PLATO Weekly Update

March 14, 2023

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

THIS WEEK! Submission deadline: Friday, March 17, 2023!

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). 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.

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.

CURRICULUM

SPRING COURSES
Have a question about a Spring Course? Find the answer on the Courses page.

CANCELLATIONS

• Today's Biographies class (3/14/23) is cancelled and will resume next week.
• This Thursday's What in the World Happened class (3/16/23) is cancelled and will resume next week.
• The course Experiencing Great English Literature (Mondays, 10am at the Senior Center) has been cancelled for the rest of the semester.

CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT
PLATO members are invited to drop in on a Global Affairs and the Media class anytime this semester. The course meets on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm and most classes are hybrid, though a few are virtual-only. View the Spring 2023 Calendar to review the topics and meeting format. To request the Zoom link, contact Kirk Elliott.

WITH GRATITUDE...
We extend a hearty thank you to our 2022 retiring coordinators – find a list of these special people in Curriculum Showcase. PLATO depends on the generosity of people like these to make our programming rich and diverse. If you have an interest in offering a course, please email Kathie Burman.

SPECIAL EVENTS

THEATER TRIPS
JOIN US – this Spring at The Milwaukee Repertory Theater!

God of Carnage – “A dark and hilarious farce” and Tony award-winner for best play. Sunday, April 23, 2pm at Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. Register today as the registration deadline is Wednesday, March 22. Learn more and register here. 

A World Premier! The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Whitney Houston Tribute –  A journey through Houston's record-setting hits. Saturday, May 6, 3pm at the intimate Stackner Cabaret. Learn more and register here.

BREAKFAST GATHERING
NEXT WEEK! Fourth Friday, March 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
THIS MONTH! On 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.

NEXT MONTH! On Wednesday, April 19 at 1pm, Martin Alvarado, Community Engagement Librarian at the Madison Public Library, will present a two-hour virtual lecture on The History of Latino Migration to Wisconsin. Learn more and register here.

Check out recorded PLATO Lectures on many interesting subjects.

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 March 7 – 20, 2023 

Daniel Hale Williams (January 18, 1856 – August 4, 1931) was the first African American physician admitted to the American College of Surgeons. A pioneering heart surgeon, Williams performed the first successful human open-heart surgery in 1893 at Provident Hospital in Chicago, IL. As an advocate to end racial disparities in the medical field, he co-founded the National Medical Association in 1895, a professional organization for black medical practitioners because the all-white American Medical Association did not grant membership to black doctors.

Visit the Social Justice page for more about Daniel Hale Williams 
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).