Coastal Senior College (CSC), serving Midcoast Maine from Wiscasset to Camden, has opened registration for its 13 spring courses set to begin the week of April 8.

Two of CSC’s Zoom-only courses will offer members the opportunity to explore the written word from two different vantage points: one’s own memoir writing and the study of man in nature in the writings of others.

"Write as if Your Mother Isn’t Watching" is a four-session generative workshop for poets and storytellers. The workshop will discuss and practice the writing process with a focus on family stories or, as instructor Carol Willette Bachofner says, “Even a few secrets that may have been hidden for years, waiting to be told. We will discover ways to write personal stories with an eye to ‘protecting the innocent’… or not.” Examples will be shared, and handouts will be provided. The course will be offered from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on four Tuesday afternoons from April 8–29.

Bachofner is an award-winning poet, memoirist, photographer, and watercolorist who served as Poet Laureate of Rockland, Maine from 2012–2016. She is the author of seven poetry books, including her first in chapbook format. She is convinced that “Poetry is a living story, always evolving but never losing sight of its parentage, its legacy.”

"The Man/Nature Connection in Three Modern Novels" will explore man’s relationship to the natural world over five Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Instructor Kay Liss points to the fact that “There are many non-fiction books on the subject, and unending news articles, but very few books in the realm of fiction.”

Course members will read and discuss three novels on the nature/human connection: two short novels written by Liss, "The Last Resort" and "Coming Home," plus a book by acclaimed short story writer, essayist, and novelist Joy Williams titled, "Concerning the Future of Souls."

Liss holds a B.A. in English from Bard College followed by studies on the graduate level in Literature at the New School in Manhattan. She also completed a year-long certificate program in Environmental Studies from Southampton College of Long Island University. At CSC she has taught courses on Nature Poetry as well as Transcendentalism and Education Reform. She has also applied her leadership skills as a member of the Board of Directors and as a past President.

Information about Coastal Senior College and registration for the spring courses may be found at coastalseniorcollege.org