Senior Friendship Centers Continues its “Joyful Journeys” Authors Series

August 2, 2024 | Sarasota

Senior Friendship Centers announces the continuation of its popular monthly authors series, “Joyful Journeys.” This engaging, free series celebrates the art of storytelling and highlights local authors. Each month, “Joyful Journeys” features a different author who will share their unique insights, captivating stories, and personal experiences. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in lively discussions, participate in Q&A sessions, and connect with fellow literature enthusiasts. These monthly events are on Thursdays, 5-6:30 p.m., at Senior Friendship Centers, 1888 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota. “Joyful Journeys” is free, but registration is required at https://friendshipcenters.org/category/events/. For more information about Senior Friendship Centers, call 941-556-3269 or visit FriendshipCenters.org.

Upcoming sessions in the “Joyful Journeys” series include:

· Thursday, August 15, 5-6:30 p.m.: Dan Landon, author of “From the Back of the House: Memoir of a Broadway Theatre Manager.” Dan Landon was a

Broadway theater manager for 37 years and worked on 50 shows and 9,000 performances. This is Landon’s love letter to Broadway, and all the stars and luminaries that he met on the job, including Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Fosse, Bernadette Peters, Robert De Niro, Jessica Lange, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Paul McCartney, Stephen Sondheim and so many more. In these pages you’ll meet them, too, as they wait in the wings, glow in the spotlight, and take their bows. Landon began his career in New York as an actor, appearing on Broadway (for one opening night) and Off-Broadway. He then turned to theater management, first at the American Place Theatre, and then for three decades at the Shubert Theatre. Landon is also a produced playwright and published novelist. He lived for many years in Montclair, New Jersey, with his wife, Lyle, and their three children. After his retirement, they moved to Bradenton, where he and his wife remain active in the theater scene.

· Thursday, September 19, 5-6:30 p.m.: “Transition Surprises 101 with Nancy Schlossberg, EdD, author of “Too Young to Be Old: Love, Learn, Work, and Play as You Age. Nancy Schlossberg, a 95-year-old renowned author and life transition guru, discusses navigating life’s transitions with grace and resilience. For more than 50 years, Schlossberg has dedicated herself to helping others to grow and better themselves—as a distinguished educator and administrator in the field of counseling psychology for nearly four decades, the leader of a successful consulting firm, the author of 10 self-help books, and a renowned speaker, lecturer, and motivator. Schlossberg has earned such honors as the Eminent Career Award from the National Career Development Association and a Distinguished Alumna Award from the Teachers College at Columbia University. She was also named a Senior Scholar by the American College Personnel Association and as one of the “Women of Distinction for Outstanding Contribution to Literature or Research” by the National Association for Women Deans, Administrators & Counselors. Attributing her success to persistence, having a purpose, being a team player, and utilizing humor no matter the situation, she is motivated to continue speaking, writing, and helping others through her work.

· Thursday, September 26, 5-6:30 p.m.: “Transition Surprises 102 with Nancy Schlossberg, EdD, author of “My Path My Transitions.” In this session, Nancy Schlossberg, a 95-year-old renowned author and life transition guru, will focus on teaching the theory so students can understand and creatively manage their own transitions. Discover how to take the mystery—if not the misery—out of change. Walk away with a deeper understanding of transitions. Don’t miss out on this chance to gain valuable insights and guidance from a living legend! For more than 50 years, Schlossberg has dedicated herself to helping others to grow and better themselves—as a distinguished educator and administrator in the field of counseling psychology for nearly four decades, the leader of a successful consulting firm, the author of 10 self-help books, and a renowned speaker, lecturer, and motivator. “Nancy is one of the most ageless individuals I’ve ever known. She has maintained friendships, relationships, and interests that have kept her on the go and kept her mind flexible and absorbent,” says Senior Friendship Centers’ President/CEO Erin McLeod. She adds, “Nancy is the perfect example of an individual that redefines aging.”

· Thursday, October 24, 5-6:30 p.m.: April Lynn James, PhD, author of “The Tenth Muse: How Maria Antonia Advanced the Pastoral Opera.” Reviewers call “The Tenth Muse: How Maria Antonia Advanced the Pastoral Opera,” “delightfully readable,” “educational and satisfying,” and “the perfect gift for a follower of the art of opera or history.” Take a captivating trip to the opulent courts of 18th-century Munich and Dresden, and meet Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa, known during her lifetime as “The Tenth Muse” for her accomplishments in multiple areas of the arts and for her visionary patronage of the arts. James brings this nearly forgotten figure to life in the first book-length biography in English about the princess who would become Electress of Saxony. Filled with anecdotes, musical illustrations, and quotes from letters by and about Her Highness, this biography reveals a figure who went beyond the expectations for a woman of her station to become a role model for many. Affectionately known as the “Ph Diva,” James is a classically trained soprano with a PhD from Harvard. Although she grew up taking vitamins and doing yoga, only during her

doctoral studies did she begin her wellness journey to heal from stress-induced weight gain, depression, and tendonitis. The “Decade of Awfulness” following graduate school took her further along this path, with the Tim Burton film, “Alice in Wonderland” (2010), leading her down the rabbit hole and to her guardian angel, Madison Hatta, Sonneteer. Together, April plus Madison created Wonderland-inspired poetry, “Whimsical Things,” and events to help adults recover their innate joy and vitaliTEA.