Upcoming Lectures

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• Lecture - Slavery in "Free" Wisconsin Territory, 1800-1850.

  • When
    April 10, 2025
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM (CDT)
  • Location
    Oakwood Village West Performing Arts Center

       

  Slavery in "Free" Wisconsin Territory, 1800-1850

  
  

  Thursday, April 10 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

  
  

  In-Person at Oakwood Village West Performing Arts Center

  
  

  6205 Mineral Point Road

  
  

  Registration is Not Required

  FREE PARKING
  

  
  

  Even after the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 made slavery illegal in the territory that later became Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota, individuals and legislatures found means to allow slavery to exist in this so-called "free" territory, which was partitioned into states. This was especially true at US military posts and the mining region of Illinois and Wisconsin. Using documentation gathered in the writing of her latest book, Enslaved, Indentured, Free, Mary Elise Antoine will discuss the presence of slavery, in its various forms, in what is now Wisconsin.

  Enslaved, Indentured, Free, published in 2023, received several awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award in Regional History from the Independent Book Publishers’ Association, the Midwest Independent Publishers Association award. The book also received the Wisconsin Historical Society Board of Curators Book of Merit Award. The award is given annually to an author whose book on Wisconsin history “made the most valuable contribution” to the public’s understanding of Wisconsin's past.

  Mary Elise was born and raised in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. She has an MA in history museum studies and has worked at historic sites in upstate New York and Wisconsin. She is currently curator at the Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien and president of the Prairie du Chien Historical Society. Mary Elise has written many articles and several books on the history of the upper Mississippi, including The War of 1812 in Wisconsin: the Battle for Prairie du Chien and Frenchtown Chronicles of Prairie du Chien, both published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

  __________________________________________

  Transportation Options:

  
  

  Bicycle:  Bike racks are available

  
  

  Bus: The BRT Route A bus  runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.  

  
  

  Car: 
  

  • Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
  •  Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
  •  Turn right into driveway.
  •   Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
  • When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
  • _________________________

  Questions?  Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

  Show details
• Lecture - A Conversation with Chloe Benjamin!

  • When
    April 17, 2025
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM (CDT)
  • Location
    Oakwood Village West Performing Arts Center

   

  A Conversation with Chloe Benjamin 

  
  

  Thursday, April 17 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

  
  

  In-Person at Oakwood Village West Performing Arts Center

  
  

  6205 Mineral Point Road

  
  

  Registration is Not Required

  FREE PARKING
  

  
  

  Madison novelist Chloe Benjamin will join us to share information about her journey in becoming a writer of fiction!  She is the author of two novels, The Anatomy of Dreams and The Immortalists and will be interviewed by three members of the Alt-Pinney Book Club, all of whom have read both novels and loved them!  In addition, A Room of One’s Own Bookstore will be at this event with both of Chloe’s books available for purchase.  Best of all, they can be signed by the author!  Purchases may be made with credit or debit cards.

  A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, Library Reads favorite, and #1 Indie Next Pick, The Immortalists was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and others. The Anatomy of Dreams received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was long listed for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

  

  Originally from San Francisco, CA, Chloe is a graduate of Vassar College and received her M.F.A. in fiction at the University of Wisconsin. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives with her husband and two Maine Coon cats in Madison where she is at work on her third novel.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

  
  

  
  

  __________________________________________

  Transportation Options:

  
  

  Bicycle:  Bike racks are available

  
  

  Bus: The BRT Route A bus  runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.  

  
  

  Car: 
  

  • Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
  •  Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
  •  Turn right into driveway.
  •   Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
  • When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
  • _________________________

  Questions?  Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

  Show details
• Espresso Yourself: the Science & Art of Coffee!

  • When
    May 01, 2025
  •  
    1:30 PM - 3:00 PM (CDT)
  • Location
    Oakwood Village Nakoma/Westmoreland Room

   Espresso Yourself: The Science & Art of Coffee!

  Thursday, May 1 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

  In-Person at Oakwood Village Nakoma/Westmoreland Room

  6205 Mineral Point Road

  
  

  
  

  Registration is Not Required

  FREE PARKING
  

  
  

  Join us to learn about the science and technology that goes into coffee production! Juan Rodrigo Sanz Uribe, PhD (UW-Madison), will be delivering this lecture from Colombia, a major coffee producing nation!

  Juan is a leading expert in everything related to coffee production with over 30 years of expertise in R&D related to agricultural machinery and coffee processing technologies. He has led or contributed to more than 50 research projects, resulting in over 20 technologies widely adopted by coffee growers domestically and internationally. He is co-inventor of the environmentally friendly coffee processing systems Becolsub (1995) and Ecomill® (2012), advancing sustainable coffee production practices, and holds patents for electronic sorting technologies for coffee fruits and beans, helping growers improve product quality and income. He is the author and co-author of multiple books, book chapters, scientific papers, and technical publications, totaling over 100 works. Juan works for the National Colombian Coffee Federation. This organization provides assistance for coffee growers throughout Latin America,

  At the conclusion of Juan’s lecture, we will be sampling Colombian coffee so that you can taste its wonderful flavor!

  
  

  

  

  Please note that this lecture will be in the Nakoma/Westmoreland Room which is located behind the main desk at Oakwood.

  __________________________

  
  

  Transportation Options:

  
  

  Bicycle:  Bike racks are available

  
  

  Bus: The BRT Route A bus  runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.  

  
  

  Car: 
  

  • Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
  •  Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
  •  Turn right into driveway.
  •   Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
  • When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
  • _________________________

  Questions?  Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

  Show details
• PLATO's 2025 Member Appreciation Annual Meeting

  • When
    May 14, 2025
  •  
    2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (CDT)
  • Location
    3735 Monona Drive, Madison, Wi 53714
  • Spaces left
    116

  Register

  
  

  Registration is required for this complimentary event for PLATO Members and the deadline is Friday, May 2.

  Members may invite a guest!

  You will ned to login to your PLATO account to register – there is a prompt if you need to reset your password. 
  

  Please note, if you prefer wearing a mask, please do.

  +++
  

  PLATO members are invited to attend this lively social event which will feature keynote speaker John Stofflet, Local Broadcast Legend and 26-time Emmy Winner. The title of his presentation will be Anecdotes & Challenges from My Career as a Newscaster. 

  John Stofflet is also a multiple Edward R. Murrow Award winner, who has traveled on assignment to all seven continents. Mr. Stofflet has interviewed hundreds of celebrities, and even interviewed President Barack Obama one-on-one at The White House. He worked as a feature reporter at the NBC affiliate in Seattle, as a special correspondent for the National Geographic Channel, as a show host for HGTV and for 18 years as the main evening anchor at WMTV News in Madison before retiring in July of 2023.

  The Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the Emmys) inducted Mr. Stofflet into its Silver Circle for lifetime achievement in 2024. In 2025, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association named him a "Local Broadcast Legend".  
  

  Enjoy light refreshments, fun photo opportunities, and door prizes!

  Door Prizes
  
   –  (2) PLATO Memberships valid August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026  

  – Artwork

  – Books written by PLATO members

  – Gift Certificates to local cafés 

  – And more, check back for details!

  +++++++++++

  Schedule of Events
  

  2:00pm Check-in & Social Time

  2:15pm PLATO Business Meeting 

  2:35pm Keynote: Anecdotes & Challenges from My Career as a Newscaster, by John Stofflet 

  3:15pm Small Table Group Discussions with PLATO Leadership

  3:45pm Door Prizes
  
  3:55pm Closing Message

  4:00pm Social Time – Optional time to socialize if you'd like

  4:30pm  Doors Close 
  
  +++++++++++
  
  Driving & Parking Directions
  This event will be held at the East Side Club located at:
  3735 Monona Drive, Madison, Wi 53714 – click here for Google Map.
  
  The East Side Club has convenient, free parking in the parking lot in front of their building and ADA accessible facilities.
  
  Cancellations? Contact Stephanie at info@platomadison.org.

  Questions? Contact Stephanie at info@platomadison.org.
  

  Show details