Adult education can be cool. No, really.
Even well into adulthood, it's hard to separate summer's switch to fall from thoughts of being sent off to endure another year of school. Of course there were perks you didn't notice at the time; the bus would come on that first day and you'd be whisked off to an entirely new universe-a new teacher, different classmates and a fresh-off-the-rack wardrobe to boot. Back then, it was so easy to completely reinvent yourself every fall: It was only June when you were an argyle-clad Preppie and now, just two months later, you've traded in your docksiders for combat boots. You're wearing too much eyeliner, smoking clove cigarettes and sporting a medallion that reads, "Africa Unite." Your friends from last year may not understand, but that's OK, you can join a whole new clique by this afternoon.
As a grown-up, September threatens to become just another name on the calendar. This month, you'll probably be wearing the same dull clothes you wore last fall and you've got the same boring coworkers to contend with. But educational opportunities abound right here in Santa Fe and you can go "back to school" with the rest of the kids.
Going on six years now, the
Ecoversity
has offered local education about using natural resources to their fullest potential. The Ecoversity's list of community classes is extensive and ranges in topic from adobe homebuilding to "green" business strategies to beekeeping. Dr. Frances Harwood, one of the founders of the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colo., envisioned the Ecoversity as the center of a network through which ideas about living in alignment with the earth are exchanged. For the more serious student, the school has designed a couple different certificate programs, which last two weeks and incorporate a vast amount of knowledge from all corners of eco-thought. For the rest of us, community classes provide a chance to learn a specific, practical skill in one day from an industry professional. The institute's 11-acre campus on Agua Fria, with its sizable gardens, habitats and rainwater harvesting system, is itself a model of holistic living-it practices what it preaches.
Ecoversity, 2369 Agua Fria Road, 424-9797,
If you've got a passion for snapshots and at least a week to spare, Santa Fe hosts one of the best photography seminars in the world.
The Santa Fe Workshops
offer week-long courses in all things photo. Black-and-white, color and digital are all covered and the northern New Mexico landscape provides a stunning backdrop on which to practice your newfound skills. The Workshops attract an international roster of photographers and teachers, and the campus, located on the east side, provides classroom space and houses a plethora of the latest technology. One of the coolest programs listed in the course catalog is a class coproduced by National Geographic, in which a real-life adventure photographer spends an intense week with an intimate group, capturing the true colors of adobe against deep blue sky. The courses are not cheap, but scholarships are available for those with hidden talents.
Santa Fe Workshops, 50 Mount Carmel Road, 983-1400,
Maybe, like me, you've taken a few wrong turns off the Plaza, gone up a flight of stairs and ended up in someone's kitchen. Well that fancy, fully equipped den of gastronomy is no man's solo soup shop, it's the
Santa Fe School of Cooking
. It is here that the masters of calabacitas and the gatekeepers of chipotle convene to pass on generations of secrets on New Mexico cooking…for a reasonable fee.
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The fact that you've lived in Santa Fe for this long and you still can't prepare a simple green chile stew is just not right. Casual cooks and seasoned chefs alike can benefit from such classes as "Fajitas," "Southwest Tapas" and, for the waistline watcher, "Mexican Light." In addition, you can take multi-day courses in both traditional and contemporary New Mexican cooking. And you get to actually eat at the end of class; some even claim that their best meals in Santa Fe have been taken in at the school. Classes are offered almost every day, including a guided trip to the Farmer's Market on some Tuesdays, and are taught by Santa Fe's finest chefs and restaurateurs. Fees, from $35-$100, are a steal considering that you're gleaning a new skill while stuffing your face.
Santa Fe School of Cooking, 116 W. San Francisco St., 983-4511,
www.santafeschoolofcooking.com
The Second Annual "Tony Hillerman: Focus on Mystery" Writer's Conference is cracking the case in Albuquerque this fall (Nov. 3-6). The logo for the conference incorporates Hillerman's very own signature, so it's clear New Mexico's famous literary export has signed off on the deal. Last year's conference must have been a hoot, because the whole gang is coming back to sit on this year's panel, plus a few new faces to be suspicious of at the organized Cocktail Hour. All told, more than 20 authors and crime professionals will be on hand to impart the tools for composing sleuth-based cliffhangers of all sorts. Oddly, there are no criminals scheduled to speak, only those trying to stop crime. Even Santa Fe's chief of police, Beverly Lennen, will be sitting in on a panel. A short story contest is slated to run concurrently with the conference, the winner of which will be published in a future issue of Cowboys and Indians Magazine, destined to sit on a coffee table, which is actually a very large Pueblo Indian-style drum circa 1884, for all eternity.
Santa Fe Workshops, 304 Calle Oso, 471-1565,
