The effervescent Vineyard storyteller extraordinaire, Susan Klein will hold her seventh Spice of Life Memoir Organization and Writing course on Thursdays, Jan. 7 through Feb. 25, weekly from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Tisbury Senior Center.

The workshops have proved extremely popular; anyone interested in working on their life stories for their own pleasure, as a legacy to family and friends, or for publication, should call Ms. Klein at 508 693-4140 as soon as possible to reserve a slot.

Dress-Ups and More

Phyllis Vecchia’s creative drama workshop for four-and-a-half to nine-year-olds at the Oak Bluffs School begins Thursday, Jan. 21. It runs weekly through March 25, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

The workshop begins with theatre warmups and puppet play, followed by character warm-ups, a story, dress-up in costumes and a performance. Each week a new folk or fairy tale is presented for children to reenact into a creative drama piece. Call 508-696-8738 for registration and information.

It almost seems like one word; inthese difficulteconomictimes. But there’s an upside to this winter of financial discontent, this season of eating cheaply: Island restaurants have created such good deals that after a night of rice and beans, already leftover, you can splurge without a guilty conscience or a fat wallet. Make it social, split the check, and get an even better deal plus the psychic bonus of a good gossip.

The Adult and Community Education Program (ACE MV) in-person registration will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 5 and 6 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the lobby of the regional high school. ACE offers a variety of classes for enrichment, training and for graduate and undergraduate credit from Northeastern University college of professional studies and school of education. Another credit course is pending through Cape Cod Community College.

Tuesday Night Talks

The Vineyard Haven Evening Lecture Series begins this week, on Tuesday Jan. 5, when Dr. Jim Norton introduces the books of Greg Mortenson: the recently released bestseller Stones into Schools and Three cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time.

Oak Bluffs resident Todd Alexander will attend this first session. Through a separate project much like Mr. Mortenson’s, Mr. Alexander has been helping to build schools in rural Cambodia. One of the Cambodian students will accompany him.