Community education this spring welcomes a lineup of distinguished speakers, including John Lennon biographer Tim Riley.

On Tuesday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m., Riley, author of Lennon: The Man, The Myth, The Music – The Definitive Life, will speak at Arlington High School, 869 Mass. Ave. Admission is $5.

Published last September, Lennon has been called "the most reliable guide yet to Lennon’s messy life and musical genius" by Will Hermes of Rolling Stone magazine and in December 2011 was named by the Christian Science Monitor as one of the best books about Lennon.

Riley draws on numerous new and exclusive interviews with Lennon’s friends, enemies, confidants and associates; lost memoirs by relatives and friends; and previously undiscovered City of Liverpool records to illuminate the remarkable journey that brought a Liverpool art student from a disastrous childhood to the highest realms of fame.

Riley is an NPR music critic and Emerson College journalist. He has written for The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Salon.com and Slate.com. His four previous books are Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary; Hard Rain: A Dylan Commentary; Madonna: Illustrated; and Fever: How Rock ‘n’ Roll Transformed Gender.

The evening will be moderated by Fortune magazine editor-at-large David Whitford.

This event is cosponsored by the Robbins Library.

Arlington has its own share of accomplished individuals, and Community Ed counts several dozen residents among the talented corps of instructors teaching more than 100 classes this term.

Charlotte Pierce, who has published several editions of the popular Day Tripper, a guide to family-friendly day trips in the Boston area, will be teaching "Going Indie: Publish Your Own Book."

Cathie Desjardins, also a published author and a journalist, will be teaching "Arlington Confidential: The Public Personal Essay." She taught the most consistently popular writing course at the Boston Center for Adult Education for 12 years.

Husband-and-wife team William Flesch and Laura Quinney, both professors of English at Brandeis University, are offering a two-evening course titled "Contemporary Poetry Demystified."

Preregistration is required for classes, but not for most speakers. For more information about all of these programs, including more than 100 classes in the spring catalog, call 781 316-3568 or visit www.ArlingtonCommunityEd.org.

Arlington Community Education is a self-funded program of the Arlington public schools offering enrichment and educational opportunities for children and adults year-round.

Register now for SummerFun for grades 1-9

Looking for something fun for your kids to do in July? SummerFun is Arlington Community Educations’s popular vacation enrichment program for children entering grades 1-9.

Classes are offered in science, sports, fine and performing arts, culture, crafts, technology and more.

Most classes meet at Ottoson Middle School and all are taught by experienced teachers. Half- and full-day options are available. Sign up for one or more weeks.

Early drop-off and extended-day also available. Some classes fill quickly, so early registration is encouraged. To view the catalog and for registration information, visit www.ArlingtonCommunityEd.org, or call 781-316-3568.