By Nancy Scheeler and Luci Martel, Reston Book Club Coordinators
The Reston Book Club will meet at the United Christian Parish church, Reston, on October 19 at 2:15. The book for discussion is Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee. Coetzee is a 2003 Nobel Prize winner and a two-time Man Booker Prize winner. The novel explores familial and racial tensions in the novelist's native South Africa.
The book for November 9 will be The Noise of Time, by Julian Barnes. Focused on the Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich, the novel examines the meaning of art and its place in society.
The Tallwood Book Club will meet on Wednesday, October 11 at 1:30, in the Annex. The book for discussion is Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, by Neil Postman. Postman was a New York University education professor who established a graduate program in media ecology. He is best known for his writings about television, computers, and the role of technology in modern society. Originally published in 1985, the book was republished in 2005 as the 20th Anniversary Edition with an introduction by his son, author Andrew Postman.
All OLLI members are welcome.
The selection for November 8 is Some Luck, by Jane Smiley.
Answers to your pressing questions about OLLI etiquette
By Ms. Ollie Ettakit,
OLLI E-News Manners Expert
Dear Ms. Ettakit,
It has come to my attention that one of the classes for which there is a very lengthy waiting list only has two-thirds of the enrolled members attending each week. This has left more than ten seats available each session. Enrolled members who are not attending class may not intend to be discourteous to those who are on the waiting list, but unless the non-attending members drop the course, they are in effect blocking us from making the course available to others who wanted to attend.
I have also been informed that many folks are leaving before the end of a class session. Certainly an individual may have a personal circumstance that requires leaving class early, but to leave in the middle of a presentation can appear very impolite.
Shannon Morrow, OLLI Registrar
Dear Ms. Morrow,
Ms. Ettakit is grateful for your letter and the opportunity to remind members of some appropriate courtesies related to attendance at OLLI classes. Although someone may unavoidably have to miss a class, it is clearly not appropriate to register for a course and then fail to attend. If you find you cannot attend, please drop the course so that the registrar may move others into the classes.
Also, unless you are personally indisposed, Ms. Ettakit urges you to remain through each class session until the end. If you know you must leave during a presentation, it is polite to let the instructor know at the beginning of the class and to sit near the exit so that your departure will cause the least disruption.
No homework, no exams, no grades – these features do not mean no concern for others! Ms. Ettakit reminds you that the joy of learning should not be an excuse to be inconsiderate, whether to other members who might be affected by your lack of attendance or to the instructors who give freely of their time to bring us that learning.
Performances, October 6 through October 16By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff WriterFor tickets for either Center for the Arts (CFA) or Hylton, call 1-888-945-2468, buy tickets online through the event calendar (see links below), or visit the venue's box office. For more information, see the CFA ticket pageor the Hyltonticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues
Virginia Opera: Samson and Delilah
Sat, Oct 7, 8:00
Sun, Oct 8, 2:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $110, $90, $54.
Pilobolus: Shadowland
Fri, Oct 13, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
Tango Buenos Aires: The Spirit of Argentina
Sat, Oct 14, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.
Gallery Exhibit: Iconographic Visions, Works by Julia Dzikiewicz and Michael Fischerkeller
Continues through Oct 21
The Gallery is open to the public Tue-Sat, 10:00 - 6:00; Thu, 10:00 - 8:00; and two hours before performances.
For more information, visit https://cvpa.gmu.edu/gands. Buchanan Partners Art Gallery.
Annie Stokes/Charm City Junction
Fri, Oct 6, 8:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $25, $30 day of performance.
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
Sat, Oct 7, 8:00
Merchant Hall
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company.
Admission: $46, $39, $28.
Ground Rush Productions: Night Witches
Presented by LLC
Sat, Oct 7, and Sun, Oct 8, 7:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults, $25; seniors, $12.
The Poet Laureate Circle: In the Company of Laureates
Sun, Oct 8, 1:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: free.
Mason Fringe: Dead Man's Cell Phone
Thu, Oct 12 and Sat, Oct 14, 8:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $10.
Mason Fringe: 1984
Fri, Oct 13, 8:00
Sat, Oct 14, 2:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults, $20; seniors, $10.
Tango Buenos Aires: The Spirit of Argentina
Fri, Oct 13, 8:00 Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.
Manassas Chorale: A Hylton Home Companion II
Sat, Oct 14, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $20, $18.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: The Longevity of the Short Piece!
Sun, Oct 15, 2:00
An interactive Q&A will conclude this program.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $42, $36, $25.
The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but to check anytime for the latest information, please view the latest forecast of upcoming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend, meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, kickoff coffees, etc. (bolded below).
Sat Oct 7
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Tue Oct 10
11:15am
Loudoun Program Planning Group Meeting
Wed Oct 11
1:30pm
1:45pm
1:45pm
Tallwood Book Club–Annex
Bridge Club–TA-3
Spanish Club–TA-2
Thu Oct 12
1:15pm
Loudoun Club Development Interest Meeting
Fri Oct 13
9:15am
9:30am
9:30am
11:00am
11:00am
1:00pm
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex
Photography Club–TA-1
Homer, etc.–Annex
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Chess Club–TA-2
Sat Oct 14
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Wed Oct 18
1:30pm
1:45pm
2:00pm
Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Bridge Club–TA-3 A/V Committee Meeting–TA-1
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation–Annex Board of Directors–Reston Rose Gallery
Classic Literature Club–TA-2
Homer, etc.–Annex
Dr. Who Club–TA-3
Chess Club–TA-2
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Technical Editor: Irene Osterman
Associate Editor: Sheri Siesseger
Weekly Editor Team: Jean Boltz, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Polly Johnsen, Shirley Springfloat
Backup Chief Editor: Alice Slayton Clark
Submissions. Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles, and photos. Submit material to: ollienewseditor@gmail.com. Deadline – 6:00 Tuesday for that week's issue (6:00 Monday for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words. Note: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News on the DocStore. To search the content of issues, use Search Our Site or put your search term in Google followed by "site:ollidev2.earthcare.com/" without the quotes.
