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Stories about the diverse people, places, history and culture that make Wisconsin home | WPR + PBS WI
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06/02/2026

When writer Nancy Jorgensen retired from teaching high school choir, she lost her musical community. She found it again in her own neighborhood, and reflects on the experience in her essay "Creating Music, Creating Community."

Writer Nancy Jorgensen lost her musical community when she retired from teaching high school choir. She found a new one right in her own neighborhood.

05/26/2026

Despite the gloomy weather, the Madison ceremony in March was a joyous occasion, as friends and family packed the courthouse to watch their loved ones take the next step towards citizenship.

In 2018, Griselda Solis de Drucker was dealing with the end of her 30-year marriage and decided to get away from her native Argentina to visit an uncle living in the Madison area. She had planned on saving up some money and returning to Argentina. But something unexpected happened: she...

05/16/2026

When she first started hiking the New Hope segment of the Ice Age trail decades ago, writer Jill Sisson Quinn would sit in the forest for hours with no phone, and nothing to do but observe.

Now, she finds that technology can pull us away from truly appreciating our natural surroundings. In her essay "Creatures of Habit," she reflects on ways we can slow down and reconnect with the world around us.

Writer Jill Sisson Quinn reflects on ways we can slow down, observe and reconnect with the world around us.

05/07/2026

Wisconsin isn’t typically thought of as being at the heart of country music, but did you know that half of one of country’s greatest songwriting duos is from Milwaukee? Felice and Boudleaux Bryant are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and co-wrote “Rocky Top,” the state song of Tennessee. But first, they met in a dream in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin isn’t typically thought of as being at the heart of country music, but did you know that half of one of country’s greatest songwriting duos is from Milwaukee? As Justin Barney tells us, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and co-wrote “Rocky...

04/29/2026

Author Dean Robbins took a trip to the hometown of Viola Smith, a musical trailblazer who was known as “the fastest girl drummer in the world."

Drummer Viola Smith was a musical trailblazer and innovator. Known as “the fastest girl drummer in the world,” her career lasted almost 100 years. Author Dean Robbins took a trip to her hometown in Fond du Lac County to tell us more about this legend. He’s also written a children’s...

04/25/2026

In a year of tragic violence and world conflict, poet and Milwaukee native Karl Michael Iglesias found himself struggling with helplessness. In his search for humanity, he turned to serving others at a free lunch program.

He reflects on the experience in his poem "Mu**to de Sed."

Milwaukee native Karl Michael Iglesias found connection through volunteering with a group of friends. He reflects on the experience in the poem "Mu**to de Sed."

04/17/2026

Alice Good Coffee in Verona brews Colombian coffee and community — where all is good.

Brew some love and positivity with this story from Wisconsin Life!

In Verona, Alice Good brews Colombian coffee and community — where all is good.

04/16/2026

Ana Torres came to Baraboo as a teenager and fell in love with the city. Now she owns Las Milpas, a Mexican restaurant and Latin grocery store.

When Ana Torres was 18-years-old, she did something outside of her comfort zone. She left her mother and sister in Peru and came to Baraboo, Wisconsin for a work and travel program to improve her English. She was studying psychology in Peru and the program required a second language. So...

04/09/2026

The recipe is made with smoked meat and a white corn variety that comes from
Walpole Island First Nation, which is home to a community of Potawatomi, Ojibwe and Ottawa in Canada.

Corn has been growing for thousands of years across North America, and tribes have been making corn soup for generations. Each tribe has their own method and strain of corn for cooking this traditional dish. Sarah Gordon Altiman, or Niigaanosekwe in Ojibwe, is a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake....

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