Relationships Are Topic of OCC Class

Emma Jane Riley of Newport Beach says honest self-appraisal is the key to her 55-year marriage to Orange County Supervisor Thomas Riley.

“There have been times when I wanted to walk out, slam the door and not look back,” she says. “Tom wasn’t the problem. It was my own reaction to what was happening around me and within me that needed to be addressed.”

The Rileys are two of 20 guest speakers slated to address a four-session Orange Coast College class next month. The class is billed as “A Relationship Recess Summer Series: The Art of Finding a Mate.”

Others include cable television producer Barbara Venezia, Fleetwood RV founder John Crean, Orange Coast magazine publisher Ruth Ko and--schedule permitting--Jo Lasorda, wife of Dodgers’ manager Tommy Lasorda.

Starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, the two-hour weekly workshops will be taught by Christine Gustafson, free-lance journalist and author of “Ladies & Gentle Men,” a self-published book project in which all guest speakers participated.

“I designed this interactive class series to help people create an individualized road map leading to a healthy, loving relationship,” Gustafson says. “It isn’t just for single people. It’s also for anyone who wants to renew an existing relationship.’

Each class will consist of a one-hour lecture on topics including “It’s an Inside Job,” “Imagineering,” “Packaging and Marketing” and “Coupling for the Long Run.”

The second hour will be devoted to an “Oprah-style” exchange with the guest speakers. The $49 fee includes a copy of “Ladies & Gentle Men.”

For information, call (714) 432-5880.