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Personal Development Programs

Lecture/Seminar

The Science of Free Will

Thursday, October 5, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

It seems popular these days to claim that free will is an illusion—that our brains or our genes or even just the laws of physics determine our actions. Neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argues that these claims are hollow and traces the role evolution has played in the development of free will.


Course

Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by María Berrío’s collage, A Sunburst Restrained.


Course

Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

Tuesday, October 31, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by Thomas Cole’s four-painting series, The Voyage of Life.


Course

Write Into Art: Creative Writing Inspired by Visual Art

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for three online workshops that spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by Lois Mailou Jones’ The Green Door.


Lecture/Seminar

Autumn's Harvest: Reflective Writing Workshop

Sunday, November 12, 2023 - 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET

Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by works of art by Hudson River landscape painter Jasper Francis Cropsey and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that the season of autumn offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, the workshop invites you to look outwardly at paintings and poetry and to look inwardly through writing.


Lecture/Seminar

Autumn's Harvest: Reflective Writing Workshop

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET

Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by works of art by Hudson River landscape painter Jasper Francis Cropsey and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that the season of autumn offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, the workshop invites you to look outwardly at paintings and poetry and to look inwardly through writing.


Lecture/Seminar

How We Age

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

All of us would like to live longer or to slow the debilitating effects of age. Geneticist Coleen Murphy, author of the new book How We Age, illustrates how recent research on longevity and aging may be bringing us closer to this goal. Drawing on work in her own lab as well as other sources, she discusses what we know about aging and what we can do with this new knowledge.


Lecture/Seminar

Forest Bathing 101

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

Immerse yourself in the Japanese practice of forest bathing as Melanie Choukas-Bradley introduces its history and how-tos. Learn creative ways to reduce holiday stress and banish winter blues by connecting with nature close to home as Choukas-Bradley, a certified forest therapy guide, leads you through techniques to incorporate this soulful practice into your life.


Lecture/Seminar

Winter's Colors: A Reflective Writing Workshop

Tuesday, December 5, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET

Experience the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Explore new ways to contemplate the gifts of winter inspired by the vibrant Winter Landscape by Wassily Kandinsky, an artist who embraced the transcendent power of color. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the workshop invites you to look outwardly at art and to look inwardly through writing.