The Oliver Wolcott Library offers a wide range of programming for adults, from continuing series like Monday
Scholars and Tea with TED,
to lectures, book discussions, and author talks. All events are free and open to all.
Continue your journey of lifelong learning with us!
Monday Scholars:
American Military History: From Colonials To Counterinsurgents
Mondays: 1:00 - 2:30 PM
January 4 through March 29*
*No meeting February 15th
About Monday Scholars:
Monday Scholars combines the best of online learning with live virtual discussion! All you need to do in advance is be eager to learn and discuss. Each week, you will log in and together, via Zoom, all of us will watch two video lectures presented by General Wesley K. Clark. Then, via Zoom, Karen will lead everyone in a discussion of what we just watched.
About the course:
American Military History is a course that explores warfare the way it’s taught at the United States Military Academy. While any survey of American history covers its wars, this course looks at war from the inside, through the eyes of General Wesley K. Clark, who has studied it, lived it, and taught it. Through personal experiences, General Clark guides us through three centuries of conflict: from the American Revolution through the War on Terrorism.
This course is especially engaging as it presents extensive historical engravings, photographs, film clips, and maps, including animated diagrams showing the tactical moves during famous battles.
About the course Instructor:
Wesley K. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general during 38 years of military service. He graduated first in his class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was selected as a Rhodes Scholar to study at Oxford University, where he earned his M.A. in Economics.
He was also Director for Strategic Plans and Policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington. His awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Defense Distinguished Service Medal (five times), U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal (twice), Silver Star, Bronze Star (twice), and Purple Heart.
Since retiring from the Army, Gen. Clark has authored four books, including Winning Modern Wars, Waging Modern War, and A Time to Lead. He ran for U.S. President in the 2004 Democratic primary campaign, winning the Oklahoma primary before withdrawing.
- To Join by Phone dial 1 646 876 9923 (New York)
- Meeting ID: 820 1519 6290
- Password: 957832
Louise Erdrich Book Discussion Series with Mark Scarbrough
Tuesdays at 2:00 PM - January 26 & February 23
In this two-part series led by Mark Scarbrough, we will explore the divisions in our own culture from one of the greatest Native American authors, Louise Erdrich: questions of belief, spirituality, vision, and mercy, all answered through the rubric of Native American community and social structure. We’ll start with a mid-phase novel from Erdrich’s career, The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse, a novel about who exactly sees what in a series of strange events; and move on to one of her most recent novels, one from her “justice” series, The Round House, that explores questions of individual and social morality surrounding a terrible crime from Erdrich’s Anishinaabe perspective.
Join us for insights, stimulating dialogue and good company as we explore Louise Erdrich’s novels guided by Mark’s literary acumen.
January 26: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
Louise Erdrich captures the essence of a time and the spirit of a woman who felt compelled by her beliefs to serve her people as a priest. For more than a half century, Father Damien Modeste has served his beloved Native American tribe, the Ojibwe, on the remote reservation of Little No Horse. Now, nearing the end of his life, Father Damien dreads the discovery of his physical identity, for he is a woman who has lived as a man.
February 23: The Round House
Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, The Round House is at once a powerful coming-of-age story, a mystery, and a tender, moving novel of family, history, and culture. Set on the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota, this story chronicles a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.
Mark Scarbrough graduated from Baylor University and received a Master's in Humanities from the University of Texas as well as a Doctorate in American Literature from the University of Wisconsin. He is a life-long literary teacher. He currently hosts two literary Podcasts: "
Walking with Dante," a slow walk across the known universe with Dante in The Divine Comedy; and “
Lyric Life," in which each episode is devoted to one lyric poem--to reading it, exploring it, softly searching for its meaning, all before putting it back together for one last read.
Books will be available for Curbside checkout four weeks before each discussion.
- To Join by Phone dial 1 646 876 9923 (New York)
- Meeting ID: 816 7840 1055
- Password: 667674
What Dogs Hear with Author Janet Marlow
Wednesday, January 27 at 7:00 PM
Learn about your dog’s amazing hearing abilities and how sound affects their behavior! Discover how you can deepen your relationship with your dog by understanding their hearing world to resolve stress issues using technology and techniques to calm and balance behaviors. Janet Marlow’s research, insights and stories are likely to enhance your relationship with your dog from puppyhood to senior.
If you share your life with a dog, just love them, or have ever been curious about what exactly dogs hear, you will want to save the date and spend this hour with Janet Marlow.
Janet Marlow, M.A., is internationally known as a composer, researcher, and author and for her contributions to the understanding of animal hearing and behavior. Her research on behalf of animals has been featured on Animal Planet, CNN, Entrepreneur Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. In 2009, she founded Pet Acoustics Inc. with award-winning products that have helped thousands of pets, pet parents and veterinarians worldwide. To learn more, visit Janet's website at petacoustics.com.
- To Join by Phone dial 1 646 876 9923 (New York)
- Meeting ID: 811 4423 4493
- Password: 452872
Post-Impressionism Series with Michael Norris, Ph.d.
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Wednesdays at 3:00 PM, February 3, 10, 17 & 24
What came after the Impressionists?
Well, Post-Impressionism for one thing, first coined by the art critic Roger Fry in 1906. Learn how the artists of this new art movement, still involved with the bright colors and real-life focus of the Impressionists, also struck out on their own, each in his own unique way.
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Join us each Wednesday afternoon in February as Michael Norris, accomplished art history educator, takes us on a scholarly journey through Post-Impressionism. Michael Norris received his BA in classics from the University of California at San Diego and his MA in classics and Ph.D. in art history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has spent twenty years at the Cloisters Museum and teaching art history at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Additionally, he has lectured on trips all over the world. He currently lives in Teaneck, New Jersey. His website is armchairarttours.com
February 3 – Que Seurat, Seurat
Georges Seurat (1859-1891): A Parisian who knew Normandy, Seurat created pictures based on the latest scientific vision research of his time, including Pointilism, a technique of placing daubs of paint close together.
February 10 – Go, van Gogh!
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890): A lay pastor who became a master artist towards the end of his life, Dutchman Vincent van Gogh produced more than 2,000 works of art brimming with emotion. He wrote to his brother Theo that, as he had no children, he viewed his paintings as his progeny.
February 17 - The Savage – Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin (1848-1908): Moving from Peru to Paris to Brittany to Tahiti, Gauguin injected symbolic meaning into sculpture, pottery, and painting using an ever-changing style.
February 24 – Son of the South – Paul Cezanne
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906): A native of Provence, Cezanne began as an Impressionist painter who later pursued his own inexpressible artistic goals, which included revealing an underlying geometry in his subject matter.
- To Join by Phone dial 1 646 876 9923 (New York)
- Meeting ID: 854 7370 4512
- Password: 884455
Non-Fiction Discussion Group
Live Zoom Event
Thursday, February 11
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Pair with Fiction: This Tender Land
This history challenges the founding myth of the U.S. and shows how policy against the Indigenous
peoples seized the territories of the original inhabitants, displacing or eliminating them. This policy was
praised in popular culture and in the highest offices of government and the military. Spanning more than
400 years, this classic bottom-up peoples’ history radically reframes U.S. history and explodes the
silences that have haunted our national narrative. Moderated by Frances
Fiction Discussion Group
Live Zoom Event
Thursday, February 11
>Fiction Group: 3:30 pm
At The Time of Event...Click Here To Join On ZOOM
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Pair with Non-Fiction: Indigenous Peoples
Four orphans confined to the Lincoln Indian Training School steal away in a canoe and travel the
Mississippi River on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression. Over the course of one
summer, these four children journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. Moderated by Dick
the Yorkshire Dales - From Herriot to home with Andrew Pighills
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Thursday, February 18 at 7:00 PM
Join us on a tour of amazing landscapes and gardens that are home to author James Herriot and Andrew Pighills' stone craft treasures. You will be delighted!
Herriot, known as Alfred White or James Herriot, is the author of “All Creatures Great and Small,” later made into a television series featured on PBS. In 1939, Herriot, a newly qualified veterinarian, settled in the north east corner of the Yorkshire dales at a town called Leyburn, in Wensleydale. From this location we will follow a circuitous route through the dales to Airedale in the village of Airton, Andrew’s home during his formative years.
About Andrew:
Born in Yorkshire, England, Andrew Pighills is an accomplished stone artisan, gardener, and horticulturist. Having moved to the United States more than ten years ago, he continues this venerable craft here in the US, building dry stone walls, stone structures and creating gardens throughout New England and beyond.
Andrew’s particular building technique adheres to the ancient methods of generations of dry stone wallers in his native Yorkshire Dales. His commitment to preserving the integrity and endurance of this traditional building art has earned him a devoted list of private and public clients here and abroad including the English National Trust and the English National Parks.
Andrew is currently overseeing the reconstruction of dry stone walls at West Point Military Academy in West Point, New York. To learn more about Andrew and his craft, visit his website at englishgardensandlandscaping.com
- To Join by Phone dial 1 646 876 9923 (New York)
- Meeting ID: 853 6314 9860
- Password: 462970
Jazz & the Civil Rights Movement with Galen Abdur-Razzaq
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Thursday, February 18 at 7:00 PM
Jazz was an instrument of expression during some of the most difficult periods in American history and is considered an important pathway to a greater appreciation of music in general.
Through lecture and musical performance, this program chronicles the impact of jazz from the turn of the century to the present day, highlighting various artists, their music, their influence on the evolution of jazz and their struggles. We will learn how jazz became an advocacy for the Civil Rights Movement, with proceeds from jazz concerts used to finance major events such as the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington in 1963.
Galen Abdur-Razzaq studied at the Berklee College of Music and holds a Master's Degree in Performing Arts and Education from Rutgers University. He has performed both internationally and domestically for over 30 years. A recording artist, composer, arranger and educator, his performance portfolio included such greats as Billy Taylor, Sonny Phillips, Gwen Guthrie, Jimmy Heath, Melba Moore, and Sun Ra. His website is flutejuice.net
We hope you will take a comfortable seat and listen to this unique blend of historical lecture and musical demonstration. Educational and entertaining!
- To Join by Phone dial 1 646 876 9923 (New York)
- Meeting ID: 813 6781 2803
- Password: 849641
MORE Information about Zoom:
All of our Virtual Zoom Events are live. They are not recorded. To participate/join the event, you need to use the exact link connected to the event. Once you click on the link at the specified date and time, you will be prompted to open Zoom, the virtual meeting program we are using. All you need is an internet connection and a device or computer with a webcam and audio. Most computers have built-in webcams. No passwords or confirmation codes, just click the link and follow the prompts.
Still having difficulty understanding how to access Zoom: email [email protected] to set-up a virtual Book-a-Librarian and we will go over it with you.
More security, more privacy: In response to concerns about privacy in a virtual meeting space, we have enabled additional security features in Zoom and updated our meeting links to be protected, private, and secure. These new, unique links can also be accessed through our e-newsletters.To receive secure information regarding these events, please subscribe to our e-newsletter! Click here to subscribe