Shared Interest Groups   

Have you ever thought about writing a novel or short story? Perhaps you’ve even jotted down notes for one. If so, this group may be for you. We are a small group focused on writing novels. We are different from memoir-writing groups; also, from creative writing groups. Most writers working on novels will benefit from being part of a small writing community, regardless of where they are in the writing process or what genre of fiction they prefer. We critique each other’s work in a supportive and constructive manner. The group is kept small, with a limit of eight members.

Chris Siehl cmsiehl@gmail.com

Hybrid

Location: Turner Senior Resource Center and Zoom

The Ethics SIG has been meeting monthly since 2020. Our discussions, facilitated by SIG members, focus on contemporary issues that pose ethical questions. Research for our topics is drawn primarily from internet-based resources. The SIG members choose future topics by vote. All new members are provided with background material on major ethical theories, as well as guidelines for facilitating discussions.

Stu Simon: stuart341@gmail.com

Health care and health policy are changing rapidly. This SIG has considered advances in medicine such as robotic surgery, bio-prosthetics and immunotherapy for cancer. Other recent discussions include controversies regarding Medicare Advantage plans, direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising, vaccine hesitancy, using AI in clinical medicine and bariatric surgery vs GLP-1 drugs for obesity. Members in this SIG will consider one issue each month with a lecture/discussion led by an outside expert or a SIG member. Health practitioners and others are encouraged to join this SIG in order to enrich the discussion with their personal expertise and knowledge.

Steve Geiringer sgrehabdoc@gmail.com

Jeffrey Barnett jlbarn@comcast.net

On a weekly basis, this group will discuss all contemporary events that are of interest, including but not limited to domestic, international, political and academic developments that are of current and historical significance. What is discussed depends on the group's members. Our conversations are civil and no topic or perspective is off limits.

Thomas Longworth tenniscarol@comcast.net

This Shared Interest Group is a gathering of literary short fiction aficionados, who enjoy close, critical and joyful readings of classic as well as contemporary short story masterpieces pulled from The New Yorker and other well-regarded anthologies. This SIG meets about half the year - typically 8-10 contiguous weeks at a time, followed by 10 week long breaks.

Deb Mukherjee debmukherjee@hotmail.com

The Syd Kaufman Mystery Authors Special Interest Group offers those who share an interest in mystery novels an opportunity to explore the work of mystery writers who may be new to them. We select a different mystery author to read and to discuss each month. While we often disagree in our assessments of authors, our discussions are informative, lively, friendly and often accompanied by laughter.

Wendy Mead wendymead@mac.com

Tim Richards tfrichards@gmail.com

A free-flowing discussion that develops organically. There are no set topics, but we often schmooze about family, work memories, friendship and other key relationships, core hobbies and current commitments, legacy, faith traditions, optimism and pessimism regarding the future, etc. We avoid cliches and, as comfortable, candidly share our thinking, questions, curiosities. Regular members include many who are or have been teachers, healthcare providers, or both and more. The Schmoozery began early in the pandemic and has kept going.

Hank Greenspan hgreensp@umich.edu

Meets  the second Tuesday of the month from 1:00 - 3:00pm

Online only

Most of us have a visceral reaction to Supreme Court decisions that affect us, but few of us take the time to delve into the issues presented and the various views of the Justices. This SIG will examine both current cases pending or decided by the Court, as well as some of the more important historical cases. Our purpose is to gain a better understanding of what issues were presented and decided, and what the different viewpoints were on those issues. Non-lawyers are especially welcome.

Stuart Lockman: stuartlockman@gmail.com 

Meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 1:00 - 3:00pm

In-person only

Location: University Commons 

A woman’s group centered on building an accepting community with a shared belief in the universal capacities for compassion, generosity and creativity, as described by Margaret Wheatley in her book Restoring Sanity.  We meet twice monthly, striving for regular attendance, using a combination of resources, guests, texts, videos, movies, local events, exhibits and talks to shape our explorations and active discussions relevant to the group. There will be opportunities for shared leadership from within the group by interested participants. As a cohesive supportive group we experience increased hopefulness in these challenging times.

Char Bacon: baconc@umich.edu

Bernie Beach: bbeach0427@gmail.com