Writing in Troubled Times

The world is full of trouble. Let us count the ways. Our land is troubled. Many of us suffer troubles and losses in our individual lives. What’s a writer to do with the often-resulting despair, anger, cynicism, confused feelings, numbness, helplessness, grief? Join Meg Files for a 6-session writing workshop designed to give you permission, support and effective tools for mining difficult emotions as you create meaningful pieces that reflect your own heart.

  • Face difficult material, without looking away or protecting ourselves
  • Write our strongest, deepest stories
  • Create, not destroy
  • Probe big questions
  • Discover the meanings of our experiences
  • Examine facts and truths
  • Determine angles of approach, face-on or a squint
  • Find precise language
  • Learn techniques to explore intense material
  • Choose the right time to face strong material
  • Find the voice for the story, essay, or memoir
  • Examine the challenges of writing about social and political and intimate issues
  • Use the writing process to discover — and revise
  • Deal with family’s, friends’, & opponents’ reactions

This class will include writing exercises and assignments, group and instructor feedback, model examples, and discussion. (It will not include political debate, except in the hallway.)


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A Tribute to Leonard Cohen

Over a musical career that spanned nearly five decades, Leonard Cohen wrote songs that addressed — in spare language that could be both oblique and telling — themes of love and faith, despair and exaltation, solitude and connection, war and politics. A hugely influential and critically acclaimed singer and songwriter, Cohen released fourteen studio albums between 1967 and 2016, the last being You Want It Darker, the title track of which posthumously won him the Grammy for Best Rock Performance. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010 and was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the 2010 Grammys. He won both the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature and the Glenn Gould Prize in 2011, and the first PEN New England Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award in 2012. Cohen died in Los Angeles on November 7, 2016. More than 2,000 recordings of his songs have been made, initially by the folk-pop singers who were his first champions, like Judy Collins and Tim Hardin, and later by performers from across the spectrum of popular music, among them U2, Aretha Franklin, R.E.M., Jeff Buckley, Trisha Yearwood and Elton John.


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World War 1

1919 – Peacemaking after the Great War

The Great War had finally ended but how to deal with Germany and the other defeated nations remained a major issue. Britain and France believed in a reparations settlement whereby Germany would pay for the cost of the war. In the two months between the armistice and the opening of the Versailles peace conference, political and social instability had swept across

Europe. Would it be possible to conciliate Germany, fend off Bolshevism and restore peace and order to the continent? The Versailles Conference did not permit the defeated nations to participate in the proceedings, for they simply had to accept the terms upon which the Allies had agreed. In addition, other Treaties tried to make the peace with Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey. The consequences of these activities have remained controversial for a century and whether Versailles led to World War II in two decades is still a matter of debate.

Week 1: The Immediate Aftermath of the War
In all the combatant nations the armistice ushered in demands for profound political and social change that challenged the established order. In Germany, for example, the birth of the Freikorps movement (and attempts at revolution by workers following the Russian model) provoked unrest and in some cases violence. Returning to peacetime economies required major adjustments just as soldiers were being demobilized. The situation required high levels of statesmanship on the part of the Big Four: Clemenceau of France, Lloyd George of Great Britain, Orlando of Italy and Wilson of the United States.

Week 2: The Versailles Treaty
The Treaty first established the League of Nations, a goal much desired by President Woodrow Wilson but destined to be rejected by the United States. The next major issue was that of reparations. From the beginning many economists thought that reparations would place an undue burden on Germany and prevent her from gaining any measure of recovery. That in turn would diminish the economies of the victorious Allies. The most famous (or infamous) article in the treaty was 231, which placed sole responsibility for the outbreak of hostilities on Germany. She also lost her colonies and territories that contained German-speaking minorities. Germany also lost her High Seas fleet and was restricted in the size of her army. Too vindictive or too lenient has remained the primary question.

Week 3: The Minor Treaties
There were four additional Treaties that complemented the Versailles Treaty. These made a separate peace with Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey. The provisions involved the transfer of territories and populations of the defunct Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires from the losers to the victors. Turkey never accepted her treaty and fought a long war with Greece that lasted until 1922. The articles contained in these Treaties were always bitterly resented by the losers who saw the principle of self-determination violated at almost every turn. The conditions imposed on the losers rarely led to reconciliation and always led to continuing resentment.

Week 4: The Legacy
Only two decades separated the two World Wars. The Versailles Treaty has always attracted criticism for its role in this outcome. The high ideals brought to the conference and their betrayal by one or more of the Allies remain conduct hard to justify in retrospect. The fear of Bolshevik Russia underlay the feelings of both the victors and the losers. The Treaty no doubt framed a context for what followed, but whether it was a cause still is debated.


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In Search of the First Americans

Exploring Paleoindian Archaeology in North America

This course is an introduction to the archaeology of Paleoindians in North America. Paleoindians are the first people in North America and they entered the region by at least 14,000 years ago. We’ll begin by reviewing the history of Paleoindian research in North America, to develop a foundation for understanding how the discipline has evolved with new methods and discoveries. We will explore archaeological discoveries that address the question of when, where, and how people first migrated to North America. The course will then take a regional approach to explore the different Paleoindian chronologies and cultures found in the archaeological record. Regions covered will include the Northeast, Southeast, High Plains and Rocky Mountains, Southwest, the Great Basin, West Coast, and Alaska. Students will become familiar with the debates and current research concerning the first Americans and will develop an understanding of the regional variations in the North American archaeological record between 14000 and 9000 years ago.


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Taste of 4th Avenue – Tour 2

Culinary & Cultural Tour

Travel back in time to Tucson’s own Haight Ashbury District, better known to locals as 4th Avenue. Visit four locally owned restaurants where you will be served Mexican/Native American Cuisine, authentic Greek dishes and our own Brooklyn Pizza. Continue on to Isabella’s ice cream for a behind-the-scene ice cream demonstration and enjoy a cup of one of their unique flavors. Along our route you will visit a few of 4th Avenue’s eclectic shops and learn about some of Tucson’s local history. The tour includes a streetcar pass, culinary experience and a guided walking tour.

The itinerary includes a street car ride and less than 2 miles of walking. Tasting menus are preselected and cannot be customized to meet special dietary needs.


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