Literature, Writing, and Language   

A visit to the past helps us to see both the bruises and the blessings of our lives. Reviewing our memories can help identify and evaluate the experiences we have had. It can lead to discovery of those revealing moments along the way. Using a workbook of life story questions, participants will journal, share experiences in small groups, and participate in interactive exercises.

Materials: Participants will need a journal notebook. The Life Story Workbook will be provided.

History of the Rain by Niall Williams, tells of a young woman trying to find out about her father through the library he left behind. The Time Literary Supplement calls it, “A multi-layered, mythological retelling of the making of a family and nation.” We approach reading as discovery in a reading community; therefore, some of the reading is done in class so that, together, we encounter the text as a group. We use an approach called reader response theory, where meaning is created by the reader. For this reason, we encourage discussion and analysis as an ongoing activity during the reading. For this reason, PLEASE DO NOT START READING THE BOOK BEFORE CLASS BEGINS!

Please purchase a copy of History of the Rain by Niall Williams before class begins (required) BUT DO NOT BEGIN READING.

Taboo language can reveal a culture’s ideals and history. From Roman graffiti to Clark Gable’s famous “damn,” studying cussing opens a window onto values, religion, gender expectations, and social power. “When I got my mouth washed out with soap as a kid,” says instructor Geoffrey Stacks, “I learned firsthand that taboo language is about more than words, it’s about what a culture values and fears.” As author Melissa Mohr observes, “People swear about what they care about,” so tracing taboo words over time uncovers evolving societal values.

We begin with a historical overview of swearing and how its meanings have shifted. Ancient Roman insults reveal what they prized; a medieval medical text uses the c-word before it became obscene; and Victorian prudery over piano “legs” shows how culture shapes and censors language.

Next, the course examines swearing and law. From the FCC’s obscenity rules to George Carlin’s Seven Words routine and today’s media landscape, we explore how societies regulate speech. Finally, Stacks investigates what swearing reveals about the human brain. Why do some people with Tourette’s utter taboo words? Why can people with aphasia lose speech but still curse? Through the lens of taboo language, you’ll gain insight into our biological and cultural relationship with words.

This course explores explicit language and its cultural context. Some taboo words will be referenced, but students won’t say them aloud. 

Mrs. Moore and her son’s fiancé Adela travel to India, determined to experience “the real India,” beyond the club-bound official British colony. While exploring the Malabar Caves, Adela suffers an ambiguous assault and their Indian friend Dr. Aziz is charged with the crime. The ensuing trial destroys friendships and questions the reliability of “truth,” especially when class and race are involved. In this subtle picture of India under the British Raj, well-meaning characters are doomed to find that cultural and sexual misunderstandings damage their own and others' lives. In a novel considered one of the best of the 20th century, Forster, a member of the Bloomsbury Group, calls upon his own experiences in India. Although Indian independence is 20 years in the future, Forster exposes the imperial system as dangerous to people on both sides of the divide. Class discussion will allow us to explore current examples of similar misunderstandings.

Required Text: E. M. Forster, A Passage to India. Intro by Pankaj Mishra, Penguin Classics, ISBN 978-0-241-54042, or equivalent.

Apeirogon, a shape with a countably infinite number of sides, tells an epic story rooted in the real-life friendship between two men united by loss. Bassam Aragon is Palestinian. Rami Elhanan is Israeli. When Bassam and Rami learn of each other's stories, they recognize the loss that connects them and they attempt to use their grief as a weapon for peace. This compelling hybrid novel, published in 2021, is crafted out of a universe of fictional and nonfictional material. Colum McCann, renowned Irish writer, crosses centuries and continents stitching together time, art, history, nature and politics in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful. If you enjoy a challenging, unforgettable read, join me as we look again at these incredibly complex issues that continue to haunt us all. Please come with an open mind and heart.

This class will be a combination of lecture, video, and discussion, with discussion questions emailed each week.

Required Text: Apeirogon, a novel by Colum McCann

Think Again by Adam Grant explores the ways we think and how we can challenge ourselves to reconsider our own perspectives. In this class we will read the book Think Again by Adam Grant and discuss each section in depth in order for us to understand how we can challenge our own thinking and improve it by learning (or refining) how to "think like a scientist." This class is highly interactive - we will break into smaller groups each week in order for people to connect with the material and each other.

Short stories are fun, and they're easy to write. The approach that Edward Ford uses is known as writing from life. A writer does not make up a story and then try to make it seem real. Rather, a writer writes about everyday life and then tries to make it seem magical. If a student can write a story about strolling down the sidewalk or riding a bus, then the student can write about anything. There will be no end to their stories. Each class, students will write two stories (when possible) about their own lives and then read them to each other. The facilitator will share some of his own stories as well. Class participants will get to know each other very well.

Seven Colorado Authors League writers will be sharing their unique paths to becoming published in this fascinating speakers series. Learn about their books, their techniques, their successes and their failures. Genres include science fiction, historical fiction, historical nonfiction, poetry, thriller, children's and romantic comedy. There will be ample time for Q&A and an optional writing exercise. Please note these are all different League authors from those who led the fall session.

The Frozen River is one heck of a good historical mystery novel. Author Ariel Lawhon takes us into the 18th century world of midwife Martha Ballard who cares for the women and babies of Hallowell, Maine. She also investigates a gruesome murder, protects rape victims, fights against a warped justice system, and challenges egotistical doctors.

This a well-written story of a real-life, smart, strong feminist in an era when women were treated as far less than equal. It’s also a cautionary tale about those men who demean, dishonor and try to destroy women.

Join us as we explore complex societal themes that are as vital today as they were 250 years ago during America’s infancy. Some scenes are very painful and some characters despicable. Yet there is great moral courage and heroism in this novel.

We’ll read about 60 pages for each class and send out discussion prompts each week to help create respectful, spirited class conversations.

Required Text: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G. K. Chesterton . . . or should we say Hercule Poirot, Lord Peter Wimsey, and Father Brown?

These authors and their famous detectives were all part of a period called “The Golden Age of English Detective Fiction.” The period covers the years between the two world wars, so this fiction was published after Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but represented a unique trend all its own.

We will read short fiction by six authors and watch dramatizations of their detectives. That approach allows us to discuss and compare depictions by the authors vs. interpretations by subsequent screenwriters and directors.

The objective is to contemplate why the “Golden Age of English Detective Fiction” occurred when it did and produced the kind of fiction it did. We will be guided in that venture by reading mystery writer P.D. James’s book Talking About Detective Fiction.

Add your voice to the Colorado sesquicentennial! This class invites you to workshop your short memoir, for possible inclusion in the illustrated, coffee table anthology Unplugged Colorado Voices, sequel to volume #1, which has won 10 book awards. Participants will share, beta read, and workshop everyone's prepared draft of a 700-1000 word personal experience of the Rocky Mountain West — an issue, adventure, revelation, oddity, escapade, skill, or ordeal — each a valuable story that otherwise would never be heard. I present the background of the Unplugged Voices Project in a safe space to hone storytelling and wordsmithing skills, and equally help others. Additionally, this class offers tips for good blogging and shows the way to work toward a collection your own experiential memoirs. You bring the stories; I do the rest. I need your help to make book #2 as fabulous as the first! Come prepared with a few sentences or rough draft of a real-life personal story.

A New York hedge fund (Alden Global) purchased the Denver POST in 2010 and then began to systematically reduce its budget and sell the building it had occupied for over a hundred years. Another large corporation (Nexstar) owns a controlling interest in TV networks that offer local programming and may make changes with little concern for accurate reporting. Radio, TV, and print news media in Colorado will change over the next few years. A few large corporations may soon own and control news sources. Let’s explore what this could mean for our access to news.

What does the First Amendment say about protecting access to news sources? What is disinformation and misinformation? Does the truth still matter? Where do you get your news? How confident are you in what you read and hear? How much difference will it make to our grandchildren who owns and controls their news?

Life brings change—sometimes gradual, sometimes sudden. Guided expressive writing offers a powerful way to build resilience during these transitions, helping us bend rather than break. Research shows that expressive writing can reduce stress, strengthen relationships, and support cognitive and emotional wellbeing. It has also been linked to improved physical health outcomes, including better sleep, reduced chronic pain, and improved lung function among people with asthma. Writing gives us a way to make meaning of life's "lifequakes," to remain flexible when circumstances change, and to find joy in everyday experiences. Over four sessions, you'll dive into current research on writing and wellbeing, learning how writing practices—such as journaling, reflective writing, and expressive storytelling—can enhance your wellness. Guided by an experienced writing professor, you'll experiment with these techniques in a supportive environment and develop a personalized wellness writing routine. The course design emphasizes the importance of community wellness. By sharing stories and reflections with classmates, you'll connect with others, fostering compassion and collective wellbeing. Together, we'll explore the healing power of shared experiences and build a supportive and thriving community.