Brattleboro Area
Fall 2023
Welcome to our OLLI Brattleboro Area program. This semester our program will be three lectures, held on Sundays on the dates and times listed below at the Next Stage Arts Project, 15 Kimball Road, Putney, VT.
Please note: there will be an online option available this semester – Each of the 3 lectures will also be livestreamed on the dates listed below for attendees who prefer to view the lecture presentation online via Youtube link. You will have the option to choose online or in-person when you register. For those who choose the online option, you will receive a reminder email one day prior to the lecture date which will include the link to the livestream via Youtube and brief instructions.
NEW REGISTRATION PROCESS! We can no longer take any payments at the door/onsite. All attendees/members must pre-register prior to the start of the program.
Semester Membership: Sign up as a member and attend the full lecture series for $20! Individual lecture fee is $8 each.
To register, click on the “REGISTER NOW” button below and you will be brought to our online system where you can register using your credit card for the semester membership ($20) or for individual lecture(s) ($8 each).
October 22, 2023
3:00 – 4:30p.m.
Pagans, Jews, Jesus Followers, and the Birth of the West: An Archaeological and Literary Overview of the First Five Centuries CE
with Valerie A. Abrahamsen
The roots of Western civilization lie in Greece and the Roman Empire. In this lecture, we will use both literary and archaeological evidence to examine those roots from the perspectives of polytheism, Judaism, and the early Jesus movement. In the first century Before the Common Era (BCE) through the fifth century of the Common Era (CE), a vast amount of literature was produced that allows us to know a great deal about the Empire, its people and its deities. The literature was, in general, however, created by elite men. Professional archaeological excavations throughout the Mediterranean and Europe over the past century help fill in the gaps of those traditional treatments, including the importance of pagan deities and the lives of more “hidden” people such as women, slaves, and children. We will see that some of the extant literature, including the writings of St. Paul and other documents of the first few centuries CE, have been misinterpreted and misused, to the detriment of many. Using photos taken on-site, we will learn about liberating themes that can enhance our current lives in the West, including the involvement and leadership roles of women in paganism, Judaism and early Christianity and the positive contributions of same-sex missionary pairs. A packet of resources will be available to attendees, and there will be time for questions.
November 12, 2023
10 a.m. – noon
JFK Assassination – What They Told Me
with William Holiday
Holiday will present what eyewitnesses and researchers have told him about the JFK assassination. He wrote a book detailing those experiences, titled, The JFK Assassination – What They Told Me.
December 3, 2023
10:30 a.m. – noon
Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic
with Emily Monosson
Blight is about the devastating impacts of emergent (or relatively new) fungal pathogens across species. Wildlife, crops, forests and humans too – are all potential hosts for deadly fungal pathogens.Following readings of selected chapter excerpts there will be plenty of time for more in-depth discussion of the problems of fungal pandemics and epidemics and possible strategies for prevention, resurrection or protection of susceptible species.
WHERE WE MEET: Next Stage Arts Project, 15 Kimball Hill Road, Putney, Vermont.
DIRECTIONS: Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill Road* in the village center in Putney, VT, directly across the street from the Putney General Store; 15 minutes north of Brattleboro, just off Exit 4 of Interstate 91. From the exit, follow the signs for the village, proceeding north on Route 5 (Main Street) until you see the Putney General Store. You may park on Main Street, and there is ample free parking located just north of the Putney General Store in the Basketville/Putney Mountain Winery lot.**
*GPS USERS BEWARE: If you are using GPS to get to 15 Kimball Hill Rd., Putney, be aware that some units may erroneously direct you to another village. To avoid this, you may wish to use 133 Main Street, Putney, VT as your GPS destination.
**Please refrain from parking in front of the Putney General Store or in The Gleanery Restaurant parking lot as these parking spaces are needed for their patrons.
Health & Safety: UVM sponsored non-credit functions/activities/offerings, whether held at UVM or at a non-UVM facility or location, are governed by the same health and safety policies. As such, UVM expects event participants, visitors and guests will be vaccinated. Masks are optional and welcomed. If the event is taking place at a non-UVM venue, consideration must be given to the requirements of the host site and the more stringent requirements will apply.
In case of inclement weather, please listen to 96.7 WTSA-FM or consult www.wtsa.net, or visit our Facebook page (Brattleboro Area Osher Lifelong Learning Institute-OLLI).
Prefer to pay over the phone? Just call our UVM OLLI office at 802-656-5817 during regular business hours to register with your credit card.
If you would like to pay by check (PLEASE NOTE: must allow 10-14 days from date of mailing check to receipt & processing): Complete this registration form (PDF, opens in a new window) and send with your check payment (made out to The University of Vermont) to:
UVM OLLI Registration Office
23 Mansfield Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401
QUESTIONS: For questions about the program, livestreams, or Brattleboro Area Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, please call Ruby McAdoo at 802-387-5593, or e-mail coordinator@putneycommunitycares.org.
Become a member today!
Membership in the Brattleboro Area OLLI entitles members to attend programs in our other OLLIs throughout Vermont. And, if you are currently a paid member of a statewide site (Fall or Spring only), you can take OLLI UVM campus programs at the member rate; just call 802-656-5817 to get the special discount code to use when registering for a UVM campus class.
Brattleboro Area Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is sponsored locally by Next Stage Arts Project and Putney Community Cares