Lifelong Learning registration open for winter/spring semester
Beat the winter doldrums with a course or lecture at Presidents’ College Lifelong Learning at the University of Hartford. Taught by professors and community experts, the program’s 1.5-hour lectures and short, two-to-three session non-credit courses include topics like the arts, history, current events, literature, science and engineering. There’s no membership fee, and students pay a modest amount for only those courses they wish to take.
During the winter/spring semester, you can indulge your love of travel with a course on How Art and Music Migrated Along the Silk Road or European Literary Excursions. Delve into Why Poetry Matters with Connecticut’s Poet Laureate or into the Effects of Declining Birth Rates. Explore Artificial Intelligence and the Future in Media or How Race and Place Influenced Pop Music.
Join us for a lecture on The Hartt School’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Director Robert Davis and composer Kathryn Swanson will discuss their collaboration on the original musical score and dramatic sound design. Then attend the performance the following week. These are just a few of the offerings. Go to hartford.edu/pc. for details. Email pcollege@hartford.edu to be added to the mailing list.
McLean to offer Five Wishes program
Ninety percent of Americans agree that it’s important to talk to their loved ones about their wishes regarding end-of-life care, yet only 30 percent actually discuss this difficult topic. “We plan for holidays, birthdays and vacations, but many of us have not planned for or discussed what we would like the end of our life to look like,” says Peggy Coburn, MPH, administrator of Home Care and Hospice at McLean in Simsbury.
Join Kevin Baran, M.D., medical director, and the McLean Hospice Team for a special McLean and Me Educational Series presentation to learn how to talk about and record your wishes for care through the end of life, so those wishes can be understood and respected. The presentation will be held at McLean’s Garmany Performing Arts Center, 50 Sarah Lane, Simsbury, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. The presentation is free but please register by Feb. 4 as seating is limited. A light dinner will be provided.
The panel discussion will be based on the Five Wishes program. Five Wishes is the nation’s only advanced-care planning program, covering personal, spiritual, medical and legal wishes. When completed, the Five Wishes booklet will allow your family or caregiver to know exactly what you want, in one document.
To register for the Five Wishes presentation at McLean, visit McLeanCare.org/Events, email Margaret.Clark@McLeanCare.org, or call 860-658-3718.
East Granby Library activities
The East Granby Public Library, at 24 Center Street, welcomes residents from the surrounding communities to its programs. Register at egpl.org or call 860-653-3002.
Wednesday Afternoon at the Movies: Movies start at 1 p.m. Feb. 5, Killers of the Flower Moon (part 1); Feb. 12, Killers of the Flower Moon (part 2); Feb. 19, Unstoppable; Feb. 26, Sight.
Paper Organizing: Saturday, Feb. 1, 11 a.m. Overwhelmed by endless tasks, overflowing emails, stacks of papers and feeling on the brink of burnout? Whether you are sacrificing your well-being for work, at home or on the job, this workshop will help you identify the biggest obstacles to your productivity and well-being. Discover how to simplify priorities, align your mind, time and environment and leave with practical organizational strategies to thrive. Stacy Giguere has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a certified paper solution organizer.
Unlock Your Memories, an online writing workshop: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m. Discover the power of storytelling in an engaging online workshop. Learn techniques to capture experiences and turn them into compelling narratives. This memoir-writing workshop provides practical techniques for capturing vivid details, and preserving personal legacies. Space is limited so please register early. Gabrielle Esposito holds a degree in creative writing from SUNY Geneseo.
2025 Juried Art Show: Throughout February, explore a stunning variety of artwork created by local artists of all ages. Stop by any time during library hours to admire the displays. Many pieces are available for purchase, with a benefit to the library.