UPCOMING EVENTS  

November 7 & 21  – 1:00 pm – Spirituality Interest Group

Home of Anu Garlapati

November 7 – 6:30pm – ArtFlix – via Zoom

Film: The Lady in the Van 

Leader:  MaryAnn Thompson

A 2015 British comedy/drama film, starring Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings, based on the memoir of the same name, created by Alan Bennett. It tells the mostly true story of his interactions with Mary Shepherd, an elderly  woman who lived in a dilapidated van on his driveway in North London for 15 years. Be forewarned that you are about to be subjected both verbally and, more  regretfully, visually to the none-too-tidy lavatory habits of an elderly British vagrant, who resides in her vehicle and rarely has an actual bathroom at her disposal. The upside  is that said lady is brought to life by the magnificent Maggie Smith. At the very least, you have to admire her on unmitigated gall and survival instincts. She has mastered the art of preying upon the liberal guilt in the artist-laden borough of Camden.
Available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Fandango and the discussion will be via Zoom

November 14, 2024-5:30 PM -Sister to Sister (book discussion with high school students-

Title-The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church

It’s the 1960s and Lorraine Delford has it all – an upstanding family, a perfect boyfriend, and a white picket fence home in North Carolina. Yet every time she looks through her father‘s telescope, she dreams of the stars and becoming an astronaut. It’s ambitious, but Lorraine has always been exceptional. But when the girl next-door gets pregnant, she’s forced to learn firsthand the realities that keep women grounded. To hide their daughters, secret shame, the Delord send Lorraine to a maternity home for wayward girls. But this is no safe Haven – it’s a house with darksecrets and suffocating rules. As Lorraine begins to piece together a new vision for her life, she must decide if she can fight against the powers that aim to take her child or submit to the rules of a society that she once admired.
Powerful and away is a timely novel that explores autonomy, belonging, and quest for agency when the illusions of life as you know it fall away.

November 21 – 6:30 pm -Great Decisions- PCCF and via Zoom

Topic-  Pandemic Preparedness

Leaders:  Renee Caprile & Clare Pokorny

Looking back at the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many lessons to take away in terms of domestic and international policies  Although this pandemic seems to have waned, how can we apply these lessons to future pandemics?  Will countries cooperate, and will a consensus emerge on how to manage global health challenges?