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October

Tuesday, October 6, 7 p.m. | World Affairs Council
Partner Program: “Trump 2.0 Meets China Shock 2.0: Geopolitics, Global Trade and the American Dream” (in-person + online)
The U.S. and China are both redefining their roles in the world, with consequences that reach far beyond Washington and Beijing. Under the second Trump administration, the U.S. has pulled back from many long-standing international commitments including foreign aid, immigration and refugee policies, alliances, trade arrangements and multilateral institutions. At the same time, China has become an economic and technological powerhouse, commanding a growing share of global production and supply chains in strategic industries. China no longer relies primarily on low-cost manufacturing; it is now a major player in advanced technology, infrastructure, clean energy and global trade networks. Some analysts warn of a “China shock 2.0,” a new wave of economic disruption tied to China’s strength in strategic industries and supply chains. How are U.S. allies, developing countries and middle powers responding to these shifts? Will they turn increasingly to China, remain aligned with the U.S. or seek a path between the two?
Dr. Katherine Palmer Kaup is James B. Duke Professor of Asian Studies and Politics & International Affairs at Furman University.
Join online via Zoom.

Wednesday, October 7, 7 p.m. | WNC Sierra Club
Partner Program: “This Fall’s Election: What’s at Stake?” (in-person + online)
Ken Brame, WNC Sierra Club’s political co-chair, will talk about what is at stake in this year’s election – nationally, in North Carolina and locally. We will learn more about which races will be most competitive, what the political climate looks like, what the potential outcomes are, the implications for the environment and how you can get involved and make a difference.
Ken Brame is the former chair of both the national Sierra Club political committee and the NC Sierra Club political committee.
Join online via Zoom, and read more on the WNC Sierra Club’s website.

Friday, October 9, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “Human Sexuality and Aging: Intimacy, Desire and the Changing Body” (in-person + online)
Sexuality is a natural part of the human experience throughout the lifespan, yet it is often overlooked or misunderstood as we age. We will provides an overview of sexuality and intimacy in later life including how normal aging and hormonal changes can affect the body, sexual function and desire. We will explore common misconceptions about sexuality and aging, the influence of health conditions and medications, and the many ways intimacy and sexual expression may evolve over time. We will also briefly discuss practical approaches to common concerns and the importance of maintaining open conversations about sexual health as part of healthy aging.
Golnosh Sharafsaleh is a geriatrics physician at Golden Oak Medicine in Asheville and is board-certified in geriatrics and family medicine. She serves as the program director of the geriatric fellowship at UNC Health Blue Ridge. Golnosh earned a graduate degree in gerontology prior to medical school, where she focused on the psychosocial aspects of aging. Her areas of interest are aging well and cognitive disorders.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 9, 2 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum
Partner Program: “Warp, Weft and the Grid” (in-person + online)
Join Asheville Art Museum head of learning and engagement Julie Levin Caro for a presentation on the exhibition Warp, Weft and the Grid. This exhibition highlights the artistic significance of early 20th-century Southern Appalachian coverlets, exploring how the designs of these handwoven textiles anticipated many of the same visually arresting motifs at the heart of modernist geometric abstraction in later 20th-century art. It offers new perspectives on the experimental ethos of weavers in the region. This lecture is open to all and will also provide valuable background for anyone who registers for the field trip to the exhibition on Saturday, October 17 or visits on their own time.
Join online via Zoom, and read more about the exhibition on the Asheville Art Museum’s website.

Sunday, October 11, 5:30 p.m. | Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association
Partner Program: “It’s Electric! Mother Nature and All Its Fury” (in-person + online)
Georgia Walters has a special connection nature, one many cannot fully appreciate. She was born with a severe hearing impairment, so while most people hear and observe Mother Nature, Georgia’s love of nature is strictly from the visual perspective, allowing her to observe it in a way many have not. Join us as she shares her story and her love of outdoors.
To join online and for more information, visit the CNPA-Asheville Region’s website.

Thursday, October 15, 4:30 p.m.
OLLI Authors (in-person + online)
Elizabeth Wallace and Joe Beckham
Elizabeth Wallace’s summer jobs in New York’s Finger Lakes, where she worked with migrants and the disabled, helped to shape her professional life and the ways in which she experienced the world. She received degrees as a speech language therapist, a Montessori teacher, a reading specialist and an ESL teacher—all of this closely related to language. As a reader Elizabeth discovered poetry and realized that it was the vehicle she longed for to give expression to her world. 
Joe Beckham, professor emeritus at Florida State University, writes poetry rooted in the landscapes and communities of Western North Carolina that explores connection, impermanence and the quiet revelations of ordinary moments. His poem “Memento Mori” appears in the North Carolina Bards 2026 anthology, and his debut collection The Mountain Keeps Its Own Time: Poems and Photographs from Western North Carolina pairs his poetry with photographs by Skip Sickler in celebration of place, attention and the natural world.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 16, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “One Person/One Vote: Popular Voting” (in-person + online)
We will cover the history of the League of Women Voters’ position on election of the president, history and problems of the electoral college, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact as a better way to use the electoral college, activities in North Carolina including the North Carolina for the National Popular Vote coalition of nonpartisan, pro-democracy organizations, and resources for more information.
Following a career at the National Institutes of Health, Suzanne Fisher’s volunteer activities have included multiple library groups, historic preservation groups, property owners’ association committees and board, and the League of Women Voters. She is currently the president of the Asheville-Buncombe County League of Women Voters, secretary of the League of Women Voters North Carolina and leader of the National Popular Vote Action Team for Asheville-Buncombe County and the statewide Action Team for Election of the President by Popular Vote.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 16, 2 p.m. | Alzheimer’s Association – Western North Carolina Chapter
Partner Program: “Advances in Treatment for Alzheimer’s”
In the United States, a new person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease every 65 seconds. Join us for this informative presentation to learn about the latest FDA-approved treatments in the fight against Alzheimer’s. We will review the benefits and side effects of treatments and discuss pathways to treatment access. We will also provide resources offered through the Alzheimer’s Association.

Friday, October 16, 4:30 p.m.
OLLI Program: “Fall Member Social”
Join your OLLI friends in the Reuter Center’s lower level to socialize! Enjoy a casual cookout style supper (including vegetarian and vegan options), drinks and music with friends old and new. Make sure that your OLLI friends know about the event and are registered, and bring a friend if you would like to introduce them to the OLLI community.
Register to attend.

Friday, October 16, 5 p.m. | Death Café
Partner Program: “Death Café”
Death Café is an engaging gathering with storytelling and conversation about a topic that too often alienates people in our death-phobic culture. At Death Café, participants break into small groups of five or six people and discuss personal stories related to the death of loved ones; loss of jobs, relationships or marriages; or loss or death of parts of ourselves. These programs are facilitated by Karen Sanders, Greg Lathrop and Saïd Osio from Third Messenger. Learn more about Death Café by visiting the Death Café website, the Third Messenger website, or facebook.com/deathcafeasheville. If you have questions about meetings of Death Café at the Reuter Center, please contact Karen Sanders at 828-778-8882.

Saturday, October 17, 3 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum
Field Trip: “Warp, Weft and the Grid”
Join fellow OLLI members for a private guided tour of the exhibition Warp, Weft and the Grid, which highlights the artistic significance of early 20th-century Southern Appalachian coverlets, exploring how the designs of these handwoven textiles anticipated many of the same visually arresting motifs at the heart of modernist geometric abstraction in later 20th-century art.
Space is limited; registration is required. Cost (includes private guided tours/discussions of special exhibitions; does not include transportation or parking): $15. To register through October 15, log into our online registration system.

Sunday, October 18, 2:30 p.m. | The Autumn Players
Partner Program: “Last of the Red Hot Lovers by Neil Simon”
Barney Cashman, married and middle-aged, wants to join the sexual revolution before it is too late! Directed by Ellen Pappas.
Read more about  and purchase tickets online via the Autumn Players’ website for $11; any remaining tickets will be sold for $11 (cash only) at the door beginning at 2 p.m. prior to each performance.

Tuesday, October 20, 4:30 p.m.
STEAM Lecture Series: “Hurricane Helene Impacts and Recovery Efforts: An Update” (in-person + online)
Hurricane Helene arrived in Western North Carolina in late September 2024 and had a devastating impact on people, property and infrastructure due to massive rainfall and flooding, high winds, tree damage and landslides. In January 2025, Rich Wiener reviewed the science of Hurricane Helene and its impacts at the Reuter Center. In this talk, he will briefly recap elements of the storm and consequent flooding and landslides, and provide an update on recovery efforts. These include major repairs on roads and bridges, debris removal, hardening of infrastructure, impacts to population and the local economy and the involvement of FEMA.
Rich Wiener holds a doctorate in geology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His work history includes 30 years of geoscience experience at ExxonMobil, field research at the New York State Geological Survey and teaching geology courses at State University of New York Oneonta. Since retirement in 2011, Rich has taught courses in geology, energy and climate at CFS.
Join online via Zoom.

Thursday, October 22, 2 p.m.
College for Seniors Information Session: “You Too Can Teach!” (in-person + online)
Are you interested in (or curious about) teaching a course at the College for Seniors? You may have never thought that you could be an OLLI instructor, but you too can teach! Our instructors run the gamut from retired teachers and professionals to those with deep knowledge of a certain topic. The common thread with all our instructors is passion for their subject matter and a desire to share it with peers. The process of becoming an instructor is not daunting. Current CFS instructors will introduce what teaching at OLLI is all about and demystify the process from having an idea for a course through creating a good proposal. All of your questions about teaching will be answered!
Register to attend in-person or online via Zoom.

Thursday, October 22, 5 p.m.
OLLI and Center for Jewish Studies Program: “What Antisemitism Says about the Past, Present and Future”
Geared towards a non-specialized audience, this accessible public talk illustrates the history of one of humanity’s “favorite” hatreds: antisemitism. We will connect the dots of a specific pattern in the Western worldview which, through hundreds of years, allowed certain prejudices to root so deeply in people’s minds to become real, factual, ineluctable… to the point that, when horrific acts of injustice take place (such as genocides), many eagerly take part, some cowardly look the other way and others see them as justified or understandable. We will also illuminate how this mentality does not simply pertain to the hatred of Jews but easily adapts to serve all varieties of racist, misogynistic and xenophobic intolerance.
F. K. Schoeman is professor of English and Jewish studies at the University of South Carolina. Her scholarship centers on the Holocaust, antisemitism, Jewish women’s cultural production and Jewish ecocriticism. In 2023, she was appointed by Governor Harry McMaster to the board of the South Carolina Council on the Holocaust, with the task to monitor, support and expand Holocaust education in South Carolina at all school levels. She is the author of South of My Dreams – Finding My American Home (a memoir) and Holocaust Mothers and Daughters: Family, History and Trauma. Schoeman sees herself as a public intellectual, and as such she contributes her mass-market pieces to regional newspapers, national and international online outlets, and is often interviewed on issues of antisemitism in the U.S. and about teaching the Holocaust in the South. She is the creator and host of “Take on Life,” a podcast about expats in the United States.
This program is free and open to everyone and is not available on Zoom. Security will be present for the event.

Friday, October 23, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “Pelvic Health as We Age” (in-person + online)
We will provide an overview of what pelvic health actually means from the perspective of a pelvic-health physical therapist. We will cover common issues both men and women experience through their lifespan, what the pelvic floor is and how we can address these issues.
Annie Barnes is a physical therapist who specializes in orthopedic and pelvic-health physical therapy. She has worked with patients of all ages to help them feel good and move well without holding back due to the quiet suffering that often comes with pelvic-health issues.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 23, 3 p.m.
OLLI Life Transitions Program: “Advance Care Planning Workshop”
This workshop will feature a panel whose members are experienced in addressing end-of-life issues. Discussion will include communicating your treatment wishes to loved ones and to medical personnel, ethical and legal issues, and the uses of advance directives. Ample time will be reserved for questions. Assistance will be provided for anyone wishing to complete a legally valid advance directive including the notarization required in North Carolina. This workshop is a project of OLLI’s Life Transitions programs with additional support provided by Four Seasons and McGuire Wood & Bissette Law Firm.
Register to attend.

Sunday, October 25, 3 p.m. | Asheville Senior Chorus
Partner Program: “The House We Live in: Broadway Celebrates America at 250”
The United States turns 250 this fall, and Broadway has been throwing the party for more than a century. Every one of the songs we will sing has a story. Some of the stories are funny, a few are heartbreaking and at least two involve Irving Berlin putting something in a drawer. The program runs in seven chapters, like a parade moving through town. Twice, the parade stops. Then it picks back up and marches home.
Admission is free, but donations are happily accepted. Read more about the concert.

Tuesday, October 27, 6 p.m. | Asheville Museum of History
Partner Program: “History Hour: The History of Fred Seely’s Overlook Castle” (in-person + online)
While he was constructing Asheville’s Grove Park Inn, Fred Seely began a construction project that enabled him to stretch his creativity: his own house. This house was unlike any other as it was modeled after a 16th-century monastery called Forde Abbey in England. It was constructed from the same granite as the Grove Park Inn and built at the top of Town Mountain. Seely entertained presidents and political figures at his 20,000 square foot castle when they were in town visiting Grove Park Inn. Over time, the myths and stories about Seely’s castle would grow bigger than the house itself! Join Heath Towson, owner of Mountaineer Motor Tours, as we explore the history of Seely’s Castle and what it is used for today.
Register to attend, and read more on the Asheville Museum of History’s website.

Wednesday, October 28, 7 p.m. | Blue Ridge Audubon
Partner Program: “Seasonal Movements of North Carolina Northern Saw-Whet Owls” (in-person + online)
Clayton Gibb will present the early findings of his northern saw-whet owl tagging project. His presentation will delve into the world of avian tracking technologies, Southern Appalachian sky islands and the breeding biology of these elusive predators.
Clayton Gibb is a researcher with Wild Bird Research Group, a bird research and education nonprofit. He is a former board member of Asheville’s Blue Ridge Audubon chapter and has previously worked for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission on various bird monitoring and research projects. He is currently pursuing his graduate degree in biology at Western Carolina University.
The program will begin at 7 p.m., with a preceding social period beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Join online via Zoom, and learn more on the Blue Ridge Audubon’s website.

Friday, October 30, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “‘Not Gauguin’: The Dramatic Story of a Self-Exiled German Artist in Tahiti” (in-person + online)
Wolfgang Wolff fled Nazi Germany with his wife in 1934, becoming a successful artist in Tahiti. With the onset of World War II, Wolff was incarcerated with fellow “enemy aliens” by the French, where he documented that prison experience. In 1948 Wolff left for California with his wife and son. There he designed textiles that were the popular Hawaiian fabrics of the 1950s that continue to be in demand by collectors.
Goetz Wolff was born in Tahiti, then immigrated to and grew up in the United States. After completing graduate school at Yale University, he first taught at UNC Asheville, then at the University of California Los Angeles until he retired and returned to settle in Western North Carolina.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 30, 2:30 p.m. | Council on Aging of Buncombe County
Partner Program: “Introduction to Medicare – Understanding the Puzzle”
In workshops presented by the Council on Aging in Buncombe County in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Insurance Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, we will learn how Medicare works, about the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties and ways to save money. Anyone who is ready to join Medicare or is a caregiver or family member helping older adults with the Medicare insurance may want to attend this informative session. To register visit the Council on Aging of Buncombe County’s website or call 828.277.8288.

November

Sunday, November 1
Last day to submit CFS spring 2027 course proposals
Visit the Forms page to access the CFS Spring 2027 Course Proposal form. Instructors may choose to proposal a course on the term’s theme, “USA at 250: Revolution, Evolution, Innovation, Inspiration“; read more about the theme term.

Sunday, November 1, 3 p.m.
Center for Jewish Studies Program: “Kierkegaard Meets the Rabbis: The Surprising Origins of Jewish Existentialism”
Sponsored by OLLI and the Center for Jewish Studies at UNC Asheville.

Friday, November 6, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “Reclaim Healthcare” (in-person + online)
Join North Carolina Senator Julie Mayfield as she leads a panel discussion with Kathey Avery, Miriam Schwarz and Bruce Kelly on reclaiming healthcare.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, November 6, 2 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum
Partner Program: “The Art of Paper” (in-person + online)
Join Asheville Art Museum assistant curator Robin Klaus for an in-depth exploration of the artists and artworks in the exhibition The Art of Paper. The exhibition features 66 works by leading artists of the 20th and 21st centuries including Helen Frankenthaler, James Rosenquist, Frank Stella, Jasper Johns, Mark Bradford, Glenn Ligon and others who have redefined handmade paper as an expressive artistic medium. Drawn exclusively from the renowned collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, the exhibition highlights the inventive intersections of papermaking, printmaking and collaborative artistic practice. This lecture is open to all and will also provide valuable background for anyone who registers for the field trip to the exhibition on Saturday, November 14 (see below) or visits on their own time.
Join online via Zoom, and read more about the exhibition on the Asheville Art Museum’s website.

Friday, November 13
Last day of CFS fall 2026 term

Friday, November 13, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “Objects and Meaning: What Is Craft?” (in-person + online)
In 20th-century America, volumes were written about art with discussions of craft often an afterthought. Art history’s use of painting as a singular standard has left three-dimensional objects to adjust to a language largely written from a flattened, two-dimensional perspective. With frustration, scholars and writers attempt to apply a language structured upon the painted image to volumetric form. We will examine how academic disciplines and cultural institutions have assigned meaning to expressive objects over time; challenge today’s art world’s vision of the arts; and spark a lively debate.
Anna Fariello spent 10 years as a professional ceramist before earning graduate degrees in museum studies and art history and shifting her career toward research, writing and curation. Her textbook Objects and Meaning (2003) was one of the first books that looked at the history and theory behind craft practice, while her exhibition of the same year, Movers and Makers, focused on the Appalachian Craft Revival. Anna has been an associate professor at three state universities where she curated traditional and digital collections.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, November 13, 3 p.m. | Asheville Symphony Orchestra + Bob Moog Foundation
Partner Program: “The Evolution of the Moog Legacy, the Iconic Minimoog and Bob Moog’s Connection to Asheville”
Michelle Moog-Koussa, executive director, Bob Moog Foundation
We will draw from archival photos and other historical materials from the Bob Moog Foundation’s archives and the Moog family archives to explore synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog’s journey as an inquisitive child interested in science through some of his crowning achievements and considerable challenges. In conjunction with the Asheville Symphony’s upcoming U.S. premiere of Gabriel Prokofiev’s Minimoog Concerto, we will lend insight into the development of the iconic Minimoog and its many applications. Bob Moog’s connection to Asheville over more than 30 years will also be explored.

Saturday, November 14, 3 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum
Field Trip: “The Art of Paper”
Join fellow OLLI members at the Asheville Art Museum for a guided tour of the exhibition The Art of Paper, which features 66 works by leading artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Helen Frankenthaler, James Rosenquist, Frank Stella, Jasper Johns, Mark Bradford, Glenn Ligon and others who have redefined handmade paper as an expressive artistic medium. Space is limited; registration is required. Cost (includes private guided tours/discussions of special exhibitions; does not include transportation or parking): $20. To register, log into our online registration system.

Friday, November 20, 2 p.m. | Alzheimer’s Association – Western North Carolina Chapter
Partner Program: “Comfort & Joy: Navigating the Holidays with Dementia”
The holiday season can bring both joy and added challenges for families caring for someone living with dementia. This presentation offers practical tips to help reduce stress and create meaningful experiences, covering topics such as safety, travel, managing traditions, gift-giving, and setting realistic expectations. Participants will leave with simple strategies to help make the holidays more comfortable and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Friday, November 20, 5 p.m. | Death Café
Partner Program: “Death Café”
Death Café is an engaging gathering with storytelling and conversation about a topic that too often alienates people in our death-phobic culture. At Death Café, participants break into small groups of five or six people and discuss personal stories related to the death of loved ones; loss of jobs, relationships or marriages; or loss or death of parts of ourselves. These programs are facilitated by Karen Sanders, Greg Lathrop and Saïd Osio from Third Messenger. Learn more about Death Café by visiting the Death Café website, the Third Messenger website, or facebook.com/deathcafeasheville. If you have questions about meetings of Death Café at the Reuter Center, please contact Karen Sanders at 828-778-8882.