ENews January 23, 2026

January 23, 2026

• Alerts & Notices
• Colorful Surprise: Yarn Bombing Brightens OLLI Mason
• Board of Directors Meeting January 16
• Open the Doors! The OLLI Mason Guest Pass
• Spotlight on NOVA Course Series in 2026
• OLLI Ink Now Taking Submissions
• Celebrate the New Year on a High Note with OLLI's Theater Lovers' Group
• Tallwood Book Club
• Photography Club
• Poet's Corner
• Arts & Music at George Mason
• Meetings & Clubs
• About OLLI E-News

Alerts & Notices

• Remember to check the catalog updates list on the OLLI website.
• Summer term proposals are due on January 26th. Links to proposal forms are available on the OLLI Mason website for both courses and events.
• Want to be more involved in course selection? Join one or more of the subject area program planning groups. Email [email protected].
• The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, January 30; the regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, January 27, at 6:00.

Back to Top of Page

By Lisa Mariam, Executive Director


Members arriving at OLLI Mason on January 20 for the first day of term were greeted by an unexpected burst of color and creativity. The entrance and porch have been transformed by a joyful act of yarn bombing. The columns are covered in cheerful knitted and crocheted panels with words of positivity, turning the familiar posts into vibrant works of fiber art. Other fiber surprises are sprinkled throughout the entrance area and porch.

The project, created in secret by an anonymous group, was designed to bring a moment of delight to everyone returning for the winter term. Their handiwork sparked smiles throughout the day as members paused to admire the playful patterns and bright textures.

Yarn bombing, a form of street art that uses knitted or crocheted pieces to decorate public spaces, has been embraced for the warmth and whimsy it brings to everyday surroundings. At OLLI Mason, the installation serves as a reminder of the creativity and community spirit that make the institute special.

The installation will be in place at least through the end of the month. More photos of Yarn Bomb OLLI Mason, courtesy of Paul Howard, are available at the following link (or better yet, come see it for yourself): https://photos.app.goo.gl/H99mEaYscAGctoej9.

Back to Top of Page

Board of Directors Meeting January 16

 

By Robert Heyer, Secretary


President Debbie Engleson opened the OLLI Board of Directors meeting on Friday (January 16) in TA-1 and on Zoom. She announced that Bob Heyer has been approved by the Board as the new Board Nominating Committee Chair. He will have Toni Acton, Doris Bloch, Kathryn McGeehan, and Tom McDonald as members to nominate candidates to replace 5 of the 15 members on the Board. Debbie tasked the committee to recommend 5 candidates who can help the Board in areas like financial management, legal, marketing, and fund raising. The election will be after the Board meeting in May this year.

Although we began 2025 with a budget deficit, we were successful in finishing with a surplus thanks to the financial management of our Finance Committee, Treasurer, and new Executive Director, Lisa Mariam. Our Development Committee chair, Al Smuzynski, was most successful in soliciting donations from our membership from our normal $40,000 to $50,000+ for 2025! The audit of our 2024 finances was also completed.

We have increased our membership to more than 928, with 50 new members for our winter term. On Friday, May 8th, we will be holding the “OLLI Ideas Festival” to show our friends and potential members what OLLI is like with some classes, clubs, and activities. INVITE your FAMILY and FRIENDS to COME and SEE! This year is the 250th anniversary of the United States, and our classes will have that theme where appropriate.

Five resolutions on improving our OLLI Bylaws and Policy & Procedures Manual were discussed and are in process of implementation or further update.

Our next Board meeting will be at 10:00 on Friday, February 20. Come join us in TA-1 or on Zoom.

Open the Doors! The OLLI Mason Guest Pass

 

By Nancy Klein, Communications Associate


Joining a new organization often requires an upfront membership fee. For someone on the fence, a guest pass acts as a "test drive." It allows them to experience the quality of the instructors and the warmth of the community without a financial commitment. Once they see the value firsthand, the transition to a full membership becomes a natural next step.

You are OLLI Mason’s best ambassadors. By handing out guest passes, you turn a casual recommendation into a formal invitation by saying, "Don't just take my word for it—come check us out!”

Starting now, you can pick up guest passes at the main office. Guest passes (see figure for the guest pass front and back) will also be included in your spring term catalog. Let’s grow our circle of lifelong learners together.

We can’t wait to meet your guests!

Spotlight on NOVA Course Series in 2026

 

By Camille Hodges, OLLI HSS/CE Committee Chair


The Humanities and Social Sciences/Current Events (HSS/CE) Program Planning Group plans to continue featuring various communities in NOVA in its upcoming selections of courses. We have previously featured A Place Called Ilda (a community in the Annandale/Canterbury Woods area) as well as other notable communities in Fairfax by the authors of Black Communities of Fairfax: A History. Anticipated courses  are: Falls Church/Tinner Hill, Arlington (Green Valley (Nauck), Arlington View (Johnson’s Hill), Alexandria), and a history of the Fairfax County Courthouse.

If you have the desire to share expertise on historic regions in NOVA, please submit your course proposal using the link https://olli.gmu.edu/olli-course-proposal-form/ to me at mailto:mmimihodges4@gmail.

OLLI Ink Now Taking Submissions

By Margie Wildblood and Sophia Elberti, Co-Editors

It’s that time again! OLLI Ink 2026 is now accepting prose, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and essays for our literary magazine. We want to publish the OLLI Ink issue by the  beginning of April for Poetry Month.

Now in its 16th year, OLLI Ink is a well-established publication whose contributors come from a wide spectrum of OLLI members, including, but not limited to those enrolled in writing, art, and photography classes.

How to Submit: Send your entries and/or questions to both co-editors. Submissions should be formatted in Word (preferred) or pdf. Make sure your name and contact information are included on your entry. Include a maximum 50-word biography in your email.

DEADLINE: Monday, February 9, 11:59.
Send information to: Margie Wildblood [email protected]; Sophia Elberti [email protected]

GUIDELINES:
Poems – limit length to 30 lines
Prose – limit length to 2,500 words single-spaced
Art/Photos - A separate call with a different deadline will follow later about how to submit these items.

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in the previous E-News issue, but it is repeated here to encourage you to submit prose, poetry, and/or photo(s) for publication in OLLI Ink.

Celebrate the New Year on a High Note with OLLI's Theater Lovers' Group

 

By Norma Jean Reck, Coordinator, Theater Lovers’ Group


What is more celebratory than listening to heartfelt music, feeling the warmth of reuniting with an old friend from long ago, or experiencing the unbreakable human spirit and the power of love? Gather your friends and plan to join the Theater Lovers Group (TLG) to see Mason Cabaret Heart and Music: The Songs of William Finn, The Sunshine Boys, and Once on This Island, with an optional lunch beforehand.

Mason Cabaret
On Sunday, February 1 at 2pm, we will attend the matinee performance of Mason Cabaret Heart and Music: The Songs of William Finn in Harriman Theatre on the George Mason University campus. Mason's Ambassadors perform songs from Finn's award-winning musicals. Purchase Senior tickets for $19 at cfa.gmu. We will meet for lunch at 12 noon at Oh George, located on the lower level of Braddock Shopping Center, which is about five minutes from the theater.

The Sunshine Boys
On Sunday, February 8 at 2pm, we will attend the matinee performance of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys performed by the Vienna Theatre Company at the Vienna Community Center. This is a touching and humorous story of the reunion of two vaudeville comedians long estranged. Purchase Senior tickets for $16 at viennatheatrecompany.org. We will meet for lunch at 12 noon at the Carnegie Diner on Route 123 in Vienna.




Once on This Island
On Sunday, February 15, at 3pm, we will attend the matinee performance of Once on This Island performed by the City of Fairfax Theatre Company at Katherine Johnson Middle School on Jermantown Road in Fairfax. This Caribbean-inspired musical features dynamic storytelling, vibrant music, and electrifying dance. Purchase tickets for $30.60 at fairfaxcitytheatre.org. We will meet for lunch at 12 noon at Luciano' Restaurant on Route 123 in Fairfax.

Tickets for all three plays are general admission and guests are always welcome. We have separate checks at the lunches. Free parking is available at each location, however, there is a fee to park in Mason's parking garage. We do carpool, just email me if you would like to carpool.

Also, if you would like to join TLG for lunch and a show, please email me at [email protected] so I have a count for making reservations.

Looking forward to seeing you at the theater!

Editor’s Note: At the author's request, all words are published unedited, exactly as submitted.

Tallwood Book Club

 

By Betty Ellerbee, Tallwood Book Club Coordinator


At its regularly scheduled meeting on February 13, the Tallwood Book Club will have a Zoom visit with Margie Wildblood, who has recently published her memoir, Because He Loved Me: A Story of the Transformative Power of Love.

In March, the discussion will be on three chapters (Son, Autism, and Transgender) of Andrew Solomon’s Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity.

In April, the book is The Briar Club by Kate Quinn and in May two more chapters from Far From the Tree.

All these meetings are on Zoom at 2:30 the second Tuesday of every month.

Back to Top of Page

By John Olsen and Lynn Cline, Photography Club Coordinators

Back to Top of Page

Back to Top of Page

Back to Top of Page