Almanac

Align your core beliefs with living sustainably on our planet. You will learn practical ways to support life on earth using insights from recent literature. The course will draw from Regeneration, Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation by Paul Hawken, Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul by John Philip Newell, Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and The Story of More by Hope Jahren. Betsy Willey is a retired high school teacher, spiritual director, author of Footprints of the Soul: A Creative Guide for Spiritual Journey Groups, and retreat leader. She has spent years hiking and camping in the wilderness, including 20 trips to The Boundary Waters of Minnesota.

Need help with a device or setting up an online account? <br/><br/>Gabe can help on Tuesdays from 11am - 3pm!<br/><br/>Call 231-533-8814 if you have questions or want to schedule a session.<br/>

oin Anne as she reviews the lives of these two great British poets. Elizabeth was in many ways an 18th-century woman with the profile of a 21st-century one. Not only writing poetry, but she also spoke out against slavery, child abuse, and racial/ethnic prejudice. Robert met Elizabeth through her poetry and later visited her in person. She was six years older. Each admired the other’s poetry and soon fell in love. They married secretly as her controlling father disapproved and disinherited any child who did marry. Robert wrote dramatic poetical dialogues conveying action, setting, and character. Anne will review a new well-received biography of Elizabeth, Two Way Mirror by Fiona Sampson, and a biography of Robert Browning by G.K. Chesterton. Anne Horvitz, J.D. received her Masters from Harvard and her J.D. from Cooley Law School.

Join us for 15 days of free lectures streaming at the historic Ramsdell Theatre. January 10: Angela Williams Gorrell The Gravity of Joy January 11: L. Gregory Jones Trusting Institutions: Rediscovering the Power of Christianity's Surprise January 12: Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers Keeping it Nuanced: How to have Grace-filled Political Conversations January 13: Reuben Miller Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration January 14: Rick Steves Why Travel Makes Us Better Global Citizens January 17: Latasha Morrison in Celebration of MLK Day Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation January 18: Max Stossel We've Been Sneaking Into Your Brain: The Ture Impact of Social Media January 19: Admiral James Stavridis Geopolitical Security Concerns in a Technologically Transforming World January 20: Colum McCann Making Peace with Stories January 21 N.T. Wright Galatians in Three Dimensions January 24 G. Sujin Pak Wrestling with the Word: Biblical Interpretation through Church History January 25: Simply Three Simply Three in Concert & Conversation January 26: Col. Nicole Malachowski Harnessing Headwinds of Change January 27: Brad Montague Becoming Better Grownups January 28: Gary Schmidt In the Tangles of Our Minds: Why Stories Move Us

This presentation will highlight important trends in the US economy and spotlight particular policy issues that might have a significant bearing on future trends in important economic series: GDP, employment, inflation, interest rates, among others. Particular attention will be paid to the lingering economic consequences of the pandemic. Jon Haveman is the Executive Director of the National Economic Education Delegation (NEED). He has a reputation for providing audiences with edible economic information that is readily useful in their work and private lives. Jon was previously a Senior Economist with the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and he also held a faculty position in the Business School at Purdue University. Dr. Haveman holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan.

In this session, we’ll go back in time to survey the wild biography of one of America’s most famous, and most tragic writers, Edgar Allan Poe. From his mysterious parentage and unusual adoption, to his gentrified Southern upbringing, time at West Point and in the army, through his embattled writing career, heart-rending romances, and final, perplexing death. Dr. Stevens will follow a life: part tragedy, part mystery, and very much tied in with his dark imaginative vision. Included in the discussion will be a chronological survey of Poe’s poetic works, showing a sensitive young mind in love with the music of words, but pressed hard by images of unrequited longing and death. Michael Stevens, Ph.D., teaches American and Russian Literature and Creative Writing at Cornerstone University. He received his doctorate in literature from the University of Dallas.

January's movie is "The Hudsucker Proxy," rated PG.<br/><br/>Join us at 6:30 p.m.<br/><br/>Free popcorn!

The Harbor Springs Area Historical Society’s Program Coordinator Beth Wemigwase shares the story of Ephraim Shay during this roughly one-hour lecture on Tuesday, January 18 at 7:00 pm. The presentation will include a look at Shay’s 50-foot steel yacht the “Aha,” his unique, stamped-steel home, and the invention which made him famous, the Shay geared locomotive. Wemigwase has been with the Historical Society for seven years, following her internship with the Mackinac State Historic Parks. Originally from Ohio, she received her Master’s in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University.

At a time when American democracy seems especially perilous to some, it may serve as a useful reminder that democracy in general has always vibrated between the poles of anarchy and tyranny, and American democracy in particular generates high levels of uncertainty, anxiety, and dissolution. Perhaps this is why the great French author Alexis de Tocqueville, described Democracy in America as “filling his soul with a kind of religious terror.” In this seminar, we will explore the main themes of this classic work, identifying democracy’s perils as well as its promises, its dangers and its demands, and the hope that it provides for nourishing freedom. Maybe, Tocqueville seems to be saying, it’s not a particular politician or party that makes us crazy, it might be American democracy itself. Jeff Polet, Ph.D. is a professor of Political Science at Hope College where he teaches political theory. He has published in the area of electoral law, faith-based initiatives, and marriage policy on the public policy side of things, and on important themes and thinkers in contemporary political thought.

Join us for 15 days of free lectures streaming at the historic Ramsdell Theatre. January 10: Angela Williams Gorrell The Gravity of Joy January 11: L. Gregory Jones Trusting Institutions: Rediscovering the Power of Christianity's Surprise January 12: Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers Keeping it Nuanced: How to have Grace-filled Political Conversations January 13: Reuben Miller Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration January 14: Rick Steves Why Travel Makes Us Better Global Citizens January 17: Latasha Morrison in Celebration of MLK Day Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation January 18: Max Stossel We've Been Sneaking Into Your Brain: The Ture Impact of Social Media January 19: Admiral James Stavridis Geopolitical Security Concerns in a Technologically Transforming World January 20: Colum McCann Making Peace with Stories January 21 N.T. Wright Galatians in Three Dimensions January 24 G. Sujin Pak Wrestling with the Word: Biblical Interpretation through Church History January 25: Simply Three Simply Three in Concert & Conversation January 26: Col. Nicole Malachowski Harnessing Headwinds of Change January 27: Brad Montague Becoming Better Grownups January 28: Gary Schmidt In the Tangles of Our Minds: Why Stories Move Us