SPRING II 2025

Zsolt Alapi obtained a Ph.D. in English from McGill University and taught at Marianopolis College and Concordia University for 35 years. He has edited sixanthologies of fiction, and his own short fiction, book reviews, and criticism have appeared in the UK, France, the U.S, Germany, Australia and in Canada. A collection of his short stories, The Dance of the Seven Dwarfs appeared in 2014. His latest novel, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, (DC Books Canada) was published in July, 2020, an a new novella is forthcoming. Zsolt also writes a column for the culture blog Montreal Rampage called “Notes of a Grumpy Old Man”. He is currently writing full-time, having just finished a new collection of short fiction and is working on a new novel.

Ingrid Birker worked at the Redpath Museum at McGill University for over 40 years and continues sharing her love of nature as an accredited Forest and Nature School Practitioner. In the last 2 years she has provided forest school sessions and guided outdoor explorations for a diverse group of participants including the Grade 6 students at Kells Academy, the young forest campers at Explorations Learning and the adults from the Montreal Native Women’s shelter and the Shul Ruelle congregants in NDG. Her experience as an outdoor educator started with her book about finding Fossils in the Building Stones of Downtown Montreal. This was converted into an online downloadable interactive walking exploration in 2021 and has been viewed over 4000 times. The other downloadable GIS StoryMaps she has published include: Quebec’s Mushrooms, Minerals, Trees, Biodiversity and McGill’s Secret Science Spots. 

Francis X. Charet has a PhD in Psychology and Religion and has taught at a number of universities including McGill and University of Ottawa and has lectured widely. For many years he was a faculty member at Goddard College in Vermont, the Coordinator of the Consciousness Studies concentration that integrates psychology, neuroscience and the humanities, and until his recent retirement the chair of the Goddard Graduate Institute. He has been a long-time lecturer at E.N.C.O.R.E.

Lilian Elvir is a Docent at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, an entrepreneur and former Art Consultant at Galerie de Bellefeuille. She has studied Fine Arts at Concordia University and Carleton University. As a docent, Lilian was accepted into the MMFA Association of Volunteer Guides in 2018. She had provided guided tours annually for the past 6 years and organized tours to galleries and private collections for the other museum guides across Montreal. She has visited many of the major museums internationally on her travels across Europe, Asia, Latin and North America. Lilian’s teaching approach is to share her passion and interest in an open engaging format. She continues to develop her painting skills, further adding to her knowledge of the craft.

Margo Godin had a career in the corporate world, and at the same time also studied painting, drawing, print making, collage and assemblage in Montreal, New York, Italy and Mexico.  Margo chose art as her full-time career and has been active in her art practice and teaching for over 30 years. 

Ellen Green is a Montreal editor and writer and has been teaching Creative Writing at Concordia Continuing Education since 2000. She has worked both as a contributing writer and editor and has written two novels – “A Few Simple Truths” (fantasy novel) and a recently published novel for young adults.

Deanne Hall-Habeeb has spent 30 years in Bahrain teaching art to high school and elementary students as well as developing her own practice. She holds a BA in Art and Art Education.  Deanne has had numerous solo and group exhibitions in USA, Bahrain and Turkey.  In Quebec, she has had many solo exhibitions and has also given workshops on her fabric collage techniques.  Deanne has worked in and taught various media: etchings, woodcuts, pen and ink, pencil drawing, fabric collage, painting in oil, watercolour and acrylic. Now in Montreal, she happily teaches at E.N.C.O.R.E.

Bonnie Hill is a retired chef who has worked professionally for the last 25 years. She graduated from the George Brown Culinary Institute in Toronto and was head chef at The Burrowing Owl Estate Winery in the Okanagan Valley, and other five-star resorts in B.C.  Although she received a B.A. in Nursing and worked in the operating room of Toronto Western Hospital for several years, Bonnie’s passion for cooking pushed her to go to culinary school. She has taught many classes over the years and continues to love to share her knowledge with others.   

Bruce Horne is a Life Master and an accredited teacher and bridge director of the American Contract Bridge League that covers all of USA, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda. He has been playing bridge for over 55 years and has taught many groups throughout Montreal.   

Cynthia Jones received her BFA in Theatre, designing costume for many plays and ballets. She attended Parson’s School of Fashion Design and worked in the fashion industry until returning to school for her Masters in Arts Administration/Fashion History from New York University. While working on a Ph.D., she taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology in their Masters’ program for Fashion History.

Shizuyo Okada has a BA Hon. & M.T.S. with 500 hour-level designation as a Certified Yoga Teacher and Master Level Meditation Teacher. She is an advocate of transformation yoga and meditation. Highly versatile in her experience with different types of practices, Shizuyo believes in teaching the style and approach to yoga that is most suitable for the needs and aims of the individual or the group. She is also the regional director of Yoga Alliance International for North, Central, and South America.

Sharon Smith holds a BA from McGill and a teaching certificate from University of California at Berkeley and a Fine Arts Degree from Concordia. She studied the artistic approaches of Rudolf Steiner & Reggio Emilia and her teaching experience allows her to offer watercolour courses, workshops and seminars in creative artistic activity. Her works are found in North America, Europe and Asia.

Bruno Paul Stenson is a social historian who has been giving entertaining lectures since 1984. A fluently bilingual graduate of McGill and Concordia universities, he has earned Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and in History, a Master’s degree in History, and a diploma in Public Relations Management. His public education efforts earned him the Museum Volunteer Award from the Canadian Museums Association in 2015, theSovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada in 2016, and the Château Ramezay Centennial Medal from the Château Ramezay Museum in 2016. His many popular lecture topics include social history, science, and music.

Colin Young has over 20 years of study in Chinese Martial Arts: Tai-Chi, Kung Fu and Chi-Kung.  He has studied at Concordia University and in China.  As well as teaching at ENCORE, he has developed many partnerships and contracts in Montreal with hospitals, senior residences, rehabilitation centres and the Montreal recreation department. Over the years, he has built up a strong reputation not only with his knowledge, but with his unique way of teaching Tai Chi and Chi Kung, his creativity and his ‘‘joie de vivre’’.