Editor's Note: Manda Aufochs Gillespie is a program host at CKTZ radio. 

The first in-person Friday talk by Folk University (Folk U) on Cortes Island since the start of the pandemic will be held at the Linnaea Farm outdoor event tent tomorrow, Oct. 15, from 1-3 p.m.

The gathering, named Folk University LIVE: Creating CommUNITY in Divisive Times, will begin with a short presentation on the physiological responses humans experience when feeling isolated from others. The bulk of the event will be a facilitated discussion where participants will be invited to voice their individual, or their organization's, experience throughout the pandemic as well as their vision for community going forward.

"The central question of Friday's Folk U talk is how as a community we will come together in these divided times to care for the health of our community organizations and our collective well being," said organizer Manda Aufochs Gillespie.

She refers to herself as the founder, president and janitor of Folk U, and said she couldn't be more excited about returning to an in-person experience.

"I'm really looking forward to first and foremost, just being back together with people," she said. 

Except for a few outdoor field trips, the weekly events had largely migrated to 1-1 radio interviews with limited community interaction.

Tune into the CKTZ story below: