Did you catch me on TV last night?

Last night a news show on public television called Chicago Tonight ran a feature about “The Village Movement: How Elders are Aging in Place.” If you link to it here and look very closely, you’ll see footage of me at the beginning of the segment.

The back story: I lead three memoir-writing classes in Chicago each week. Two of them are sponsored by Lincoln Park Village, which is one of many “virtual villages” across the country. From the Chicago Tonight web site:

Folks over age 60 are opting to stay in their homes and communities well into their golden years. A collection of “virtual villages” are popping up all over the country, providing engagement, services, and a new way of looking at how we age.

Lincoln Park Village here in Chicago boasts over 400 members, and its classes — everything from meditation to film studies to my memoir class — meet in people’s homes. Chicago Tonight knew they’d need to show some background video while interviewing experts about the “Village Movement,” so they showed up at our memoir-writing class yesterday to get some footage.

For the class starting on February 5, all Whitney needs to do is get me across the street.

Recognizing that interest in memoir-writing for seniors is growing along with the population, and knowing that seniors here in Chicago are on waiting lists to get into classes, I decided to start another one right here in our Printer’s Row neighborhood:

Easy writing exercises will help writers age 60 and older tell their stories of childhood, adventure, life’s losses and triumphs. The classis open to seniors at all levels — from those who would simply like to start keeping personal journals to those interested in writing a full-fledged memoir.

The course will meet in the Sanctuary at Grace Place, 637 S. Dearborn on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on February 5, February 12, February 26, March 5, March 12 and March 19 (note: no class on Thursday, February 19) The fee is $60, and space is limited, so sign up soon. You can use a credit card to register and pay online, and if you’d like to register using a check, no problem. Just email me at info@bethfinke.com for more information.

Writers do not have to live in our neighborhood to join this new class – we’re pretty close to all sorts of public transportation – and you don’t have to be a member of Lincoln Park Village or Renaissance Court to attend this one, either. If you live in the Chicago area, consider joining me for this new class — I’d love to hear your stories.