. Dr. Brian Cohen is a board certified urologist in Asheville's Mission Hospital Urology Department with a subspecialty in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive urology. He has been in practice for 11 years and treats both men and women with a variety of urologic issues. This lecture is part of the Health Education Series.
Coming up:
October 25: Exxon Valdese & Gulf Oil Spills Environmental Impact, Can Oil Spills Have a Silver Lining? - with Roger Helm
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Symphony Talk:
"Fright Night"
Friday, October 18, 3 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Anna Clyne's Masquerade, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain and Michael Daughterty's Dead with bassoon soloist Michael Burns
Symphony Talks are an entertaining and educational way to hear about the music to be performed at the upcoming Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) Masterworks Concerts. The program begins with a presentation about the life and times of the featured composers. ASO Music Director Darko Butorac and the soloist for the upcoming concert will talk about how the orchestra prepares and offer ways to listen to the performance. For more information about the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, or to find out how to purchase tickets for performances at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, visit
ashevillesymphony.org
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Food Donation Drive to Benefit the Rathbun House
 The
Rathbun House, a hospitality house located in
Asheville and operated by MountainCare, provides lodging and a supportive environment in a home-like atmosphere for patients and their families coming to the city for medical treatment. The facility opened to guests in 1994.
Rathbun House operates solely on donations of money, food and supplies.
Currently, the pantry is critically low in most, if not all, areas. Help those that are in need by bringing non-perishable foods including such items as
coffee, sugar, creamer, granola bars, crackers and assorted "grab and go" snacks. Canned food items such as soups, chili, stew, fruit, vegetables, and pasta would also be appreciated.
The food drive will last until the end of October. Please help! Your generous donation will be tremendously appreciated. Look for the food drive bin upstairs in the Reuter Center lobby.
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Friday, October 18, 5 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Atrium
"Death Café" is an engaging gathering to begin a conversation too often avoided in our death phobic culture. A new movement, a shift, is at play in recovering the ritual of being with death through personal storytelling of fears, loss, and death. A deepening ritual emerges, and we build a culture of dying wisely. Join us at our next Death Café presented on Fridays; October 18, November 15, and December 20, 5-6:30 p.m.
Facilitated by Thirdmessenger's Karen Sanders, Greg Lathrop, and Sa'id Osio.
This event is free and open to everyone.
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 Behind the Scenes with
NC Stage
A Doll's House, Part 2
Friday, October 25, 1:30 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Nora Helmer is returning home 15 years after closing the door on her life with her husband Torvald and their three children. Her unexpected homecoming is met
with recriminations, and the family drama unfolds in this explosively entertaining continuation of Henrik Ibsen's
A Doll's House. Written by Tony Award nominee Lucas Hnath,
A Doll's House, Part 2 explores gender roles and societal expectations through the eyes of a woman living in an era for which she is simply too exceptional.
Go behind the scenes of professional theatre with NC Stage Artistic Director and co-founder Charlie Flynn-McIver. Explore the themes of this season's plays, talk with the actors, directors, and designers about design concepts and the rehearsal process, and experience a scene or two performed live. Join us for an insider's
view of how theatre happens!
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 OLLI Member Social
Monday, October 28, 4 p.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Atrium
Join your OLLI friends for the Fall Member Social. Take this opportunity to socialize, enjoy delicious food, drinks and a square dance called by Rodney Sutton and live music by the Stoney Creek Boys Get ready for photo booths, music, great food, and some surprises!
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***A limited number of free tickets for OLLI members are available for some events. Email Jacqueline Lowe for information: jdlowe@unca.edu***
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 Conversation and Coffee on Legacy Planning
Friday, November 8, 8:30 a.m.
UNC Asheville's Reuter Center Room 205
Enjoy a morning conversation on legacy planning options used to help your heirs and the institutions you love. Dave Smith of the Heaton Smith Group, LLC will lead our conversation and provide insights from his 20+ years of working with nonprofit organizations. Space is limited. Coffee and a light breakfast will be served. Click here to let us know of your interest in the information session.
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Thomas Wolfe Literary Award Ceremony
Saturday, November 16, 4 p.m.
Asheville Renaissance Hotel
31 Woodfin Street
The Western North Carolina Historical Association has announced the five finalists for this year's Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, an annual recognition of distinction for qualifying works of fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry.
The five finalists, chosen from 21 nominations, are
- Robert Beatty, "Willa of the Wood," a Serafina series thriller about an orphan in the Great Smoky Mountains set in 1900
- George Ellison and Janet McCure, "Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography," about an early national park advocate
- David Joy, "The Line That Held Us," a novel about a Blue Ridge Mountains murder cover-up
- Meredith McCarroll, "Unwhite: Appalachia, Race and Film," an examination of the region and depiction of residents in movies
- Terry Roberts, "The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival," a novel about a traveling preacher in the mountains during Prohibition
During the
awards ceremony finalists will offer readings.
The first award in 1955 was given to Wilma Dykeman for her landmark "The French Broad." Last year's winner was bestselling author Charles Frazier for his historical novel "Varina" about the Confederate first lady. Others who have received the award over the years include such notables as Robert Morgan, John Parris, Gail Godwin, John Ehle, Robert Brunk, Michael McFee, Lee Smith, Ron Rash, Wiley Cash, Wayne Caldwell, Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr.
The WNC Historical Association is a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote and preserve regional history, recognize significant contributors and broaden cultural awareness. For more information, call WNCHA at 828-253-9231 or visit
www.wnchistory.org
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