OLLI Fall Catalog is available on our Website. To register for classes give us a call in the office at 401.874.4197 or Click Here to register online.

CYBER SENIORS IS BACK!  Need help with your laptop, cell phone, ipad or other technology? Our student volunteer, Keira, will be in the lobby on the following dates:

• Wednesday, Oct 7, 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
• Wednesday, Oct 21, 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
• No appointment necessary! 

FALL ADD ON CLASSES- Click the title to register or call the office: 401.874.4197

Watercolor for the Birds – Birds are for Watercolor – 4 sessions with Pike Powers beginning Wed, Oct 14, 9:30-11:30AM

Five Weeks with the RI Mob: A Juror’s Tale –1 session with Jean Gagnier Mon, Oct 26, 3-4:30PM

My Camera Has Wings – 1 session with Jan Armor Mon, Nov 9, 10-11:30AM

Granite and Grist – 1 session with Anne Holst Tue, Nov 17, 9:30-11AM

Getting to Know Gilbert Stuart and His Birthplace – 1 session with Bill DeCaporale, Thur, Dec 17 10-11:30AM

FALL CLASSES IN DANGER OF CANCELLATION- Click the title to register or call the office 401.874.4197

What’s the Real Skinny with Fad Diets? 1 session with Renae Martin Fri, Nov 6, 10-11:30 AM

PARKING PERMITS- 2025/2026 Parking permits expired July 31. Parking is FREE in the Plains Road Lot #25 with your OLLI membership but you must have a current 2026/2027 permit. Please call the office to renew if you haven’t already done so. If you get a $50 ticket you will be responsible for appealing it with URI AIMS Parking.

THIS WEEK AT OLLI 

Monday

• 9:30AM Slavery, Emancipation & Race in New England
• 11:00AM Great Artists in American Roots Music (Osher Online)
• 11:30AM Music of the Sea
• 11:30AM Where Do Birds Come From, and Why are Birds Living Dinosaurs?
• 1:00PM Art Detectives: Forgery, Provenance & Science of Authentication (Osher Online)
• 1:30PM The Nature of Autumn
• 3:00PM Sacred Mountains of the World (Osher Online)
• 3:30PM Rhode Island’s Elections Explained
• 7:00PM The History & Experience of Route 66 (Osher Online)

Tuesday 

• 9:30AM Paris in the Dark
• 10:00AM Biking
• 10:00AM Pen, Ink & Wash: Drawing Home Scapes
• 10:00AM Edesia: RI Big Impact on Global Child Malnutrition (off site)
• 11:00AM Winning the White House: The Evolution of the Presidency (Osher Online)
• 11:30AM The New England/Rhode Island/Alaska Connection is GLACIAL!
• 1:30PM Game On!
• 1:30AM History of a One-Room School (at OLLI)
• 1:30PM Nature in Autumn Session #2 
• 5:00PM Birth of English Detective Story: The Moonstone
• 5:00PM Heroes & Headaches: New England’s Story of Piracy at Home & Abroad
• 5:00PM A Cosmic Grand Tour (Osher Online)
• 7:00PM Apple at 50: How if Revolutionized Computing (Osher Online)

Wednesday

• 9:30AM Honor, Desire & Betrayal: Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge
• 11:30AM Beginner French for Travel
• 12:30PM Bowling
• 1:00PM Hiking
• 1:30PM Cyber Seniors (Keira)
• 2:00PM Cribbage
• 3:00PM Contemporary American Short Story, Part 1 (ZOOM)
• 5:00PM Birth, Life & Death of Voting Rights Act of 1965
• 5:00PM Learn to Play MahJongg
• 5:00PM August Wilson and His American Cycle (Osher Online)

Thursday

• 9:30AM Let’s Skate
• 9:30AM Spanish 101
• 9:30AM Using AI as Co-Intelligence: Trends & Capabilities
• 10:00AM Creativity & Play (Welcome Center – Anchor Room)
• 10:00AM Beginner Mah Jongg
• 11:30AM Finding Beauty in EveryDay Life
• 11:30AM Right Plant-Right Place Perennial Garden Design
• 1:00PM Mah Jongg
• 1:30PM The History of Architecture & Urbanism: Brutalism-Present
• 2:00PM Intergenerational Perspectives on Healthy Living Environments (Multicultural Center)
• 3:00PM “Studies Show..”(Or Do They?) (Osher Online)
• 3:00PM Movie Group

Friday

• 9:00AM Qi-Gong for Vitality – Intro (Offsite)
• 9:30AM Reading Columbus
• 10:15AM QiGong Continuing Practice – Foundations  (Offsite)
• 11:00AM The 60s Through Great Speeches (Osher Online)
• 11:15AM QiGong Continuing Practice – Deepening (Offsite)
• 1:00PM The British Invasion

NEW YORK TIMES-BESTSELLING AUTHOR TAYLOR JENKINS REID’S COMMUNITY BOOK READ TO GO ‘BEYOND THE STARS’ AT URI – Taylor Jenkins Reid, a New York Times-bestselling author, screenwriter and Emmy-nominated producer, will hold a virtual community book read spotlighting her latest literary work, “Atmosphere: A Love Story,” on Monday, Oct. 5, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The event, titled “Beyond the Stars: A Community Conversation with Taylor Jenkins Reid,” will provide an opportunity for readers to hear directly from Jenkins Reid about “Atmosphere,” its characters, its historical setting, and the questions it raises about space exploration, ambition, identity, representation, and human connection. A free public watch party livestreaming Jenkins Reid’s discussion—including a question-and-answer session—will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the Galanti Lounge of the Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons, 15 Lippitt Road, on the Kingston Campus. Click to read more and to register. 

RHODY OUTPOST – URI Fall Semester will be back in session soon! URI’s principal basic needs pantry, Rhody Outpost, is for students experiencing food insecurity. The Outpost provides fresh and non-perishable food and personal care items at no charge to students. Click Here to view the updated list of all urgently needed items. You can also purchase items directly from Amazon on the Rhody Outpost Wish List.  Reminder: Please no expired food!

URI FOOTBALL – CLICK HERE for OLLI discounted URI football* tickets as well as other Ryan Center events (John Mulaney: Mr. Whatever – Oct 24 & Derek Hough: Dance for the Holidays Dec 9) * 2026 URI Football Games will be played at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI 

RHODY WORKATHONS ARE BACK! What exactly are workathons? URI rowers help provide general yard work, moving furniture, cleaning, painting, weeding, etc. a maximum of four to five hours at a time. You tell them the task, the number of rowers you need, and they schedule a time to help you out. The hourly rate for each rower is $25 for returning customers and $30 for new customers, with the entire sum going to the team to help fund race costs, equipment, buses, etc. to help keep the team prospering. Dates not available for workathons due to regattas are 10/3, 10/10, 10/24 and based on rower availability. For any questions or scheduling your next workathon, you can email Keara and Brady at rhodyworkathon@gmail.com. 

URI RETIRED FACULTY ASSOCIATION SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTATION – Newest Research on Medications for Dementia and Supplements for Healthy Brain Aging with Joseph Schrader and John Robinson. Bring any questions you have about the latest research on medications of dementia and nutraceuticals for maintaining brain health. This FREE presentation is open to all URI faculty, staff, students, OLLI members and the Rhode Island community. Parking is available behind the Welcome Center off Brian Lane. Letting them know you are attending is helpful but not required. Email Aging@uri.edu. Sponsored by the Provost’s Office and refreshments provided by Belmont Market. Thu, Oct 22 4-5:30PM Hope Room, Higgins Welcome Center To view the flyer, click here.

OSHER ONLINE FREE COMMUNITY EVENT: Grandfamilies: Rising to the Challenge of Raising Another Generation with Hope and Heart with Donna Butts, Author of Grandfamilies: Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raise Them. Tuesday, November 10, 5:00 PM. Space is limited and Zoom registration is required. Click to read more and to register. 

URI FALL 2026 HONORS COLLOQUIUM Lecture Series – Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits  From black holes and distant exoplanets to gravitational waves rippling through the universe, and aspiring to travel to Mars and back to the moon, the cosmos teems with mysteries that both inspire awe and demand answers. Lecture 4: Tues, Oct 6, 5:30PM Edwards Hall More Than Martians with Dr. Tanya Harrison Click Here To Register All lectures will be livestreamed and registration is required to receive links. 

URI 2026 CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR LECTURE – A Conversation with Bob Woodruff: The award-winning correspondent for ABC News who has covered the world’s most influential stories over the last three decades Tues, Oct 6, at 4PM at Hope Room, Higgins Welcome Center. Click Here for more info and to register.

URI 2026 METCALF INSTITUTE FALL LECTURE – straying from the lectern this year to bring participants on a walk through the North Woods, followed by a conversation and hands-on zine-making activity with DWELL Lab. URI’s North Woods serves as a teaching forest and site for field research on the Kingston Campus as well as an important communal space. The event will continue at Toray Commons with a conversation, reception, and zine-making workshop. Free and open to the public, Wed, Oct 14 Participants are welcome to sign up for either or both parts of the event. Meet in front of the Coastal Institute Building (1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, R.I. 02881) at 4:30PM for the hour-long interactive walk in the North Woods. The conversation, reception, and zine-making workshop takes place 6-7:30PM at Toray Commons in URI’s Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering (2 East Alumni Avenue, Kingston, R.I. 02881). Register here. 

2026-27 SPEAKER SERIES, THE CENTER FOR HUMANITIES PRESENTS: Soul Value, performed by April H. Brown and Jessica T. Pearson, brings to life the stories of New England Black women—Elleanor Eldridge, Elizabeth Freemen, and Margaret Kinnicutt—and the men of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment during and after the American Revolutionary War. Through a dynamic blend of monologue, dance, ritual, and song, Soul Value highlights the untold contributions of Black men and women in New England history, focusing on their advocacy, resilience, and survival. Oct 21, 4:00 PM, Hope Room, Higgins Welcome Center & Livestreamed  Click here for more information and to register.

WHAT WILL THE URI MEDICAL SCHOOL MEAN FOR YOU AND SOUTH KINGSTOWN– Join the South Kingstown Workgroup of PC4AA for a community conversation about the proposal URI Medical School and what it could mean for the future of healthcare in South County. Thursday, October 29, 6:00 PM at Thundermist Health Center of South County, 1 River Street, Wakefield. Click for flyer with all the details.

WESTERLY LIBRARY PRESENTS – Rhode Islanders’ Revolutionary Acts Outside of RI (A Panel Discussion) During the Revolution Rhode Islanders contributed to victory on the land and sea, far from Rhode Island’s borders. We welcome visiting historians to share the history of Rhode Island’s rebels on various frontiers, literature and their migrations after Independence was secured. Westerly Library Auditorium 44 Broad Street, Westerly RI, Sat, Oct, 17, 1:00 PM Click Here for More Info & Tickets.

OCTOBERVETS 5K & GERMAN FESTIVAL – A community event that will bring together people of our community and veterans who have served our nation. Two great events wrapped up into one great day with fun for the whole family. The day begins with a 5K fun run through Wickford Village and finishes off with a festival with live music, a beer garden, assorted food items, vendors, and activities for family members. You can do both events or just one; a fun way to support our nation’s Veterans and local businesses. 100% of our proceeds will help fund veteran service programs and local community charities. Sat, Oct 17, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM Wickford Village Click Here for More Info & to register.

OSHER AT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA INVITES YOU TO A FREE ZOOM CLASS: The Birth of Two Sports Dynasties: The St. Louis Cardinals, Babe Ruth’s Yankees and the 1926 World Series Upset – 1 session(s) with Terry Lemons Thursday, October 8, 1 to 2 p.m. Central | Zoom

The classic 1926 World Series marked the first championship for the St. Louis Cardinals. The upset of Babe Ruth’s Yankees created a fanbase across the Midwest and into South Dakota, spurred by technology changes as more people owned radios and cars. And thousands watched electronic scoreboards in community gatherings outside newspaper offices nationwide, including the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Terry Lemons is a former White House and congressional reporter for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, former IRS communications director, and lifelong baseball fan. He is author of the June 2026 book, The Year St. Louis Became a Baseball Town: The Cardinals, Babe Ruth and the 1926 World Series.

Click here to join the Zoom: https://usd.zoom.us/j/92008365561

WAKEFIELD BOOKS – OLLI Discount  Wakefield Books does their best to carry all of the books listed as required and suggested reading for OLLI courses. Purchase the book from them, tell them at the register that it’s for an OLLI class, and receive a 20% discount. This is a convenient way to get your reading materials and support an independent bookstore at the same time.

TABITHA’S CLOSET (Peacedale Congregational Church) – Now offering a complete selection of Fall & Winter Clothing gently used outerwear, sweaters, tops, pants, shoes, and boots, available for all ages—from infants to adults. Our goal is to provide quality seasonal essentials while protecting the dignity and self-worth of every person who walks through our doors. Shopping Days: Saturdays from 8:30AM- 12:30PM on the third Tues of each month from 4-7PM. If you have individuals or families in financial crisis, recovering from emergency hardships, or simply in need of seasonal wardrobe support, please direct them to reach out to us.

Volunteers Needed for: Clothes Sorting, Store Prep & Merchandising and Customer Service See Flyer for details Email Tabitha@peacedalechurch.org or call 401-789-7313 

THE RHODE ISLAND GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTER is seeking volunteers to participate in the Introduction to Interdisciplinary Geriatrics and Teamwork program during the Fall 2026 semester. In this program, students from nursing, pharmacy, communicative disorders, nutrition, public health, and human development work in interdisciplinary teams to develop a care plan for a “patient” following their initial assessments. Click here for all the details.Contact Allie Morelli for more information: alliemorelii@uri.edu or call 401-874-5311.

URI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (in partnership with Hunter College and Cornell University) Seeking adults, ages 60 and older, to participate in a Family Study to understand how and why they support family members, especially adult children. Participants must meet the eligibility criteria below:

• Age 60 and older
• Living in the Northeast region of the US
• Have an adult child in their 30s and 40s.

Interviews can be conducted via zoom or phone for 1.5-2 hrs. Each participant will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for their time. See Flyer for details, Click Here to register.

If you would like to view past This Week At OLLI weekly newsletters go to https://web.uri.edu/olli/news/