The series has evolved from its Saturday morning time slot, but will still offer coffee, scones, author visits and book signings. Sessions will take place on the first Friday of each month, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Moss Building (1905 Hillcrest Drive in Columbia). Doors open at 9:00 a.m.
The sessions are open to the public – free for current Osher@Mizzou and Columbia Parks and Rec 50+ members; $3 at the door for others.
2026 Schedule
January 2 - Richard F. McGonegal is the author of The Substance of Fear (Level Best Books, 2025), the most recent in his Sheriff Francis Hood mystery series. He retired in 2017 as an editor for the News Tribune Co. in Jefferson City, Mo., where he worked for more than 40 years. Nine of his stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and more have been reprinted in anthologies. His B.A. (Rutgers University) and M.A. (University of Virginia, Charlottesville) are in literature and language. He lives in Jefferson City with his wife.
February 6 - De Hage Minner is a retired research nurse and quality educator for MU’s Sinclair School of Nursing in nursing homes all over the state of Missouri. She has published two nursing journal articles on pain assessment and dementia and has contributed to many others. Originally from upstate New York, she has resided in mid-Missouri since 1989.
The idea for De Hage Minner’s debut memoir I Only Have Time to Love You on Sunday (Compass Flower Press, 2024) simmered for many years after the birth of her first child, a daughter with Down syndrome, named Angela Marie. Angie’s birth set her family on a path of discovery that included serious health scares, hilarious and gut-wrenching moments, thought-provoking dilemmas and enlightenment about De’s need for enabled independence as a contributing adult.
When De is not writing, you can find her reading, riding her recumbent trike, traveling with her husband Bob or cooking and hosting festive Lebanese dinners and making baklava for charity auctions in Columbia.
March 6 - Clarence Wolfshohl, professor emeritus at William Woods University, taught for 45 years in Idaho, New Mexico, West Virginia, Texas and Missouri. He founded and operates two presses and has handcrafted (from typesetting to binding) 110 books. He has published in a wide variety of journals and has been nominated several times for a Pushcart Prize. Among his publications are a dozen books, the most recent being Play-Like (Alien Buddha Press, 2025). He has been associated with Osher since 2014 as a student and teacher. Interesting fact: he is the only person we know of who has hit a ground-rule triple in an organized league baseball game.
April 3 - Terry Allen is an emeritus professor of theatre arts at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he taught acting, directing and playwriting. He directed well over a hundred plays during his 38 years of teaching. He is the author of five poetry collections and will focus on his latest book, Preserving the Past for the Present (Kelsay Books, 2024).
May 1 - Kandace Davis is a St. Louis-based writer and culinary professional. Her debut novel Out of the Night That Covers Me (Editor 911 Books, 2023) reached #1 in Midwest Releases on Amazon.
June 5 - Marc McKee, poet, will read from Meta Meta Make-Belief (Black Lawrence Press, 2019). As described on Amazon: “Imagine, if you will, a robot, a little language machine programmed to process hurt––your exact grief––by naming it, until it has no sting. This book is a tonic and an art and a hair of the dog, making itself true and truly felt.”
No Book Talk in July.
August 7 - Dorothy Canote is a prose writer and painter, who will discuss her book The Road Through Little Dixie (Compass Flower Press, 2025). Dorothy grew up in Avalon, Mo., and received her B.S. in Biology from Missouri Valley College. Her master’s degree in agronomy is from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She was study director in aquatic toxicology at ABC Labs for eight years and taught science at Hickman High School in Columbia for 10 years. In retirement, she grows produce, herbs and flowers for the farmers market and continues to paint, especially watercolor. She has written three other books.
September 4 - Nancy Jo Allen has published three poetry collections with Kelsey Books. The most recent release, Darkness and Light (Kelsay Books, 2024) earned second place in the Missouri Writers Guild State Association category Show Me Your Best. Though she hails from Minnesota, she has been a Missourian since 2015. Both nationally and internationally, her photos, fiction and poetry have been published in various journals and anthologies, including Well Versed, Interpretations, I-70 Review, MasticadoresUSA and others.
October 2 - Joey Brown, poet, has published Oklahomaography (Mongrel Empire Press, 2010). Speer Morgan, editor of The Missouri Review, provides this review: “These poems are snapshots and narratives of people, even whole towns, whose identities are drawn from their geography. Though most of them are set in Oklahoma, they are for anyone who understands the abiding connection to place.”
November 6 - Marlene Lee is the author of two novels, Anna and Sebastian (2024) and Middler (2025), both published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press. She wrote for 30-plus years without publishing and finally broke through the rejections barrier when she was 74. Her work centers on characters who belatedly come to know themselves and must make changes in their lives––sometimes more than once. She received a Master’s of Fine Arts from Brooklyn College in 2010.
December 4 - Brett Dufur, poet, will read from Endless River: Poems and Reflections (Pebble Publishing, 2023). As described on Amazon: “Inside the stunning cover by New Regionalism artist Bryan Haynes, Brett explores and celebrates the cycles of life and nature in this poignant love letter to the Missouri River... Spanning an extensive range of topics and emotions, readers will surely find themselves immersed in new celebrations of the world around them.”