Jul. 29th CATA Featured on iBerkshires
Excerpt from an article by Nichole Dupont for iBerkshires:
If you’re looking for a poetic pick-me-up on a rainy day, Donald Platt is not your man.
Yet despite his somber, broken tercets, the two-time winner of the Pushcart Prize and recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts is coming to the Berkshires to celebrate (and yes, maybe to weep). This Thursday, Platt will be the guest reader at the sixth annual Art Show and Poetry Reading hosted by CATA (Community Access to the Arts) at its headquarters on 71 Railroad St. According to CATA Executive Director Sandy Newman, having Platt read is the icing on a very hard-earned cake.
“He’s lovely and charming,” she said. “It’s an honor to have him come and read the participants’ poems and share some of his reflections. Donald will read their poetry. To have him here is sort of a gift.”
Platt will be reading 14 poems by CATA participants, including those of his younger brother (and his muse) who was born with severe Down syndrome. Like Platt’s brother, CATA participants are all adults living with disabilities. Through CATA, participants become enmeshed in visual and performing arts workshops that encourage dialogue, experimentation and, ultimately, artistic expression. According to faculty artist Pat Hogan, the faculty are given a theme every year and a few thoughts addressing that theme. Then it is theirs (and their students’) to do with what they will. This year’s theme: “Sticks and Stones.”
