Experiences to Enrich Your Brain |
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In the decade leading up to American independence, white women took on crucial roles in a series of boycotts, petitions, and protests. During the long war that began in 1775, they were also indispensable. As wives and mothers, they encouraged their husbands and sons to enlist and then managed households and family businesses in their absence. The struggle for independence had allowed American women to assert themselves as political actors as never before. Would they happily resume their apolitical domestic roles after the war? Or would they demand to be recognized and directly represented in the new political order? This lecture, led by University of Maryland historian Richard Bell, explores these questions by examining the struggle to define white women's place in politics, voting, and public leadership.
Wednesday November 18 at 9:30 am – IN PERSON!
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By March 1770, the people of Boston had lived almost 18 months under British military occupation. The town was a powder keg--and on Monday, March 5, it exploded. Shots rang out on King Street and when the smoke from soldiers' muskets cleared, five local men lay dead and dying on the snowbound street. In this program, historian Richard Bell will draw on the latest scholarship to explore the Boston Massacre from all its many sides.
Wednesday November 18 at 12:30 pm – IN PERSON!
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Coming to a theater near you! This 2026 series has been built around Warner Bros. Studio's 1936 to 1940 patriotic film series Old Glory—which has recently been restored to its original, vibrant Technicolor--as a springboard for understanding the latest scholarly insights regarding the history of the American War of Independence. Each session includes four parts: a 20-minute screening of an American Revolution-related "short-reel film," a film historian's introduction, a contemporary historian's discussion, and a Q&A interaction between scholars and participants.
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The American War of Independence topics in this film and lecture series include the Declaration of Independence, the story of Patrick Henry, the story of the Sons of Liberty, the Bill of Rights, and Edward Everett Hale's 1863 short story The Man Without a Country. Dr. James D'Arc, retired curator of the BYU Motion Picture Archive, and Brad Westwood, retired senior public historian for Utah, organized this series for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to expose participants to the most recent scholarship in the history of the American Revolution, presented by seven Utah University professors. The series will also seek understanding about how the US film industry interpreted this story during the Great Depression from 1929-1940 and show how accurately interpreting American Revolutionary history can help Utahns to be more informed and more engaged U.S. citizens today. This free series, co-sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Utah, is open to all ages. You do not need an Osher membership to participate, but we hope you will join us for Osher classes in the future, especially if you are already age fifty and better!
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Sessions at 6:30 pm
October 29 through November 18 – FREE
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Oboist, Luca de la Florin, will present a half-hour preview of the music in the November 6 Finishing Touches Rehearsal of the Utah Symphony. The class takes place in the First Tier Room of Abravanel Hall from 9:00-9:30am on Friday, November 6, 2026. Separate tickets are required to attend the actual rehearsal and can be purchased from the Utah Symphony Ticket Office, 801-533-6683; they can also be purchased immediately after the class in the half hour before the rehearsal begins.
Friday November 6 at 9:00 am
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Amplifying Women's Voices
By Sharon Spaulding, Author of “Women Make History”
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Book banning and censorship. The erosion of women's rights and stories. In a time of deletion, how do we rewrite the narrative, reclaim our histories and our role models, and create community towards a future of belonging and inclusion? Join us in a lively discussion about groundbreaking women and how looking to the past can illuminate the path forward.
Wednesday October 28 from 12:00-1:00 pm – LAST ONE THIS TERM!
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Join us for the November Special Events Club meeting to share special event ideas with fellow Osher member volunteers, help with planning and hosting events, and connect with one another at a fun venue. Location this month will be at the beautiful and historic Chapman Library.
Monday November 2 at 11:00 am
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The Other Side Village in West Salt Lake is more than a foundation of brick-and-mortar homes. It is a community of adult men and women that offers a supportive, meaningful environment to help individuals thrive beyond chronic homelessness. Join us for a tour of the Village and its lovely cottage-style homes to better understand the path to connection and purpose that builds lives.
Friday November 6 at 11:00 am
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We meet monthly to discuss Booker Prize-winning literature. Come to discuss Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) by George Saunders. Set in February 1862 amidst the early days of the American Civil War, the novel centers on President Abraham Lincoln's profound grief following the tragic death of his eleven-year-old son, Willie.
Friday November 6 at 1:00 pm
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Learn why the red poppy has become a symbol of remembrance for veterans. Discover the history of Flanders and the lasting devastation left by the Great War. Explore how the poppy became an enduring symbol of remembrance and reflection.
Monday November 9 at 11:30 am
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Liberty Park is one of Salt Lake City's most visited parks, but how much do you really know about it? Join the Salt Lake City Park Rangers for a walking tour to learn about the historic park and the importance it has to our city.
Monday November 9 at 1:30 pm
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Explore the flavors, traditions, and cultural history of Salt Lake City's Chinatown on this unique grocery-focused tour. Visit the local markets to discover ingredients, foods, and products from across Asia while learning about the communities and traditions they represent. Come curious, hungry, and ready to discover something new. We will make our way through narrow aisles of the grocery store and explore with our guide. Following the tour, Osher participants are encouraged to stay for lunch (not included) if interested.
Tuesday November 10 at 10:30 am
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Join us for a visit to the Willard Eccles Astronomy Observatory at the University of Utah for an opportunity to explore the night sky! The observatory hosts free public star parties on clear Wednesday evenings, welcoming visitors. Depending on the season and weather, we may observe planets, moons, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters through telescopes, with opportunities to ask questions and learn about the universe from observatory staff and volunteers. This is outside, so dress warm!
Wednesday November 18 at 7:30 pm
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This group is for those who are touched by cancer. Whether you are a current patient, a survivor, a family member, a caretaker, or someone who wants to learn more, we welcome you to this group. This is a safe space to share experiences; discuss diagnosis, treatment, and support systems; or simply to just listen in a supportive environment. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month from 12:00-12:45.
Thursday November 19 at 12:00 pm
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The Fort Douglas Post Museum and Cemetery Tour offers a unique opportunity to explore Utah's military history. Established in 1862, Fort Douglas played a crucial role during the American Civil War. The museum showcases uniforms, weaponry, and personal accounts from various military conflicts. The 3.26-acre cemetery has been a site of historical significance since its transfer to the National Cemetery Administration in 2019.
Tuesday November 24 at 10:00 am
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Osher Special Events in 2026 are brought to you in part from funding from ZAP
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Written by Laura Munts (with Reb Fleming and Elaine Jarvik), directed by Julie Jensen, and starring Reb Fleming, this one-woman play is about aging in plain sight—a subject avoided, disguised, or lied about. Sophia is a septuagenarian actor figuring out what she is supposed to be doing between now and when she dies. She is funny, cringeworthy, and ruthlessly honest. She is the wrong person in the right place. The right talent at the wrong age. This stunning and thought-provoking 45-minute performance is followed by a conversation among guests who share in the experience of exploring creative aging, together with the actor who brings it to life.
Thursday December 3 at 3:00 pm – New Date!
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Professor Tim Palmer, Chair of Film & Media Arts, will introduce the groundbreaking work of Agnès Varda, one of world cinema’s finest filmmakers. Through an illustrated talk and screenings of micro-shorts and shorts, participants will explore Varda’s urban photography and early work in essay film, blending fiction and nonfiction in the 1950s and 1960s. The event will culminate with a screening of Varda’s 1962 feature Cléo From 5 to 7, which follows a pop star’s real-time journey through Paris as she awaits a medical diagnosis.
Monday December 14 at 1:30 pm – Registration Deadline December 9!
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Do you love Osher and want to give back to this wonderful program by serving as a volunteer? We would love to have you! We are currently seeking volunteers to serve as Classroom Ambassadors throughout fall term in classes where they are already enrolled.
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Classroom Ambassadors help welcome fellow class members, take roll in classes, encourage everyone to use and clean our whiteboard name tents so we can all get to know each other, and read announcements each week about five minutes before class begins. Class Ambassadors choose a few announcements that they would like to share from our weekly email newsletters.
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Having a friendly face greet you during classes and announce Osher happenings out loud goes a LONG way, especially for folks new to our program. This is a low effort but high impact, easy, and fun way to get involved by helping in classes you are already attending! Sign up using this Google Form and our graduate student intern Elizabeth Butler from the College of Social Work will follow up with you. Thank you for taking the time to help us start the Osher school year with a smile. And all Ambassadors get one of our cool t-shirts!
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Grandfamilies: Rising to the Challenge of Raising Another Generation with Hope and Heart
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Today, 2.5 million children live in grandfamilies, or families headed by grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, or close family friends. A recent report by Generations United found that grandfamilies save taxpayers more than $10 billion each year by keeping children out of foster care. In her new book, Grandfamilies: Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raise Them, Donna Butts explores the unique challenges, resilience, and successes of grandfamilies through the stories of the caregivers and the children they raise. This session will use these stories to highlight how public policy and perceptions of grandfamilies, and kinship care have changed over the past 30 years, and what more is needed to help these families thrive. There will be a presentation followed by discussion.
Donna Butts is an award-winning nonprofit executive, author, and nationally recognized advocate for intergenerational solutions that benefit children, youth, older adults, and families. For more than twenty-seven years, Donna served as Executive Director of Generations United, a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities and families through intergenerational policy and practice. In this role, she elevated the needs of grandfamilies and advanced policies supporting families across generations. Her leadership helped shape national conversations and paved the way for critical legislation and resources for relative caregivers.
Osher Online Community Events are FREE and available to ALL members of participating Osher Institutes, even if they are not enrolled in an Osher Online course.
Tuesday, November 10 at 3:00 pm MT
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Tanner Humanities Center
Mongane Wally Serote, National Poet Laureate of South Africa
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South African poet and novelist Mongane Wally Serote, born in 1944, was politically active against the apartheid regime. He was detained without trial and held in solitary confinement under the Terrorism Act. After earning an MFA at Columbia University on a Fulbright scholarship, he was barred from reentering South Africa, and he lived in exile in Botswana and London before returning to South Africa in 1990. A member of the African National Congress, he was elected to Parliament in the pivotal election of Nelson Mandela’s government in 1994.
Serote’s talk will commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Soweto uprising in the context of his friendship with Steve Biko and other members of the Black Consciousness Movement and will consider parallels to the Black Power Movement and Black Lives Matter Movement. He will also give a short reading from his work.
Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 pm – Free!
Salt Lake City Public Library, Nancy Tessman Auditorium
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Enjoy hearing award-winning organist Bryan Anderson in a recital that transcends traditional boundaries, blending cornerstone works of the organ repertoire with imaginative transcriptions. Anchored by Joseph Jongen’s monumental Sonata eroïca and J.S. Bach’s Trio Sonata in E Minor, the program also explores the rich colors of the French symphonic tradition through works by Fauré, Vierne, and Dupré. Anderson’s inventive transcriptions—featuring music by Giuseppe Verdi, George Antheil, Ad Wammes, and even a surprising classic rock selection—create a dynamic and engaging musical journey that spans centuries, styles, and genres.
All Eccles Organ Festival performances and events are held at the Cathedral of the Madeleine and are livestreamed on our YouTube channel. All performances are offered free of charge. Donations are welcome.
Sunday November 8 at 8:00 pm
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NOVA Chamber Music Series’ 49th Season continues at Libby Gardner Hall. NOVA welcomes the Sound of Ages chamber choir to perform Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw’s delightful …to the hands (2016), along with its companion piece Ad Manus by baroque composer Dieterich Buxtehude (1680). Star violinist duo Alex and Aubrey Woods perform Jacquet de la Guerre’s Sonata for Two Violins, and Jason Hardink will perform the quirky solo harpsichord work Parcours by Odette Gartenlaub.
Sunday November 15 at 3:00 pm
Use promo code OSHER for a 15% discount!
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Our previous newsletters and podcasts are saved in an archive on our main website, so you never have to worry about missing a thing.
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Stay Connected by Joining Us on Social Media |
The Osher Instagram and Facebook pages are a great way to stay connected. We highlight the accomplishments of Osher instructors and members. Special Events are updated, posted, and featured here too. Please like us to stay up to date and share with your friends who would enjoy all that Osher has to offer!
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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
801-581-6461 | osher@utah.edu
osher.utah.edu
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Continuing Education at the University of Utah | 540 Arapeen Dr Rm 210 | Salt Lake City, UT 84108 US
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