Instructor: Sr. Fran McManus, RSM
Dates: February 26-April 9, 2026 (on Thursdays) (6 classes) No class on April 2nd
Time: 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Location: ZOOM
Fee: $ 60.00

The usual characterization of Carson McCullers’ writings as Southern Gothic is both accurate and too limiting. The author describes her expansive writing process as an imaginative mix of memory and insight, reality and dream. After an introductory class, we will explore McCullers imaginative world through the following texts: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Member of the Wedding, The Ballad of the Sad Café and The Clock without Hands. Note: Several of these works have been adapted for stage and screen, but our class discussion will be based on the original novels and novellas.

Instructor: Sr. Fran McManus, RSM
Dates: March 2-April 20, 2026 (on Mondays) (7 class sessions total)|No Class on April 6
Time: 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Location: ZOOM
Fee: $ 60.00

One of the most influential poets bridging modern and postmodern poetry, Elizabeth Bishop presents us with detailed personal observations and descriptions of the animals, persons and places she encountered during her many international travels. Personal, though not confessional, expressed in established poetic forms and free verse, Bishop’s poems demonstrate her extraordinary ability to see and present the ordinary in a new light. For the first hour and a half of the class, we will discuss the poems and then in the last half hour all who wish to participate will spend some time writing poems in the style or theme of the evening’s discussion. Those who do not wish to participate in the writing are welcome to remain online and listen to optional sharing of the first draft poems or to leave the session around 7:30PM.

Instructor: Denise De Vito
Date: Friday, March 13, 2026
Time: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Room: Clare Room
Fee: $ 60.00

This is an all-day seminar that will introduce some of the illustrious women saints, laywomen and martyrs from South Korea, China, India, Japan, the Philippines, and other areas of southeast Asia. Through a history of the rise of Christianity in South Korea, discussion of cultural and historical resources, readings, and a short film presentation, participants will explore the history and spiritual quests of the individuals presented as well as their achievements and tribulations.