Compassion for Katovski

I’m asking for help for a dear friend to me and to MANY, Mr. Robert Olson, the local poet extraordinaire known as Katovski, and the editor of Calliope, a Nashville arts magazine. Robert and his wife Adel began publishing Calliope in 2014, providing a welcoming outlet for the expressions of writers, as well as spoken word and visual artists. Many of you have been featured within Calliope’s colorful pages or you have learned more about the artists that are treasures among us by reading this magazine. Many of you have been awestruck by Robert/Katovski’s moving poetry as he has taken the mic at Nashville-area spoken word events.

Robert keeps his worries to himself, so you may not know, but he has faced several recent health emergencies. After some scary hospitalizations and a lot of testing, Robert knows now that he has a genetic blood mutation that causes life-threatening clots to occur throughout this body. This has changed Robert and Adel’s lives dramatically. He must take medication – expensive medication – for the rest of his life and be closely monitored by doctors. He is no longer able to work to support his family and is in the midst of applying for disability benefits. For a proud, strong, quiet man, this news has been catastrophic.

How can you help? This crisis has been costly. Although Robert pays a high monthly fee for insurance, much of the medical care, genetic testing and medicines that have saved his life have not been covered. Welcome to the reality of American health care. Robert and his wife have accumulated more than $10,000 in medical expenses, and as he has not been able to work consistently since this crisis began, the bills have become overwhelming.

We have set up this GoFundMe campaign. There will also be a fundraiser/Calliope magazine celebration at the fabulous Corvidae Collective art gallery in the Arcade in downtown Nashville on July 11th, from 2-4:30 pm. Accomplished poets, artists and other creative souls will be coming together to celebrate not only a wonderful creative endeavor, Calliope magazine, but also to show love and support for the great man at its helm. Make plans to be there and please invite friends to join us!

In Robert’s own words while promoting one of his books of poetry, “People often gather together to make an exclamation … There are so many people in my life that come and go, that maybe are just passing through. They stay a little while, and they add some kind of a punctuation to who I am.” Let’s be the punctuation for Robert today. An exclamation point that says, “We care, and we are here for you!”

Please give what you can to help Robert and Adel with medical bills and everyday life expenses. Robert/Katovski has brought joy and many moments of deep thought with his contributions to the Nashville arts community. Please share this campaign through all of your social media connections & ask others to re-share. Facebook it, Tweet it, Blast it. Please get the word out. The more individuals that know about this campaign, as well as the upcoming celebration on July 11th, the more we can help our friend.

All donations, large or small, are welcome. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Blessings to you all.