OLLI-UA Speaker Series Recordings

Please click on the links below to watch a selection of our webinar recordings.

Sowing the Seeds of Change:
The Story of the Community Food Bank
of Southern Arizona

Click here to watch the recording of the December 13th presentation.

Description:

The story of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFB) is a remarkable tale of a sustained, compassionate response to a problem of staggering proportions: there are about 35 million food-insecure people in America today! In Sowing the Seeds of Change (UAPress 2022), author Seth Schindler explores the innovative solutions that the CFB has developed.

The CFB is one of the oldest and most respected food banks in America. It is a widely recognized leader in addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty through community development, education and advocacy. In 2018, Feeding America - the national organization of food banks - named it “Food Bank of the Year.” The CFB serves as a model for all nonprofits to follow, no matter their mission.

Presenter: Dr. Seth Schindler, Author and Anthropologist

The Beloved Border: Humanity and Hope in a Contested Land

Click here to watch the recording of the December 9th presentation.

Description:

Miriam Davidson discusses The Beloved Border (UAPress 2021), her new book of reporting that takes a wide-ranging look at current border issues, puts recent events in historical and other contexts, and describes positive ways in which border people are working to solve problems and build a better future for the region. Miriam's award-winning journalism has appeared in the New York Times, the AARP Bulletin, the Arizona Republic, The Nation, The Progressive, and many other outlets.

Presenter: Miriam Davidson, Journalist and Author

Cartels and Violence in Mexico:
Drug Wars & Covert Netherworlds

Click here to watch the recording of the November 15th presentation.

Description:

James Creechan, author of Drug Wars and Covert Netherworlds (UAPress 2021), reviews how Mexican Drug Cartels emerged to unleash social disruption and escalating violence over five decades. It describes how cartels forged links to respectable society and government officials, but never hesitated to resort to violence to achieve new goals. 

Presenter: James Creechan, Retired Professor of Sociology, University of Alberta

Discovering Mars: A History of Observation and Exploration of the Red Planet

Click here to watch the recording of the November 1st presentation.

Description:

Co-Author William Sheehan discusses his latest University of Arizona Press publication, Discovering Mars: A History of Observation and Exploration of the Red Planet. Discovering Mars vividly conveys the way our understanding of this other planet has grown from earliest times to the present. The narrative of our quest for the Red Planet has showcased some of our species’ most hopeful attributes: curiosity, cooperation, exploration, and the restless drive to understand our place in the larger universe.

Presenter: William Sheehan, Astronomy Historian

Noam Chomsky: What Kind of Creatures are We?

Click here to watch the recording of the October 18th presentation.

Description:

Professor Noam Chomsky elaborates on fifty years of scientific development in the study of language, sketching how his own work has implications for the origins of language, the close relations that language bears to thought, and its eventual biological basis.

Presenter: Noam Chomsky, Laureate Professor, University of Arizona Department of Linguistics. World-renowned linguist, public intellectual, and political activist. Considered the founder of modern linguistics, Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world and one of the most cited scholars in modern history.

Reaching Across the Racial Divide

Click here to watch the recording of the October 4th presentation.

Description:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that “the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” As daughters, Betty Kilby Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby found a way to live Dr. King’s dream. They share their story of discovering their family connections and embarking on a path toward reconciliation and reparation. You'll learn ways that you can reach across the racial divide and work toward racial reconciliation, whether or not your family has connections to slavery.

Hear Betty and Phoebe share stories from their 2021 book, Cousins: Connected Through Slavery, A Black woman and a White woman discover their past - and each other.

Presenters: Dr. Betty Kilby Baldwin & Ms. Phoebe Kilby

The Death of Hong Kong: 'One Country, Two Systems' under the new National Security Law

Click here to watch the recording of the September 20th presentation.

Description:

Mark discusses Hong Kong in recent years, as China has stepped in directly to end Hong Kong's "one country, two systems" framework, imposing a new national security law that undermines Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, ends Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong, and fundamentally damages the rule of law in Hong Kong. Basic changes are coming to governance and elections, education, the media, the previously independent Judiciary, and to any oppositional voices in Hong Kong's civil society. 

Presenter: Mark L. Sheldon, former Hong Kong Office Director of the Yale-China Association, based at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Asia College.

New York City Blues: Postwar Portraits from Harlem to the Village and Beyond with Larry Simon

Click here to watch the recording of the August 23rd presentation.

Description:

Musician/composer/author Larry Simon will discuss his book New York City Blues (University Press of Mississippi), the first-ever book on the history of the post-World War II New York City blues scene. Enjoy a detailed explanation from a musician's view. Larry will share rare audio & video clips as well as photographs from his personal archives. 

Presenter: Larry Simon, https://www.larrysimon-music.com

Voice Acting Deep Dive with Dee Bradley Baker

Click here to watch the recording of the August 9th presentation.

Description:

Hollywood voice actor Dee Bradley Baker takes you on an energetic journey into the art and career of voice acting. His voice is featured in hundreds of TV shows, movies and top video games. Over the past three decades, Dee has earned an extraordinary reputation among show creators and fans alike, with his chameleon-like acting skills and his wide range of realistic creature vocal acting.

Presenter: Dee Bradley Baker - read his full bio here.

Inside the FBI with Frank Figliuzzi

Click here to watch the recording of the July 26th presentation.

Description:

Frank served 25 years as an FBI Special Agent and retired as its head of counterintelligence. He is the best-selling author of The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau's Code of Excellence, and a popular National Security Analyst for NBC News. He hosts the podcast "The Bureau with Frank Figliuzzi" where he interviews active duty FBI personnel as they share their mission, their cases, and their lives.

Presenter: Frank Figliuzzi, Former FBI Assistant Director, best-selling author, and current NBC News National Security Analyst

Dear Bob... Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G. I.s of WW2

Click here to watch the recording of the July 19th presentation.

Description:

Martha Bolton, Bob Hope's first female staff comedy writer, shares memories of Bob Hope and a behind-the-scenes look at the writing of Dear Bob... Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G. I.s of WW2, her new book written with Bob's daughter Linda Hope.

Presenter: Martha Bolton, comedy writer, author, playwright

A Cartoonist's Perspective in 2021 with David Fitzsimmons

Click here to watch the recording of the June 14th presentation.

Description:

David shares his political cartoons and discusses COVID-19, freedom of speech, and social protest art. David focuses on how humor helps individuals, communities, nations, and political theories to endure.

Presenter: David Fitzsimmons, cartoonist for The Arizona Daily Star, syndicated to over 800 news publications around the world

Peace Corps Service When You’re 50+

Click here to watch the recording of the May 24th presentation.

Description:

Peace Corps service is the opportunity of a lifetime. Learn about volunteer experiences from those who served later in life. Service opportunities available in Health and Education, Environment, Agriculture, Youth in Development, and Community in Development.
Learn more at: https://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/is-peace-corps-right-for-me/50plus/

Presenter: Anastasia Bannikova, Regional Peace Corps Recruiter for Arizona

Friendship Bridge: Going Beyond Microcredit

Click here to watch the recording of the May 17th presentation.

Description:

Friendship Bridge is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers women in Guatemala to build a better life through the vehicles of microfinance, education, and health services. Today we reach more than 22,000 women through our Microcredit Plus program.
Learn more at https://www.friendshipbridge.org/

Presenter: Dana Hayes, Friendship Bridge

Please keep supporting your local OLLI program!

Please know we offer all this in the spirit of sharing content across our network and are not looking to recruit members or donors. Our feeling is this is a unique opportunity to bring together the larger Osher network, offer engaging content, and leverage larger audiences to entice bigger speakers. Stay safe and well!

Resources:

• Zoom Info: Visit our Zoom Reference Page
• Questions: Contact OLLI-UA