The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, and provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The Zentangle Method is enjoyed all over the world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages. (For more information about the art form visit Zentangle.com)

Bob Hupp returns to talk about his theater’s 48th season, explaining how Syracuse Stage has been navigating the challenges of the pandemic. Flexibility and “pivoting” have become the norm as the company continues to re-invent and innovate to create filmed theatrical experiences for patrons. Hear Bob’s thoughts on the fall productions, and learn what’s coming up for the rest of the 2020-21 season.

Join the instructors, who have been collecting and using sci-fi in the science classroom for nearly 40 years, in watching three or four of the Top 10 Science Fiction movies from the Golden Age of Science Fiction, 1950-1959: e.g., Thing From Another World and Them. We will watch each film in its entirety followed by an energetic post-film critique and discussion of topics, such as aliens, evolution, the effects of radiation upon plants and animals, space travel, 1950s culture, flying saucers, and UFOs.

Many of Dickinson’s poems will be discussed with commentary on both the poems themselves and also the subjects and ideas they express. Who were the people who most influenced her? Remarks based on Jungian psychology will add additional approaches to reflecting on her writings. Dickinson was a "Jungian" before Jung. Note: Please have available a copy of The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson edited by either Johnson or Franklin.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and journalist, Hersey is credited with “New Journalism,” fusing storytelling devices with non-fiction reportage. Born in China to missionary parents, he came to the United States when he was ten. A Yale University graduate, he served as a foreign correspondent for Time and Life magazines. Known for masterpieces such as Hiroshima and A Bell for Adano, Hersey often wrote about the horrors of war from a very human perspective. His writings later encompassed a wide variety of subjects, including the Warsaw ghetto, fishing, and an updated version of the Faust legend. His many works include The Marmot Drive, Too Far to Walk, Under the Eye of the Storm, The Conspiracy, and The Walnut Door, as well as short stories. With informal lectures and class discussions, we will examine five novels (in order of publication): A Bell for Adano, Hiroshima, The Child Buyer, A Single Pebble, and Antonietta. (While the public library has copies, they can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Thrifttbooks or Abebooks.com.) Note: Please read A Bell For Adano for the first class.

Although we are still grappling with this pandemic, Fareed Zakaria‘s book Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World helps give us a perspective that guides us through this time and offers some hints of what to expect and how to prepare for the future. Zakaria is an esteemed journalist who brings breadth and depth that challenge us to think about how we might be changed through this crisis. The course will present this fine text using PowerPoint and relevant articles. It is not necessary to purchase the book although reading it is obviously helpful for discussion.

L. Frank Baum’s widow Maud, daughter of Matilda Gage, tells the story of her life with Baum, the making of The Wizard of Oz and her relationship with Judy Garland. In Hollywood, 1938, nineteen years after her husband's passing, Maud is determined to be involved in the production of the movie.  Based on the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this beloved film has become a part of Americana.  Connecting the prairie years of Maud and Frank’s early days in Dakota Territory with Garland’s struggles as a budding star in Hollywood, Elizabeth Letts provides insights into the history behind Baum’s fantasy and the making of the iconic picture. Join us for a discussion of this richly imagined novel. We will provide background on CNY Reads, as well as the Central New York connections to this work. Those who have read the book are welcome to join our discussion on Zoom, and those who have not are welcome to preview this intriguing novel. Note: For a complete list of this season’s programs, please check the CNY Reads website: cnyreads.org.