What’s In a Name?

Since August, Own the Boards President Dr. Laura Keigan has conducted LifeWords Literature Seminars at Sherrill Hills Retirement Community, in Knoxville, TN. This lifelong-learning initiative facilitates the discussion and performance of literature of all genres and is designed to help participants stay sharp and socially engaged.

Sherrill Hills residents at informational meeting for LifeWords Literature Seminars, now LifeWords Reading Circles.

Sherrill Hills residents at informational meeting for LifeWords Literature Seminars, now LifeWords Reading Circles.

Yet, after several discussions with prospective participants, we’ve decided to tweak the program’s name. To some, “literature seminars” sounds intimidating, perhaps implying a university affiliation or college credit and necessitating advanced literary experience.

We’re now calling the program LifeWords Reading Circles in an effort to better characterize what we do. Students are welcome regardless of their background in literature and performance. We engage with complex texts, but the goal of our discussions isn’t academic mastery, per se, but personal growth. We strive for meetings to be intellectually stimulating but also inviting and inclusive.

We’ll keep you posted as LifeWords Reading Circles continues to evolve. We’ve got big plans for this little program!