Memoir Writing Workshop: Facilitator: Norma Libman: Thursdays- 10-12PM: Dates: 2/22-3/14; 4Â Sessions
Course Description:Â Whether you are thinking of writing the story of your life, already launched into the project but stalled, or humming along and wanting to meet with others who are also wanting to tell their story, this is the class for you. Special exercises will help you remember events you haven’t thought about in years. Feedback will be provided for those who want it, but no one has to read, allowing you the freedom to write anything you want.
Facilitator: Norma Libman is an educator and journalist who has had more than 500 articles published in newspapers and other publications nationwide. She is the author of three award-winning books  (one is a memoir!) and she regularly teaches writing, and lectures on literature and history subjects.
Finding Tranquility in an Distressing World: Facilitator: Dennis Bumgarner:Â Thursdays-1-3 PM (3 Sessions):Â April 11, 18, 25
Course Description: A sense of peace and contentment can be hard to come by in this often unsettling world. We trouble ourselves with regret about the past. anxiety about the future, and angst regarding the present. Drawing upon current research as well as the wisdom of the ages, this course will be a discussion of approaches and techniques that you can use to bring tranquility to your uneasy mind in a world rife with divisiveness, havoc, and discord. Note: this will not be a mindfulness or yoga class, so you can leave your mat at home.
Facilitator: Dennis Bumgarner, MSW, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and family counselor who operates a private practice in Placitas. He has worked with the full range of people of all ages and personal adjustment issues.  Additionally, he is a clinical supervisor for the New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project. He has presented more than nine hundred trainings on matters related to human behavior and performance during the course of his forty-five year career.
All The News: Facilitator: Ron Richman:Â Mondays via Zoom 10-12PM;Â Feb 19 through May 6
Course Description: This class which meets once per week, is our only Zoom class. The class will discuss current affairs, that includes: art, science, politics, and world affairs. The objective is to share our understanding, and to bring new perspectives to the group and in some cases inspire action.
Facilitator: Ron Richman is president of PACE. He started PACE 5 years ago and has led it since then. He has been a resident of Placitas for 7 years, and enjoys looking behind the headlines.
Contemporary Music: Facilitator: Thomas Field:Â Wednesdays:1-3PM-(6 Sessions): Feb. 21-March 27
Description: This spring’s class will be a continuation of the Fall 2023 music appreciation sessions and we will continue examining early 20th century composers, eg. Ravel, Bartok, Strauss, Sibelius and other suggestions. Participants in the previous classes as well as new listeners are invited to join in the continuing discussion.  As before, the class will take an informal and interactive discussion approach. We will choose new compositions each week and explore them together in detail. Participants will be asked to listen to each piece several times during the week and to come to class familiar with the music.
Facilitator: Tom Field received his undergraduate degree in music with a specialty in classical piano performance and concert music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Although eventually pursuing a career in healthcare administration, he has continued his studies of music throughout his life. He has a passion for hearing new compositions for the first time, as well as for re-examining familiar works to gain new insights into the masterpieces of the classical music
Space Exploration – Past, Present, and Future: Facilitator: Carl Allen: Tuesdays:1-3PM (3 Sessions) : March 19 – April 2
Description: This class will examine humanity’s desire and capability to explore space.
Class 1: Past – Early dreams, post-war space race, humans on the Moon, seeing the planets for the first time, Earth as a planet.
Class 2: Present – Space station, space telescopes, robot explorers, samples from across the solar system.
Class 3: Future – Return to the Moon, samples from Mars, searching for life beyond Earth, humans to Mars
Facilitator: Carl Allen is a planetary geologist with research interests in the Moon and Mars.  Working much of his career at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, he led the team that preserves, protects and distributes NASA’s extraterrestrial samples.