Oregon Coast today., January 10, 2020, Page 7, Image 7

learn a little
The write way
to perform
Oregon Coast actor and speaker
Megan Cole will present tips for sharing
writing out loud when she appears at the
Sunday, Jan. 19, meeting of Willamette
Writers’ coast chapter in Newport.
In a presentation titled “From Page to
Stage, and Back Again,” Cole will discuss
how she selects material, how she moves
it from the page to spoken performance,
and how her guiding principle is that of
all good writers: Know Your Audience.
“Writers, busy at their
computers, might not
think too much about
sharing their words out
loud,” she said, “but
they may be missing a
wonderful outlet for their
work.”
A professional actor and speaker living
in Manzanita, Cole has developed a
series called “Storytime for Grownups,”
in which she shares stories and poems
centered on a particular theme and
delivered in the manner of folks gathered
together to hear superb stories, as in
childhood, or as childhood should have
been.
Cole has had a long acting career on
the professional stage, and has also made
frequent TV guest-star appearances on
“Seinfeld,” “ER,” various “Star Treks,”
“The Practice,” “Judging Amy,” “Las
Vegas” and many other shows.
She originated the leading role in
Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning
drama “WIT” in 1995, for which she
received the L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle
Award for Outstanding Performance.
She also tours with “The Wisdom of
WIT,” her solo version of the play.
As artist-in-residence at the
University of Texas Health Science
Center in Houston, Cole developed
workshops on empathic communication,
medical ethics and the connections
between medicine and the humanities.
She now takes these workshops and other
related performances to healthcare and
end-of-life care venues across the country.
The Jan. 19 presentation, which is
free and open to all, will start at 2 pm at
Newport Public Library.
For more information, go to http://
willamettewriters.com/coast or find
Willamette Writers Coast Chapter on
Facebook.
Take a deep dive
Newport Public Library will continue its
“history of ” series this Wednesday, Jan. 15, with a
presentation from Dr. Kerry Carlin-Morgan of the
Oregon Coast Aquarium.
Carlin-Morgan will provide an overview of the
aquarium’s history, its current operations and a
vision for its exciting future. Originally envisioned
as an economic driver and tourist destination on
the Oregon Coast, the aquarium has become a
powerhouse for marine education, animal care
and conservation. The aquarium is currently
planning for the future with a master plan and
capital campaign that will refresh its 28-year-old
facility and expand its ability to provide greater
rehabilitation and education services.
As director of education and volunteer services,
Carlin-Morgan oversees the aquarium’s education,
interpretation, exhibit signage and volunteer
programs. She has a courtesy appointment with
Oregon State University and works with graduate
students on marine education and free-choice
learning research and evaluation.
Carlin-Morgan did her graduate work at the
University of Florida where she studied science
education and wildlife conservation. Prior to
coming to Oregon, she worked for the Memphis
Zoo and Aquarium and the Georgia Museum
of Natural History where she also managed
education, outreach, volunteers and exhibit
interpretation. As part of the senior team at the
aquarium, she works closely with the architects and
exhibit designers on the aquarium’s master plan.
Wednesday’s presentation, which is free
and open to all, will run from 6 to 7 pm in the
McEntee Meeting Room of the library, 35 NW
Nye Street. For more information, go to www.
newportlibrary.org or call 541-265-2153.
Make time for miracles this year
If you enter 2020 feeling that you need a
miracle, help is at hand in the form of a new
class on offer in Newport from the Rev. Dr.
Ruth Miller.
“A Course in Miracles” is a set of ideas and
practices designed to help people shift from
the belief that they are isolated individuals
living briefly in an unfriendly universe,
toward a belief that they are expressions of
a single creative power, creating a unique
experience out of their own beliefs.
“The power to work miracles belongs to
you,” Miller said. “A miracle is a universal
blessing from our Father-Mother God
through the part of each of us that knows ‘I
am.’ It’s available to all of us.”
Miller, a New Thought minister who
was one of the first people to see the early
manuscript and has facilitated groups
studying “A Course in Miracles” several
times, has translated the original text and
lessons for folks who have worked with it for
years and are ready to take it deeper, as well as
those who have attempted to comprehend it
and given up.
The class will run from 2 to 4 pm every
second Wednesday, starting on Jan. 15 and
continuing on Jan. 29, Feb. 12 and Feb. 26.
Classes will take place at Ocean Unity
Church, 407 SW Ninth Street, Newport, at
the corner of 9th and Hurbert.
There is a suggested donation of $10 per
person, but no-one will be turned away for
lack of funds.
For more information, go to www.
ruthlmillerphd.com or https://acim.org.
oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • January 10, 2020 • 7