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OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE

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OLLI at SOU > Catalog/Register > Arts: Writing

Arts: Writing   

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  • Community Journalism @Ashland.news – In-Person
  • Item Number: S25ARTS263A
    Dates: 4/1/2025 - 5/20/2025
    Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
    Days: Tu
    Sessions: 8
    Maximum Enrollment:  18
    Seats Available:  12
    Building: Campbell Center
    Room: Room B
    Instructor: Paul Steinle, Bert Etling
    Community Journalism @Ashland.news will explore the practices of community journalism, describing how it helps provide the information “oxygen” to facilitate democratic, economic and social vibrancy in a community. Students will also learn how stories and photos are assigned, reported and prepared for publication. This course also teaches techniques for gathering, writing, editing and publishing factual information about the citizens, events, politics, economics and culture of a localized area — all intended to enhance a community’s quality of life. Participants will formulate a reporting plan to supplement future editions of Ashland.news and prepare stories and photos for publication. Beginning the third week, students will gather news in the field, reporting or photographing, writing and doing preliminary editing of one another’s reporting — all with an aim for publication. The reporting cycle will be repeated three times.
 

  • Writing a Legacy Letter – Online
  • Item Number: S25ARTS317
    Dates: 5/8/2025 - 5/29/2025
    Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
    Days: Th
    Sessions: 4
    Maximum Enrollment:  20
    Building: Online
    Room: (Zoom)
    Instructor: Jay Sherwin
    This course is oversubscribed. The waitlist is full and the course is now closed. 
 

 

  • Writing From Your Heart: Portraits of a Life – Online
  • Item Number: S25ARTS355
    Dates: 4/9/2025 - 4/16/2025
    Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
    Days: W
    Sessions: 2
    Maximum Enrollment:  15
    Building: Online
    Room: (Zoom)
    Instructor: Ana Ramana
    This course is full. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button. Please note: You must be signed in and be a current member (or have a membership in your cart) to access the "Add to Waitlist" button. 
    “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” wrote the poet Mary Oliver. One answer to this important question is to translate some of the highlights of your life into writing, to conjure a legacy of the particular signature tune of your life. In this three-session series, participants will explore the rich landscapes of the heart and give them voice through their unique creative expression. Gentle guided meditations and music will invite us inward, and carefully selected materials will offer inspiration. In a safe, nourishing space, we will write and share our words. You may be surprised by what emerges. No writing experience is necessary, and you are welcome to write in any genre you choose: journal, poem, prose, or other forms. Just bring your open heart, curiosity and your writing materials.
 

  • Writing: The Screenplay – In-Person
  • Item Number: S25ARTS356A
    Dates: 4/4/2025 - 5/9/2025
    Times: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
    Days: F
    Sessions: 6
    Maximum Enrollment:  34
    Seats Available:  21
    Building: Campbell Center
    Room: Room A
    Instructor: Robert Dorney

    This course is for fiction writers who wish to add screenplays to their arsenal. Screenplay writing is more than formatting; it is using our imagination — especially a writer’s visual and dialogue sense — in different ways than we are accustomed to in prose or poetry. Every story in history uses elements that go back to Homer; a screenplay merely uses a different shuffle of the same. A screenplay will be deconstructed each week, story elements illuminated and discussed. Short in-class writing exercises will be included most weeks. This is a course for fiction writers who have an idea for a story they wish to explore further or are in the process of writing. Creating an environment that supports writers is an important part of this endeavor. Join if you think screenplay format can boost your storytelling skills. 

    NOTE: A successful download of any screenplay application is required before class begins, and laptops are welcome in class. There are many online sources for free screenplay software. All are good because the format is industrywide. Selecting one that can convert to PDF is best. (Final Draft is best if you are looking to purchase).

 

  • Prose Poem + Haiku = Haibun – Online
  • Item Number: S25ARTS354
    Dates: 3/31/2025 - 4/28/2025
    Times: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
    Days: M
    Sessions: 5
    Maximum Enrollment:  16
    Building: Online
    Room: (Zoom)
    Instructor: Linda Jaffe
    Registration for this course is closed. 
    In this writing course, students will explore the haibun, a combination of two poetic forms: the prose poem coupled with a haiku. Haibun became known in 17th-century Japan, where it was popularized by the poet Matsuo Basho. The most interesting aspect of the form is the manner in which the haiku responds to the prose poem, offering an oblique commentary that intensifies its themes or offers a different perspective. Each session will include a brief lecture and discussion regarding these poetic forms. Mentor poems will be analyzed through discussion. There will be brief in-class exercises as time allows. Student poems will then be shared in a supportive and positive setting. An out-of-class writing assignment for the following week will be given at the end of the session. No prior writing experience is needed.
 

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