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Self Improvement
The Language of the River in Dante, Twain, & Joyce
with Matt Powell
Rivers forge the language of a place and its people. In this comparative literature seminar, we will explore selected works of Dante, Mark Twain, and James Joyce; tracing their literary connection to rivers, and groundbreaking use of informal, regional dialects. Supplemented with Mary Ann Messick’s History of Baxter County.
*Class dates are as follows: February 4th,11th,18th,25th, March 4th & 18th
Instructor BIO:
Matt Powell is a writer and musician. His writing has been featured in Variety, No Depression, Angels Flight—literary west, Community Works Journal, The Happy Music Center, StyleBlueprint, Scanner Zine, Temporary Detective and Emmys.com. He served for five years as Contributing Music Editor for Humor in America, a blog affiliated with the Department of English at the University of Texas at Austin. He performs music regularly throughout the area, and you can often catch him at an open mic reading from a classic book. Matt was born and raised in Southern California, but his roots in Baxter County go back to the 1860s. He moved to Mountain Home in 2021 to be around family roots, nature, and good neighbors.
Songwriting Workshop
with Matt Powell
In this immersive workshop we will deep-dive into the craft of songwriting. With lessons on song structure, music theory, lyric writing and more, I will provide tools to guide you in writing an original song, with the option to perform at our class concert. All skill levels and styles welcome.
*Class dates are as follows: March 5th, 12th, 19th, April 2nd, 9th, 16th.
(Due to Spring Break class will not be held on Wednesday March 26th).
Instructor BIO:
Matt Powell is a writer and musician. He earned a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he majored in songwriting, and studied guitar performance. His writing has been featured in several publications, including Variety, No Depression, and Emmys.com. He served for five years as Contributing Music Editor for Humor in America, a blog affiliated with the Department of English at the University of Texas at Austin. He performs music regularly throughout the area, and has released four EPs of original music with bands in Los Angeles, including a song placed in the CW show Supernatural. Matt was born and raised in Southern California, but his roots in Baxter County go back to the 1860s. He moved to Mountain Home in 2021 to be around family roots, nature, and good neighbors.
Work Ethic, Integrity and Customer Service
with Tamatha Dudley
Employers want employees with strong work ethics. Employers want employees who have a personality that chooses good conduct, habits, and values that help the employers do what they are in business to do. Work Matters, Work Ethic Matters. Integrity is foundational to the workplace. Honest communication is necessary for production and service delivery. Good decision-making relies on accuracy. Dishonesty harms everyone. Our reputations are the only things that really matter. Without a good reputation, we won’t have opportunities. Integrity reflects our reputation. Eventually, the culture rots. When the company suffers, jobs are lost. The idea of providing service to others might seem like it belongs to a job called Customer Service. The truth is that every interaction we have with others while we are at work is giving customer service. The assistance and advice we provide others is constant. The person to whom we offer these things are the customers. The greater the culture of helping one another, the greater the chance the company will be successful. Students will reflect on their present skill level via self-assessment for each of the 3 components (work ethic, integrity, and customer service) before learning. Students will learn constructs of work ethic, integrity, and customer service Students will set goal(s) for improvement of skills.