Community Calendar

You’ve been listening to Perspectives for years and you’ve had an idea or two you wanted to share, but maybe you're not sure of the next step. How do you take your unique perspective and turn it into a 90-second commentary to share with your fellow public radio listeners?

Join us at the Rockford Public Library East Branch for a free, fun, low pressure workshop where we discuss taking your fresh ideas, shaping them, and getting them on the air.

We'll bring the coffee, you bring your ideas! We also suggest bringing a notebook to write in.

Workshop host Dan Libman was one of the original Perspectivists for WNIJ and is the author of the story collection Married But Looking. Dan has been an editor and a writing teacher and has won a Pushcart Prize and an Illinois Art Council grant in prose. Dan read his This I Believe essay, Discomfort, on the Bob Edward show in 2013.

In this workshop, you will make a Lavender Bath Salts Blend! This simple and easy recipe for bath salts is perfect for relaxation.

The program is first come, first served as space is limited. It is intended for teens and adults.

For additional information, please contact Grace at graces@dkpl.org or call (815) 756-9568 ext. 2110.

This presentation will help you better understand the financial aid process. Kishwaukee College Financial Aid Team members will discuss the following topics:

How to apply for financial aid.
Types of aid available.
What to do once you have applied.
How to review an offer letter.

Participants will be able to ask questions and help relating to their own personal Financial Aid situation.
Greg Putra is the Director of Financial Aid & Veterans Affairs at Kishwaukee College. Greg has worked in Financial Aid for 14 years in many different roles. In addition to working in financial aid offices, Greg has worked as a consultant helping families navigate the FAFSA and financial aid process.

This program is free and intended for teens and their parents. No registration is required.

For additional information, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.

Looking for a simple and natural solution to help with your sleep? In this workshop, patrons will be able to make a lavender mist! This simple and easy recipe is perfect for helping with sleep and relaxation.

This program is first come, first served as space is limited. It is intended for teens and adults.

If you have any questions, please contact Grace at graces@dkpl.org or call (815) 756-9568 ext. 2110.

Pablo Neruda is one of the most important poets in Spanish-American literature. This course will examine his works from a chronological perspective. Not only was he the literature Nobel Prize winner in 1971, but also a truly revolutionary author whose works renovated poetry in the Spanish language. Each class period will present one aspect of his life, from his literary background, to looking at his best-known poetry, to his most ambitious volumes, and ending with his later poetic output.

Convener: Francisco Solares-Larrave was born in Guatemala, where he completed his
studies in literature and philosophy before arriving in the United States in 1988 to do graduate studies in comparative literature at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish-American literature and currently teaches Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Culture at NIU.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50+ who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just learning for the fun of it.

During the last ten years, there have been giant steps in the development of effective alternatives to carbon-producing energy sources. We will look at many of these improvements, both in cost and efficiency, and see how well countries are adopting them. Several sources of information will be examined as well as strategies we can all use in helping transition to new energy sources. Wind farms have been a part of DeKalb County for over a decade. Solar farms are following. The improvements in home-based technologies will also be considered.

Convener: Patricia Vary is a retired molecular microbiology professor from NIU, who has taught many LLI courses, on Microbes, Climate Change, Musicals, Arctic and Antarctic-Animals, and Great US Orchestras. She has also taken many courses each semester and loves LLI and her fellow students for keeping her brain alive.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50+ who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just learning for the fun of it.

Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, all country music giants, formed a group after each had established a stellar career as a performer and writer. Over many years, these men and other singers and musicians united to release recordings, squabble occasionally, be fast friends and create a legacy. Join us for the music and mythology of
The Highwaymen.

Convener: Lynn Neeley is retired from NIU’s College of Business and now pursues many and varied interests.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50+ who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just learning for the fun of it.

Since our beginning, LLI has offered Notables, weekly talks by experts, most often NIU faculty. A full schedule of topics and speakers will be available later, but we can promise you topics ranging from the changing nature of work to health-care issues. Members have often found that topics that seemed of minor interest turned out to be intriguing. As always, we include plenty of time to ask questions.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50+ who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just learning for the fun of it.

These four sessions will explore the Italian peninsula from the Alps to Sicily, focusing on the cities, landscape, history, cuisine and sights of eight of the most important regions of the nation.

Convener: Christopher Nissen received his Ph.D. in Italian from the University of California at Berkeley in 1987, subsequently serving as a professor of Italian language and literature at Northern Illinois University from 1988 until his retirement in 2019. He is the author of numerous studies of Italian literature.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50+ who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just learning for the fun of it.

Hollywood films have much to do with how we think about history. This course will examine the representation of old New York City in four feature films: The Gangs of New York,
The Age of Innocence, The Greatest Showman and Citizen Kane. Course format will be mostly guided discussion, and to participate fully, please view the assigned films each week. (Information on streaming availability will be provided. All of the films are available from the DeKalb Public Library and many other libraries.) The four film texts provide contrasting aims and artistry in the depiction of Manhattan in the 1800s.

Convener: Jeffrey Chown has a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Michigan. He taught film-study classes in the communication studies department at NIU for 37 years, where he was a Board of Trustees Professor. He is the author of Hollywood Auteur: Francis Coppola. Among documentary films he has directed are: Barbed Wire Pioneers and Lincoln and Black Hawk. He is presently finishing a historical novel set in New York City during the Boss Tweed era.

The NIU Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), established in 2000, is a member-directed group of individuals primarily age 50+ who enjoy learning in informal, flexible, non-competitive groups and like connecting with peers who share their interests. No grades, no tests – just learning for the fun of it.