Spring semester at South Orange-Maplewood Adult School

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Spring catalogs are out and registration is under way at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School. Classes begin the last week of February with rolling start dates.

There are several highlights this year, such as “Likely Stories: Great Actors. Great Writers. Great Stories” on March 25 at The Woodland, an event inspired by Isaiah Sheffer’s “Selected Shorts at Symphony Space” at which selected short stories are read by terrific performers. This year’s readers will be Sipiwe Moyo, Julie Burstein and Emily Zacharias. On April 10, film critic Stephen Whitty returns to the Adult School to offer his take on a classic American genre: the Western. Janet Mandel continues to expand her popular art history offerings with “Frida Kahlo: Dreams, Demons and Devotion” on March 21, “Elaine de Kooning: A Genie of Gesture” on April 25, “Edouard Manet: Pioneer of the Modern” on May 23 and “Chaim Soutine: Paining Emotion” on June 13.

In addition to the many perennial favorites, more than 20 new classes have been added to the roster this spring, such as “Chinese Language and Culture Club,” “Home Maintenance 101,” “Shake Your Shekere,” “Intro to Graphic Novel Creation” and “No-Stress Dinner Parties.”

SOMAS day trips include “A Jaunt to Dia: Beacon, Roundhouse Restaurant & Dennings Point Distillery” on April 26 with a registration deadline of March 26; a day hike to Tillman Ravine and Buttermilk Falls on April 27; and a guided eco-cruise through the “Jewel of the Meadowlands” on June 12.

Complete class schedules and course information can be found at www.somadultschool.org.

Registrations are taken online, by phone or in person at the Adult School office, located at Columbia High School, 17 Parker Ave., Room A110, Maplewood.