interest-groups

=Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UCSC= =Peer-Led Interest Group Program, 2016 – 2017=

Welcome to the OLLI interest group page, and check out the list of our groups below. If you’re not already an OLLI member, click here to join. Your donation of $60.00 for joining OLLI also allows you to participate in any number of interest groups (check with leader of any group about space available).

Any questions? See below for more information, following the list, or contact the interest group coordinator, Constantine Lackides, at 310-505-6900 or cnlackides@gmail.com. If you have any problems viewing the list, expand your window to the full size of your display and you should be able to see all of it easily. Current list version: 3/14/2017. To download table for printing,.


 * Interest Group || Activities || Meets || Leader(s) || Phone || Email ||
 * Adventuring || Excursions: local & distant || contact coordinator || Kathryn Nance || 425-4569 || momokat13@gmail.com ||
 * American History & Lit || New insights and revisions || 3rd Thurs 10:00 am || Virginia Law || 425-5453 || veelaw29@gmail.com ||
 * Aptos Non-Fiction || Non-fiction reading || 2nd Mon 1 - 2:30 pm || Judy McNeely || 600-6382 || judybookdoc@collegepathfinders.com ||
 * Aptos Reading Group || Fiction & non-fiction || 2nd Thr 1pm, Aptos library || Judy McNeely || 600-6382 || judybookdoc@collegepathfinders.com ||
 * Art — Painting || Studio & outdoors || contact leader || Gayla Pius || 239-1834 || gaylapius@gmail.com ||
 * Art & Architecture || Visit places local & SF Bay || contact leader || Lois Widom || 423-0184 || lowidom@yahoo.com ||
 * Baroque Festival || Attend concerts & lectures || contact leader || David Copp || 708-2206 || dhcopp@yahoo.com ||
 * Biographies || Reading bios and autobios || Sun 10am, Westside || Peter Poriss ||  || petermartin408@gmail.com ||
 * Biographical Fiction || Literary story telling || 1st Thurs 1 - 2:30 pm || Jan Mintz || 714-719 0694 || musicmintz@gmail.com ||
 * Bridge || Live Oak Senior Center || Mon 1pm || Jo Anne Dlott || 688-1607 || jjdlott@gmail.com ||
 * Colleges 9 and 10 || Contact with students || contact leader || Mark Gordon || (408) 314-4802 || mgordon@cruzio.com ||
 * Community Media || Participate in Community Media || contact leader || Mathilde Rand || 475-2411 || randomsantacruz@gmail.com ||
 * Concept Exchange Society || Exchange world views || 1st Sun 10:30am || Peter Marks || 464-8300 || peter@designinsight.com ||
 * Creative Writing || Share member writings || 1st Fri 10am || Dee Takemoto ||  || dtakit@gmail.com  ||
 * Current Affairs I || Current affairs || 3rd Wed noon || Mark Gordon || 408-314-4802 || mgordon@cruzio.com ||
 * Current Affairs II || Current affairs || 3rd Mon noon || Constantine Lackides || 706-2202 || cnlackides@gmail.com ||
 * Dickens || Read Dickens in installments || 2nd Wed 1pm || Cathy Cress || 454-6407 || cressgcm@got.net ||
 * Digital Photography || Critiques, shoots, & trips || 4th Mon 1:30pm || Cindy Margolin || 688-8129 || crmargol@gmail.com ||
 * Dining Out || Different local restaurants || 3rd Tue at 6:30pm || Diane Zacher || 786-9550 || dianezacher@gmail.com ||
 * ^  ||^   || 3rd Wed at 6:30pm || Kathy Hatfield || 426-6399 || b40mom@gmail.com ||
 * Discovering UCSC || Meet UCSC Leaders & Innovators || contact leader || Sandy Brauner || 477-7081 || sanjan@cruzio.com ||
 * Ears in Action || Help UC students with papers || contact leader || Flo Orenstein ||  || santacruzflos@aol.com ||
 * English in Action || Talk with foreign students || contact leader || Karin Grobe || 427-0984 || kgrobe@wormdoctor.org ||
 * Evening Book Discussion || Fiction & non-fiction books || 1st Wed 7pm || Dusty Miller || 426-0835 || hndmiller@hotmail.com ||
 * Explore Santa Cruz County || Walks around city & county || 3rd Fri 10am || Kathryn Nance || 425-4569 || kathrynn@cruzio.com ||
 * ^  ||^   ||^   || Sue Myers || 818-6450 || suemyers85@gmail.com ||
 * ^  ||^   ||^   || Peter Nurkse || 331-3671 || nurkse@gmail.com ||
 * Financial Education || Financial strategies || 2nd Wed 10am || Steve Edmonds || 338-3106 || steve2rr@gmail.com ||
 * Folk Songs || Group sing || 1st & 3rd Tue 1:00pm || Lou Rose || 477-0360 || ramblingroses@yahoo.com ||
 * French for French Speakers || Only French || 1st Tue 10:30am || Richard Zakarian || 713-5798 || rzakarian@csun.edu ||
 * Great Books I || The classics || 1st Thr 1:15pm || Faye Alexander || 476-8575 || qtpie95010@gmail.com ||
 * Great Books II || Essays, stories, poems, plays || 1st Wed noon || Susan Gorsky || 688-5371 || sgorsky@sbcglobal.net ||
 * Great Decisions || World affairs, 9 wks in March || contact leader || Mary Caravalho || 332-2361 || marycaravalho@gmail.com ||
 * Horticulture || Work on plantings at Cabrillo || Thr 10:00am || Pat McVeigh || 566-4553 || pmcveigh@baymoon.com ||
 * Lunchtime Dining Out || Occasional local lunches || contact leader || Irene Lennox || 457-2690 || irenefraetroon@gmail.com ||
 * Making of an Elder Culture || Find & communicate wisdom || Tue 10:30am || Mary McKane ||  || mmckane9@me.com ||
 * Memoir Writing I || Write, read, listen, discuss || 2nd Thr 1pm || Joyce Burt || 464-3470 || sandplay@ix.netcom.com ||
 * Memoir Writing II || Write, read, listen, discuss || 4th Thr 1pm || Joyce Burt || 464-3470 || sandplay@ix.netcom.com ||
 * Navigating Retirement || Develop outlook & plan || Wed 1:00 pm every other week. || Katrina Cope || 713-8440 || katrina.cope@gmail.com ||
 * ^  ||^   ||^   || Nancy Calvin || 466-0720 || nancycalvin52@gmail.com  ||
 * New Yorker Aptos || Fiction, non-fiction, poetry || alt. Thr 2pm || Joan Rose || 477-0360 || ramblingroses@yahoo.com ||
 * New Yorker Capitola || All recent issues || 4th Tue 1:30pm || Faye Alexander || 476-8575 || qtpie95010@gmail.com ||
 * New Yorker Live Oak || Fiction, non-fiction, poetry || 3rd Thr 1pm || Cathy Cress || 454-6407 || cressgcm@got.net ||
 * New Yorker Santa Cruz I || Short stories, essays, & poetry || 3rd Wed 2pm || Peggy Williams || 476-2965 || pegwil.atty@gmail.com ||
 * New Yorker Santa Cruz II || Fiction, non-fiction, poetry || 2nd Thr 2pm || Helen Jones || 420-1220 || helenjones815@gmail.com ||
 * New Yorker Poetry || Just poetry || last Fri 10am || Pegatha Hughes || 440-9018 || pegathahughes@gmail.com ||
 * Newcomers || Get acquainted with others || contact leader || Mary Caravalho || 332-2361 || marycaravalho@gmail.com ||
 * Non-Fiction West Side || Non-fiction reading || 4th Tue 2pm || Mary Caravalho || 332-2361 || marycaravalho@gmail.com ||
 * Philosophy || Knowledge, reality, existence || 2nd Thr 4pm || New Leader Needed ||  ||   ||
 * Play Reading || Members select plays to read || 1st Mon 1:30pm || Shirley Forsyth || 477-1796 || shirlclu@gmail.com ||
 * Read & Socialize || Many books, little time || 4th Fri 10am || Edna Elkins || 454-8611 || ednautah@msn.com ||
 * Precolumbian A&C || Discussion on Precolumbia Art and Culture || 1st and 3rd Monday 4:30 pm || Rhea Giroux || 345-6824 || rrmg@aol.com ||
 * Puente Project || Mentoring students || Contact Leader || Richard Bruce || 462-1280 || richard.bruce@gmail.com ||
 * ||  ||   || Sesario Escoto || 212-7184 || sesarioescoto@gmail.com ||
 * Read It Again, Sam || Books worth reading again || 4th Wed 1pm || Joan Rose || 477-0360 || ramblingroses@yahoo.com ||
 * Reading Circle || Books selected by members || 3rd Mon 1:30pm || Irene Lennox || 457-2690 || irenefraetroon@gmail.com ||
 * Recorder Playing || Beautiful music || Tue 2:30pm || Mary Ann Franson ||  || mfranson@cruzio.com ||
 * Santa Cruz History || Visit sites with local experts || contact leader || Vickie Bridsall || 440-0128 || vickiebirdsall@yahoo.com ||
 * Science ||  || 3rd Mon 1pm || New Leader needed ||   ||   ||
 * Short Stories || Great American stories || Alt. Tues 12:30 - 2 pm || Kathryn Cowan || 431-6114 || kathycowan43@yahoo.com ||
 * Social Science Discussion || All the social sciences || 3rd Tue 12:30pm || Dusty Miller || 426-0835 || hndmiller@hotmail.com ||
 * Spanish Conversation || Spanish language & people || alt. Thurs 2-3:30pm || Dolores McCabe ||  || dmccabe47@gmail.com ||
 * Still Life Drawing || Draw still life subjects indoors || contact leader || Analydia Scoggin || 427-1052 || analydia36@yahoo.com ||
 * Tennis (doubles) || Intermediate level, partner not required || Tue 1pm & Thr 9:30am || David Brick || 325-7380 || dbrick@cruzio.com ||
 * Visiting Not-For-Profits || Visit community organizations || contact leader || Gabrielle Stocker || 426-0865 || gstocker2@cruzio.com ||
 * Walking || Local forests & seashores || Wed 9:30am || Alice Tarail || 334-3328 || alicet@cruzio.com ||
 * What If || Review past choices for future || 1st Fri 10am || Phil Lynch || 426-1837 || what.if.alternative.history@gmail.com ||
 * Wine Tasting || Visit local wineries || contact leader || Margie Lafia ||  || mlafia56@gmail.com ||
 * Women's Basketball || Play || TBD || Mary Caravalho || 332-2361 || marycaravalho@gmail.com ||
 * Writing Genealogical History || Our stories or narratives || 1st & 3rd Wed 3:00pm || Pamela Roby || 247-0675 || roby@ucsc.edu ||
 * ^  ||^   ||^   || Cynthia Solem || 239-3033 || cysole@yahoo.com ||

Interest groups are very dynamic and keep changing. Here is a list of inactive groups, that are not meeting at this time: Mahjong, Opera, Meditation, Envisioning the Future, Santa Cruz Symphony, Beliefs Acceptance, Classical Chinese Literature, Healthcare, New Yorker Covers and Cartoons, Science Fiction, Food and Health, Santa Cruz Infrastructure, Kayaking, Wooden Toys, Amateur Chamber Music, Eastern Spirituality. An example of the range of interests, and also possible ideas for new groups in the future.

Some interest groups are large, like Art & Architecture, which visits museums, galleries, and public buildings all over the Bay Area. Others are smaller to allow members to pursue activities such as creative writing and photography, or to participate in discussions. We also encourage members to form new interest groups and new sections of existing interest groups. To form a new group you just need a proposal and approval from the OLLI Board, very simple.

Group leaders are free to structure and schedule their group as they and the participants wish. Just check with the leader if space is available within any group, and for further information. You can ask to be on a waiting list if the group is full, or consider starting another group. We have many New Yorker groups, always room for another group on any subject.

Our Interest Group Program is unusual among all the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes because most mainly offer courses (sometimes quite expensive) taught by paid instructors through university extension departments. Although our courses are wide-ranging, popular, and invaluable, the heart of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UCSC continues to be our peer-led groups, which give our members the opportunity to take part in discussions and activities of interest.

One of the goals of OLLI at UCSC is to raise scholarship money for transfer and re-entry students, including military veterans. Both interest group leaders and the volunteer instructors of our wonderful classes are motivated to help raise funds for our scholarship program. Our Osher Foundation grant can be used for our OLLI expenses, but cannot be used for student scholarships.