Do you love poetry? For many people, poetry provides a new means of seeing the world, speaking to and for us in a meaningful way. This is an opportunity to meet with other poetry lovers to share and talk about verse in a non-academic setting, and encounter poems and poets that are new to you. This is not a poetry-writing class. Participants will bring one or two favorite published poems to read aloud and share with the group. Discussion will be along the lines of why a poem speaks to the person who brought it, or why this is a favorite poet. Prior to each meeting, participants will be notified how many will be in class so they can bring hard copies of their selections for those coming to that session, if possible (or at least one copy for the facilitator). The week after each meeting, everyone will receive digital copies of the poems. Limit 12.

Bronwyn Bowen, Facilitator
10:00—Noon Thursday, Starts Sept. 18
The Church at Highland Park, Burchette Room
5206 Balcones Drive (78731)

The first four write themselves into the course: Galileo’s Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Telescope, and the James Webb Space Telescope. We move from the beginnings of astronomy to a seemingly unending litany of astronomical discoveries, to exploring the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe, and lastly to an unbeatable device for probing both the distant past and the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars. Our ever-entertaining retired Astronomer/Instructor cheats on Telescope number five to praise two telescopes—the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and the Kepler, both heroes in the realm of extrasolar planet formation and detection. Finally, we summarize the latest ideas concerning extraterrestrial life, as informed by these telescopes. Limit 50.

G. Fritz Benedict
10:00—Noon Thursday, Starts Sept. 18
The Village at the Triangle
4517 Triangle Avenue (78751)

The Austin area is a great place to bird. We will have four classroom sessions and four field trips in the immediate Austin area. Classroom sessions will introduce students to the birds that live in Central Texas year-around as well as those that pass through during migration and those that summer here. Other topics will include equipment, bird identification tips, how to attract birds to your yard and places to bird in the Austin area.

Although the class is geared toward the beginning birder, all skill levels are welcome. The classroom sessions will be from 10:00—Noon on Thursdays; field trips will be 8:00—10:00 A.M. Participants can expect to walk up to a mile and a half on mainly level surfaces that may not be paved. Our very popular instructor has been birding for more than 40 years and is a Master Birder and Master Naturalist. Note: No class on Sept. 25; course extends one week. Limit 20.

Chris Gunter
10:00—Noon Thursday, Starts Sept. 18
Triumphant Love Lutheran Church, Upper Room
9508 Great Hills Trail (78759)

Want to learn how to make a utility quilt/placemat/pillow cover using a stitching style used by the African Diaspora/Siddi community in India? Thread, a needle, scraps of fabric, and mindful stitching combined with this simple technique are all you need for this age-old art of piece-as-you-go hand quilting. (If you want to see examples, just put Kawandi in a Google search and scroll down for many illustrations.) You will need to bring your own needles, pins, and scissors. Fabric scraps and thread will be available in class for students to choose from. If you wish to bring thread, any heavier thread can be used, such as embroidery thread (all six strands), quilting thread, or very light weight (8 or 12 wt. perle cotton) crochet thread. And if you have scrap fabric you would like to use or share, please bring it. Scraps should be light-weight woven cotton at least 5” square (no knits or sheer fabric). A $5 fee will cover supply costs for the course. Once the basic technique is learned, you can move on to larger projects during the course. Limit 14.

Terry Lawson
10:00—Noon Thursday, Starts Sept. 18
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Room 13
4700 Grover Avenue (78756)

You can learn from the beginning or get help with a project. Bring practice yarn and needles or hook to the first class. The instructor, an accomplished artist, has taught knitting and crocheting for more than 30 years. Call 512-364-3147 or email pat@tittizer.us with questions. Limit 15.

Pat Tittizer
10:00—Noon Thursday, Starts Sept. 18
United Christian Church
3500 West Parmer Lane (78727)

Take a deep dive into traditional and replacement Medicare, as well as how to handle needs beyond what Medicare will cover. We’ll examine real examples of how the program works, use of Medicare for specific needs, and coverage of costs when Medicare shuts off. If you are now on Medicare, are approaching Medicare eligibility, or considering Medicare benefits for a loved one, this is a course for you. It will give you a firm grasp of how to maximize your benefits, what types of plans are available, and as a bonus, how to keep marketers from calling you so much! Our instructors are insurance brokers with a focus on educating the community. 6 Classes. Limit 20.

Cassie Walden and Maggie Davis
10:00—Noon Thursday, Starts Sept. 18
Westover Hills Church of Christ, Room 201
8332 Mesa Drive (78759)

This class works at the end of A1/Beginning A2 level according to the CEFR. This means you can already apply quite a few standing phrases, start basic communication, and write more complicated sentences. You already have a solid understanding of the cases (nominative, accusative and dative), can form the conversational past and start building dependent clauses. A lot of explanations can already be done in German.
If you are not sure this class is right for you, try this placement test https://learngerman.dw.com/en/placement-test-a1/l-36696748. Limit 16.

Henrike Belz
10:00—11:30 A.M. Thursday, Starts Sept. 18
Violet Crown City Church
1300 Morrow Street (78757)