Do you have a hobby or interest you would like to explore with friends in a welcoming environment? OLLI hosts a variety of exciting club meetings, many of which are accessible via Zoom. See the full listing below. If you want to know more about a club, please visit the member portal for more information or click the coordinator name/s below to send them an email message. For the dates and meeting times, refer to the calendar and/or term catalog. The section for 'Clubs' appears after all the term class listings in the catalog.
Make sure to sign up for clubs on the OLLI member portal so you are on the email list to receive updated notices of meeting dates and activities. You must renew your club memberships each term so we can keep rosters up to date.
If you have an interest that is not represented below and would like to start a new club, contact program@gmu.edu. Click here for guidelines on how to set-up a new club. If you are a club coordinator and have a posting or update for your club webpage, click here and please have the subject line read “new posting” to email it to the club website manager.
The clubs highlighted in green have postings that you can access by clicking the club name.
All the News That's Fit to Print Club
Thursdays
Zoom
Moderator: Zach Teich
All the News, Cont'd meets online between terms to discuss current affairs issues in a friendly and collegial manner. This is a continuation of the All the News That's Fit to Print course with moderator Zach Teich, providing a topic list drawn from the week's news and serving as 'traffic cop' for the freewheeling discussion.
Annex Art Club
Tuesdays-between terms
Zoom
Coordinator: Linda Gersten
Looking to dust off your artistic skills? Come join other like-minded OLLI members to share your work and conversation. While not an instructive class, all artists, whether you use pencil, ink, pastels, charcoal, or paint, are welcome to come and work on your own compositions. The group consists of OLLI members at all skill levels and we try to be supportive by sharing tips and suggestions. Join us!
AV Support Committee, Tallwood
Chair: Paul Howard
Though not a “club,” this committee serves as an adjunct to OLLI's staff, in assisting instructors with classroom audiovisual and computer equipment. Membership is open to any OLLI member, at all our locations, who has an interest in helping our teachers and staff with classroom technology. You don't need to be a tech guru to be a member of the committee.
Board Game Club
Wednesdays
Fairfax
Coordinator:Tim Harwarth
Playing board games can reduce stress, boost brain power, and protect against dementia. Do you like playing board games? Would you like to learn and play new games with your fellow OLLI members? If so, this is the club for you. The Board Game Club meets in the morning between terms and in the summer, and in the afternoon during the other terms.
Bridge Club, Tallwood
Wednesdays (Mondays in summer)
Coordinator: Carol Egan, Carol McManus
Prepare to drop in and enjoy the friendly atmosphere of “party bridge.” Players of all skill levels are welcome. Skill levels of players vary from beginner to average. Partnerships are rotated every four hands.
Classic Literature Club
Fridays-in term
(No meetings during summer term)
Zoom
Coordinator: Bob Zener, Michael Mason, Deborah Schilling
This Club was formed to read and discuss classic works of world literature, frequently with the help of recorded lectures. Members choose the works to be discussed. In the past we have read works such as Melville's Moby Dick, Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Faulkner's Absalom Absalom!, Morrison's Beloved, Ellison's Invisible Man, and short stories of John Updike and Flannery O'Connor.
Cooking Club, Tallwood
Second Friday of the Month
Coordinator: Colleen Tuddenham
This club is for OLLI members who enjoy preparing food and sharing homemade dishes in a small group setting.
Craft and Conversation Group, Tallwood
Fridays
Fairfax, hybrid
Zoom
Coordinators: Doris Bloch, Joanne Fitzgerald
We meet weekly to work on our craft projects and just talk. Our conversations take many directions as do our projects. Most of us enjoy several different crafts such as knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, weaving, and quilting. We share our work, our ideas, and our inspiration. Please join us on Friday mornings.
Dirty Knee Club, Tallwood
As possible during term; watch your email for updates;
watch E-news for announcements
Fairfax
Coordinators: Sigrid Carlson, Sally Berman
The OLLI Landscaping Committee, fondly known as the Dirty Knee Club, creates, plants, and maintains the gardens at Tallwood. Gardening expertise is not required, but a willingness to get dirty knees is!
Ethnic Eats Lunch Club, Tallwood
Virtual dinner meeting on Zoom
Thursday, every four weeks
In-person luncheons every 4-6 weeks, dates TBD
Coordinator: Leti Labell
Do you love to eat? Are you interested in learning about foods from other cultures? Northern Virginia has an abundance of ethnic restaurants. This club meets monthly for virtual Zoom dinners where members order takeout food from various cuisines.
Family History/Genealogy Club
Biweekly on Mondays
4:00-5:30
Zoom
Coordinator: Michael Mason
Have you always wanted to know more about your family’s past but don’t have a clue about how to get started? Do you enjoy researching your family’s ancestors and discovering new facts about their lives but often become frustrated when you can’t find important information or documents? Do you have a fascinating story from your family’s history that you would like to put into a readable format that you can share with others? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are welcome to join the Family History/Genealogy Club. The club meets every two weeks in an interactive format to discuss a range of topics such as the most efficient way to access the huge amount of records on the internet, how to read census and vital records accurately, and how to use DNA data to help fill out your family tree. All knowledge levels are welcome. Topics will be voted on and selected by the group and given in advance of the meetings. Sign up for the club through the OLLI member portal. If you have questions, contact Michael Mason.
History Club, Tallwood
(no meetings June-October)
Zoom
Coordinator: Doug Snoeyenbos
We welcome all OLLI members who are interested in discussing historical events or sharing reviews of articles and books. Our meetings feature speakers on a variety of subjects, ranging from the Silk Road through the present crises in the Middle East—and everything in between.
Homer, etc., Tallwood
Fridays
Zoom
Coordinator: Donna Osthaus
Reading the classics aloud with friends and sharing observations bring the classics to life in a special way. We are currently reading Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and welcome new readers.
Inve$tment Forum, Tallwood
Coordinator: Al Smuzynski
The Investment Forum addresses investment topics of particular interest to retirees. Each session begins with an open discussion of recent events in the economy and in financial markets and their impact on investment decisions. Member presentations typically include such topics as: recent market indicators, stocks, bonds, funds (mutual, exchange-traded, and closed-end), real estate investment trusts (REIT), options, commodities, master limited partnerships, sectors, allocations, and investment strategies.
Mah Jongg Club, Tallwood & Zoom
In-person every other Friday or so*
Online on alternate Wednesdays*
Coordinator: Debby Mossburg
Members at all levels of experience, from learners to long-time players, are welcome to join us for friendly games of American Mah Jongg and camaraderie. We play online Wednesday afternoons using a combination of Zoom and https://realmahjongg.com/ using the rule card published each year by the National Mah Jongg League (https://www.nationalmahjonggleague.org/). We meet in person on Friday mornings.
*Please check the online OLLI calendar for specific dates and times and contact Debby Mossburg if you have any questions.
Memoir—and More—Writing Group, Tallwood
Biweekly on Wednesdays-in and out of term
Zoom
Coordinators: Carolyn F. Wyatt, Margie Wildwood
We meet every other week during most of the year. In addition to memoir, we write fiction, poetry, and personal essays. At our meetings we gently critique each other’s work with the aim of improving our writing skills. Writing groups need to be small, so we regrettably have to limit numbers, but spaces sometimes open up.
OLLI Walk and Talk Club
Weekly/Biweekly
Between 8:00-Early afternoon
Fairfax County trails and neighborhoods
Coordinators: Marilyn Harriman, Bob Heyer
The club objectives are to meet new and old friends and talk along the way while exploring new and familiar trails. Fairfax County has many interesting park trails and neighborhoods that we will experience. Club walks generally start between 8 to 10 AM on weekdays for 45 minutes to 1 hour weekly/biweekly to accommodate members making their next OLLI classes. Come walk or lead a walk around Fairfax trails and neighborhoods! Time permitting, we will take in lunch afterward. Sign up to receive information on our schedule.
Personal Computer User Group
Third Saturday of the month
Fairfax, hybrid
Coordinators: Bob Heyer, Leti Labell
In partnership with the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS), the OLLI PC User Group (OPCUG) focuses on Windows and Mac computers and software for enhancing our lives.. Our aim is to bring broad expertise about technology and topics of interest to attendees. Club dues (currently $5 per year) are payable at the first meeting attended in each calendar year.
Photography Club, Tallwood
Fairfax, second and fourth Fridays
Coordinators: Ed Marion, John Olsen
Meet with enthusiasts and others interested in photography and develop skills by participating in theme-based monthly photo submissions. The Photography Club welcomes all members, regardless of skill level or your phone/camera choice. We discuss both the technology of photography and the artistic aspect of visual design.
Poetry Reading Club
Generally every other Monday-between terms
Zoom
Coordinator: Susan Rexroad
This club provides the opportunity for members to read the works of a favorite poet and to learn about poems that interest fellow club members. Bring a poem to read that intrigues you. We’ll discuss why and how these poems engage or even elude us.
Poetry Writing Club
Meets sporadically
Zoom
Coordinators: Susan Rexroad, Margie Wildblood
Poetry Writing Club is a new club based on the OLLI course ‘So You Wanna Write Poetry.’ The club is jointly run by the participants. Each meeting, a member will volunteer to make a brief presentation about a poet, including a few selected readings of their work which demonstrate an aspect of their poetry. The rotating presenter will provide a couple of prompts based on this aspect, for members to craft their own work to share during our time together.
Reston Book Club
Coordinators: Karen Schneider, Joann Sokol
The Reston Book Club meets to discuss contemporary fiction. We encourage new members to join us for thoughtful and lively book discussions which cover historical context, information about the author, and relevant literary critiques. Our focus is on contemporary fiction. We look for novels that appear on lists from the US National Book Award, the UK Booker Prize, and other major sources. Books selected for discussion will be announced in the OLLI catalog.
The Reston Book Club meets on Zoom. We read three books in the Fall, one book in winter, and three books in spring. We do not meet during the summer term.
Spanish Club
Fairfax:
Second and fourth Wednesdays-in term
Zoom:
First and third Tuesdays-in and out of term
Coordinator: Mark Ramage
This club is for those who are in the intermediate stage of understanding and speaking Spanish—further along than 1-2-3 and A-B-C, but not fluent. The club members leading a particular class will choose the subject and prepare the lesson for that class. Members will not have to participate beyond their comfort level.
Tai Chi Club, Tallwood
Coordinators: Russell Stone, Cathey Parker, Bonnie Nelson, Sid Koslow
The Tai Chi Club meets nearly every Saturday, year round. It is open to all OLLI members. Please register as a club member once per year in January to be on the email list for class cancellations, notices and changes.
Tallwood Book Club (Meets year round)
Coordinator: Betty Ellerbee
We meet and discuss both fiction and nonfiction books and make our choices as the year progresses. Recent books we have read include The Children Act, Year of Wonders, and The Submission. Favorite authors include Amor Towles, Maggie O’Farrell, Erik Larsen and Elizabeth Strout.
Theater Lovers' Group
Coordinator: Norma Jean Reck
The Theater Lovers' Group is open to all OLLI members who enjoy attending theater and meeting other theater devotees. We usually attend matinees at theaters in the DMV area followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant. Generally, when OLLI is in session, we meet virtually the fourth Wednesday of the month from 4 - 5:30. Some meetings feature speakers; others are spent planning theater outings, programs, and trips; other times we meet for lunch and just talk theater.
What's in the Daily News Club
Meets between terms
Zoom
Coordinators: Dorsey Chescavage, Dick Crawford, John Quinn, Ann Smith, Al Smuzynski
Class Liaison: Dennis VanLangen
This is a weekly forum for thoughtful, forthright, and respectful exchange of information and opinions on current world, U.S., and regional news. Class participants bring to the table a wealth of knowledge and experience in international affairs, government, industry, education, economics, the military, and other areas.