PLATO Weekly Update

February 21, 2023

CURRICULUM

SPRING COURSES
THIS WEEK! Most Spring Courses begin! If your course meets in person, please review the COVID-19 Protocols posted in the Curriculum Showcase. 

Some courses still have space – view the Spring Course Schedule posted on the Courses page and contact the course coordinator to register.

CANCELLATIONS
The following two Spring courses have been cancelled:

· Tuesday Evening – NYTimes The Ethicist & Social Q's discussion

· Thursday Morning – Women's Journeys to Self Acceptance

SPECIAL EVENTS

THEATER TRIPS
NEW! TWO PLAYS now open for registration: 

God of Carnage, Tony award-winner for best play – Sunday, April 23, 2pm at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Learn more and register here.  

The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Whitney Houston Tribute – Saturday, May 6, 3pm at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Learn more and register here. 

BREAKFAST GATHERING
THIS WEEK! Fourth Friday, February 24 at 9:30am, join fellow PLATO members and guests for breakfast and conversation at Marquette Hotel Café in Madison's WilIiamson-Marquette neighborhood. RSVP and learn more.

LECTURES
NEXT MONTH! Wednesday, March 29 at 2pm at Capitol Lakes, author Scott Spoolman will share highlights from his new book Wisconsin Waters: The Ancient History of Lakes, Rivers and Waterfalls. Learn more about this event, parking validation, and the author.

View an archived PLATO Lecture from the cozy comfort of home.

MEMBERS, PLEASE NOTE...

PLATO GENERAL POLICIES UPDATED
Over the past six months the PLATO Board has reviewed and updated its General Policies as needed. These updated policies are always available on PLATO's website under About/Organizational Documents. Here's a link to those policies for your review.

PLATO PASSWORD UPDATE
You will now be prompted to update your PLATO member profile password on an annual basis due to new security measures put in place by the vendor of PLATO's website. These email reminders will come from info@platomadison.org. Please email Stephanie at info@platomadison.org with questions or concerns. 

THE AGORA
The Agora, PLATO’s literary and arts journal, 
celebrates members’ creativity and diversity of thought.

NEW! Extended Agora Deadline & Easier Submission Process:

· The deadline has been extended to Friday, March 17, 2023! 

· Literary works do not need to be submitted in Word Document format. Some members were finding this to be a barrier to submission. Learn more about the submission process and guidelines on The Agora webpage. 

Questions may be directed to The Agora Managing Editor, Edie Urness-Pondillo at epondillo@aol.com or to PLATO's Office Coordinator, Stephanie Steigerwaldt at info@platomadison.org.

What is The Agora?
For those new to PLATO, The Agora is PLATO’s literary and arts journal, designed to celebrate members’ creativity and diversity of thought. The liberal arts tradition is a core value of PLATO. The Agora is a unique opportunity for PLATO members to share their talents with the membership in printed form. 

Seeking Submissions
PLATO members are invited to submit original works for the 2023 edition of The Agora, Volume 8 in the following categories: Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction (including essays) and Visual Arts (painting, sculpture, drawing and photography).

This is a blind juried review. Click here to learn more and submit your work.

To view highlights from this past season, click on The Agora Features button below.

SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS & READINGS

Select from a range of topics and formats 

for your 2023 reading, viewing, or listening, 

curated by PLATO's Diversity Awareness Committee.

DID YOU KNOW? for February 21 – March 6, 2023 

Nancy Grace Roman (May 16, 1925 – December 25, 2018) is known to many as the “Mother of the Hubble” for her foundational role in the observatory’s planning and program structure, paving the way for missions like the Roman Space Telescope (formerly WFIRST). She received her BA degree in Astronomy in 1946 from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and her PhD from the University of Chicago. As a female in astronomy, Roman faced many challenges throughout her career. From a young age she was discouraged from going into astronomy by those around her, and struggled with its male dominance and the roles perceived as appropriate for women.

Visit the Social Justice page for more about Nancy Grace Roman 
or past DID YOU KNOW? features.

DID YOU KNOW? – spotlighting notable contributions made by non-mainstream individuals you might not have learned or read about. Suggestions for inclusions are welcome (send to Kathy at: ksmichaelis@gmail.com).