About Wisconsin Life

Since 2009, Ex Fabula has been strengthening community bonds through the art of true, personal storytelling. Ex Fabula, which is Latin for “from stories,” presents storytelling  workshops, StorySlams and Community Collaborations where people listen to each other, feel heard, and grow in empathy and understanding. Special projects like the Ex Fabula Fellowship, the Puente Project, and Equal Access use…

The Lands We Share initiative includes a traveling exhibition and public dialogue tour that focuses on the intersection of farming, land, ethnic culture and history in Wisconsin. The exhibit will feature the stories, histories, artifacts, images and sounds of six culturally and regionally distinct farms and farm sites and invites…

Storytelling has a way of amplifying voices and lowering fences in our communities. “Inside Stories” podcast explores Madison one story at a time. In each episode, Takeyla Benton and Jen Rubin feature a story that was told in front of an audience in Madison, then interview the storyteller to dig deeper into…

The Sounds Like Home audio series covers music and everyday life in Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley. In six episodes, we present the voices of regional musicians telling their own stories. Sounds Like Home is an initiative of the Chippewa Valley Museum. It’s a regional music documentation project that spans field research,…

88Nine Radio Milwaukee is a non-commerical station that broadcasts on 88.9 FM. As their mission statement says, “Through music and stories created for a culturally open-minded community, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee is a catalyst for creating a better, more inclusive and engaged Milwaukee.”

“Human Powered” is a show about how people make places better. In our first season, we explore Wisconsin together to meet real people and hear in-depth stories that we hope leave you feeling closer to your neighbors—and inspired by where you live. Brought to you by Wisconsin Humanities and Love…

Grassland 2.0 is a collaborative group of farmers, researchers, and public and private sector leaders working to expand well-managed grazing and other types of grassland agriculture in the Midwest to improve farm viability, water quality, soil health and climate change resilience.

The Pandemic Pregnancy Project is a Milwaukee-based organization that produces initiatives, organizes community events, and archives stories from across the country of people who grew their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the project is a limited series called “Pandemic Pregnancies and Popsicles!,” a collection of 20 stories with a…

Tone Madison is a worker-owned, reader-supported website covering culture and politics in Madison. They publish fiercely independent journalism that treats culture in Madison as the complex subject it is.

The “Home Is Here” project looks at the growing number of Black, Asian, Native American and Hispanic residents who call northeastern Wisconsin home. The project is part of the NEW (Northeast Wisconsin) News Lab – a local news collaboration in northeastern Wisconsin made up of six news organizations: the Green…

Midwest Mujeres Inc. is a mentorship collective for multicultural women’s entrepreneurial or career growth. They focus on storytelling, networking, mentoring, marketing, and helping Latinas build their platforms to close the wage gap for all women. The organization, led by founder and CEO Araceli Esparza, has partnered with “Wisconsin Life” to…

The Moth is an acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to the art and craft of true personal storytelling. Since 1997, The Moth has presented over 60,000 stories, told live and without notes to standing­-room-only crowds worldwide, in order to create a more empathetic world. Listen to stories and learn about live…

Nkaujoua Xiong studies Film, Video, Animation, & New Genres at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is an aspiring director, cinematographer, and animator who strives for diversity in film and media.

Arif Ahmad is a cardiologist, writer, and outdoorsman from Madison, Wisconsin. His award-winning book, “A Piece of Me,” is favorably reviewed by Kirkus, Booklife, and Foreword Reviews. In addition, it has been included in the Library of Congress, the Yale University Library, the University of Wisconsin/Wisconsin Historical Society Library, and…

Bill Amundson is a Stoughton based artist and substitute teacher who occasionally dabbles in music, writing and humor.

Shauna Singh Baldwin is a Canadian-American novelist of Indian descent. Her 2000 novel What the Body Remembers won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and her 2004 novel The Tiger Claw was nominated for the Giller Prize. She lives in Milwaukee with her husband.

Justin Barney is an audio journalist and radio host who has worked at 88Nine Radio Milwaukee and Nashville Public Radio. He occasionally writes for NPR and his podcast work has been lauded by “The New York Times.” His favorite place in the world is in line at Leon’s Frozen Custard.

Kimberly Blaeser teaches creative writing and Native American literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is the author of three books of poetry, including Apprenticed to Justice.

Bryan Box served two tours with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Now, he works in forestry in Wisconsin’s northwoods. In 2019, Box wrote the essay, “Ghosts Of War In A Wisconsin Forest” for The New Republic, depicting his struggles with PTSD and the healing potential of the northwoods.

Miriam Brabham is a poet and author of “1,000 Apologies to Me: A Collection of Poetry, Short Stories, and Reflections.” Miriam is passionate about giving back to her community, storytelling, and pursuing her many artistic passions. She is a facilitator, moderator, workshop leader, and presenter on identity and issues surrounding…

Judy Bridges is a writer who lived from coast to coast and returned to Wisconsin convinced there really is no place like home. She founded Redbird Writing Studio in Milwaukee in 1993, and included much of her writing wisdom in her good-natured guide to the craft, Shut Up & Write!

Julie Buckles is a writer in Ashland and the author of Paddling to Winter. She was born in the driftless region of Wisconsin and raised on a 47-acre dairy farm. She now lives near Washburn with her husband, Charly, two children and a team of Siberian huskies. Buckles has worked as…

Jeff Burkhart is the CEO/Founder of Mission Forward and the former executive director of the Literacy Network of Dane County.

Nickolas Butler is a writer based in Eau Claire. He’s the author of Shotgun Lovesongs.

Crystal Chan grew up as a mixed-race kid in the middle of the Wisconsin cornfields and has been trying to find her place in the world ever since. Over time, she found that her heart lies in public speaking, performing, and ultimately, writing. She has given talks and workshops across…

Bob Chiarito is a Chicago-based freelance reporter who writes for The New York Times, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and a host of others.

Christina Clancy is the author of “The Second Home” and “Shoulder Season.” Her work has appeared in “The New York Times,” “The Washington Post,” “The Chicago Tribune,” “The Sun Magazine” and in various literary journals. She lives in Madison with her family.

Shawn Connelly is a producer and musician living in Green Bay, WI and periodically freelances in New York.

Eddee Daniels is a photographer, artist and writer in Milwaukee. He’s the author of several books including Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed.

Ron Davis is a retired English teacher, freelance writer, columnist and author of “Shiny Side Up” and “Rubber Side Down,” two books about the improbable inclination to travel on two wheels.

Victoria Davis is a multi-media freelance journalist for publications across the U.S. such as Isthmus, Capital Times, SDNews and Hidden Remote. A city girl through-and-through, Victoria loves all things arts and entertainment. She has a particular affinity for film and “geek culture,” spending most of her free time at the…

Callie Donavan studies Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is passionate about reading, watching movies and audio storytelling.

Eric Dregni teaches English at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s the author of several books including “For the Love of Cod,” “Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America” and “In Cod We Trust.”

Kristen Durst works in community relations. She’s a contributor to Wisconsin Life and a former Wisconsin Public Radio host and reporter.

Colleen DuVall is a writer and actress in Milwaukee.

Krista Eastman’s essays have appeared in The Georgia Review, The Kenyon Review, and other journals. Her work has received several awards and distinctions, including a “Notable Essay” citation in Best American Essays.

Araceli Esparza is a poet, writer, and teacher based in Madison. She is an MFA graduate from Hamline University, with strong migrant farmer roots, and named 2015 Women to Watch by Brava Magazine. Araceli is also the host of the podcast, Midwest Mujeres.

Jabril Faraj is a journalist and the creator of Milwaukee Stories.

Amy Fleury is the author of two collections of poems, Beautiful Trouble and Sympathetic Magic, and a chapbook, Reliquaries of the Lesser Saints. She teaches writing and literature at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Eli Frieders is an advocate for Wisconsin’s vibrant music community

Jessica Gatzow studies Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She enjoys hiking and exploring Wisconsin’s natural areas.

Dr. Alex Gee is the pastor at Fountain of Life Covenant Church in Madison, president of the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, and host of the podcast, Black Like Me. (Photo by Symone Russell)

Matt Geiger is a Midwest Book Award Winner, a national American Book Fest Finalist, and an international Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist. He is also the winner of numerous journalism awards. His books include “Astonishing Tales!* (Your Astonishment May Vary)” and “Raised by Wolves & Other Stories.”

Jane Genske is the Wisconsin Life/Wisconsin 101 intern for summer 2019. She’s a true Sconnie because she loves a day on the lake and a brat on the grill.

Norman Gilliland is a writer, producer, and host at Wisconsin Public Radio. He hosts classical music broadcasts, produces the interview program “University of the Air,” and reads for “Chapter A Day.”

Mark E. Griffin is a storyteller who writes about science, nature, and any other places in life where discovery occurs. He lives in Madison with his life partner and daughter.

John Gurda is a Milwaukee-born writer and historian who has been studying his hometown since 1972. He is the author of twenty-three books, including the best-selling The Making of Milwaukee and its geographic companion, Milwaukee: City of Neighborhoods.

Jimmy Gutierrez is an audio editor and service journalist based in Milwaukee. You can find him lounging on his porch listening to a podcast or playing ball at Washington Park

Jane Hampden teaches journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Before that, she hosted a daily interview program on Milwaukee Public Radio and worked in TV news in Milwaukee and Denver.

Chris Hardie and his wife, Sherry, raise sheep and cattle on his great-grandparents’ Jackson County farm. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, he is a former member of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and past president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

Olivia Herken is a journalist and writer based in Madison. Born and raised in the heart of the Driftless in La Farge, she loves baking, telling stories about Wisconsin communities, and is a rom-com expert. You can read more of her work on her blog, The Living Room.

During the 2018-2019 school year, Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School, or MG21, high school students created radio pieces for Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life.” The final stories were featured on the radio and online through the “Classroom Frequency: Student Voices From Wisconsin” project.

B.J. Hollars is a writer and professor in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  He is the author of several books, most recently Year of Plenty.  He also directs the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild.

Karl Michael Iglesias is a poet, teacher, artist and actor based in Brooklyn. He grew up in Milwaukee and is a graduate of UW-Madison, where he was part of the First Wave program. His debut collection of poetry, “Catch A Glow” was released in February 2021 by Finishing Line Press.

Justin Isherwood is a fifth-generation farmer and an award-winning writer. His most recent books are Pulse: A Farmer’s Take on the Universe and Walking on Water II.

Ayisha Jaffer has a passion for being in the shoes of many different lifestyles from punk rocker to park ranger. She’s been a storyteller, musician, DJ, and a radio host in Milwaukee, Nashville and the Twin Cities. For 15 years, she traveled from New Zealand to Alaska and everywhere in…

Catherine Jagoe is a translator and writer whose most recent poetry collections are Bloodroot and News from the North. Her essays have appeared or are forthcoming in the 2016 Pushcart Prize XL anthology, “The Gettysburg Review,” “TriQuarterly,” “Fourth Genre,” “Memoir Magazine,” “Water~Stone Review” and other journals.

Meg Jones was a longtime reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the author of “World War II Milwaukee.” She passed away in December 2020.

Waukesha writer Nancy Jorgensen partnered with daughter Elizabeth Jorgensen to write a 2022 middle-grade biography, Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete (Meyer & Meyer Sport). She has also written two choral education books published by Hal Leonard Corporation and Lorenz Corporation. Her essays appear in Ruminate, River Teeth, CHEAP POP, and elsewhere.

Seth Jovaag is a journalist and independent radio producer. 

Robert Kennedy is a retired science teacher, writer, and sometime poet living in Oconomowoc. His work can be viewed on his website, Arc Of The Hawk.

Tom Kertscher is Wisconsin Watch fact checker and contributes to its collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who has worked as a self-employed journalist since 2019. His gigs include contributing writer for PolitiFact…

Saemee Kim is a 2023 graduate of UW-Madison Communication Arts: Radio-TV-Film undergraduate who has lived in Wisconsin for 16 years. She’s is a storyteller and an aspiring filmmaker who hopes to gather and enliven stories around the world by starting with “Wisconsin Life.”

Jan Mireles Larson is a professor emeritus and the former Department Chair of the Communication + Journalism Department at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Ian Lewitz is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His three favorite things about Wisconsin are its lakes, its cheese and its polka.

Christina Lieffring is the news and politics editor at Tone Madison, a freelance journalist, writer, and editor, and lifelong Midwesterner.

Yia Lor is a storyteller and writer from Eau Claire. She shares her time with her family, three pups, yoga mat, and 50+ houseplants.

Erik Lorenzsonn is a writer based in Madison, Wisconsin. His work has been featured in Poughkeepsie Journal, the Capital Times, the Progressive Magazine and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Wendy Lutzke is the museum educator at the Maritime Museum in Manitowoc.

Mackenzie Martin is the Morning Edition Host and Features Editor at WXPR Public Radio in Rhinelander. When she’s not listening to podcasts and contemplating life’s meaning, she likes to cook elaborate meals and spend time with the wild turkeys that always seem to be in her backyard.

Deshawn McKinney is a writer proudly reppin Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His work is steeped in hip-hop and is a means of exploring liberation and the delicate balance of existence. His debut collection of poetry, “father forgive me” was released in February 2021 by Black Sunflowers Poetry Press.

June Melby is a poet, performer, and the author of “My Family and Other Hazards,” a memoir about growing up on a 1950’s era miniature golf course in Waupaca, WI.  She lives in a log cabin in the woods.

Ben Meyer is the special topics correspondent at WXPR in Rhinelander. His reporting mainly focuses on natural resources, environmental, and economic issues in northern Wisconsin. He lives in Rhinelander with his wife, Erika.

Nigel O’Shea is a radio and audio engineer, part-time food critic and full-time philosopher. Now living with his family in Washington State, his Wisconsin-born daughter will assure his inevitable return to the beloved Badger State.

Andrew Patrie is a high school English teacher in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He’s a regular contributor to Volume One magazine, and a one-time contributor to Burning Abyss (an underground Polish heavy metal ‘zine). His writing has also appeared in Twig, Sky Island Journal, Barstow and Grand, and on Wisconsin Public Radio.

Mike Paulus is the online editor for Volume One Magazine in Eau Claire, where he’s been writing his “The Rear End” column for over a decade. 

Alex Peek is a film student at Columbia College Chicago and 2019 graduate of Madison East High School. When not involved in her studies, you can find her either exploring downtown Chicago, working on crew for the next theater event she could get her hands on or hanging out with…

Marty Perkins was curator of research and interpretation at Old World Wisconsin, and the manager of the Eagle Diamonds vintage baseball team.

Linda Pils is a retired teacher and former co-director of the Wisconsin Writing Project at UW-Madison.

Chuck Pils is a retired 33-year Wisconsin DNR wildlife biologist (1966-99). He worked as a wildlife researcher, furbearer specialist, wildlife management administrator, and Bureau of Endangered Resources director.

Jill Sisson Quinn is the author of “Sign Here if You Exist and Other Essays.” Her work has appeared in Ecotone, OnEarth, Orion, and many other magazines. She teaches writing at Mid-State Technical College and lives in Scandinavia.

Brian Reisinger is a writer who grew up on a dairy farm in Sauk County. He’s worked in journalism, public policy, and consulting, and writes about rural American culture, economics, history, politics, and the outdoors. He lives in Madison, but spends as much time as he can in a cabin…

Sandy Reitman is a freelance writer tackling many different writing projects that come her way. When she’s not in a word document, you can find her taking in whatever city surrounds her with good food, drink, and people.

Dean Robbins is a children’s author based in Madison. He has won state and national awards for arts, features and news stories, and has contributed to magazines and newspapers around the country.

Robert Root is the author the forthcoming Walking Home Ground: Time, Terrain, Transition and other books. His essays have been listed in the Best American Essays series and given the Council of Wisconsin Writers Award for Short Nonfiction. He teaches in the Ashland University MFA Program and at the Loft…

Jen Rubin is a producer at Love Wisconsin, a statewide digital storytelling program of Wisconsin Humanities; co-producer of the Moth StorySlam in Madison; author of We Are Staying: Eighty Years in the Life of a Family, a Store, and a Neighborhood; and leads storytelling workshops around the state (from libraries…

Briana Rupel is a graduate of UW-La Crosse who grew up catching frogs and building forts in the woods of Wisconsin. These days she takes in all the adventure and inspiration that Lake Superior has to offer, living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a freelance writer. She writes mainly for the Food &…

Finn Ryan is an independent producer and director. His work can be viewed at finnryan.com.

Steven Salmon is an author with severe Cerebral palsy who lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He writes with Morse code using his head since he unable to use his hands. His book, “It’s A New Life! Mom Is Gone,” is now available.

Alexandra Salmon is an independent audio producer who has a background in clinical social work and cancer education. She is drawn to stories about human complexity. When she doesn’t have her headphones on, you can find Alexandra hanging out with her family, forcing herself to run, or eating anything sour.

McKenna Scherer is an editor at “Volume One” magazine, an independent biweekly arts and culture publication, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. A born-and-raised Wisconsinite and award-winning journalist, she is always on the hunt for good coffee, great food, and a trinket or two to add to her shelves.

Breann Schossow is a former network producer for The Ideas Network. She was also WPR’s 2013-14 Lee Ester Fellow, a reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio News and a producer at Minnesota Public Radio. Outside of radio, Breann was a research assistant for Barbara Bradley Hagerty, a reporter at the Milwaukee…

Patti See is a writer from Lake Hallie, near Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  Her essay collection “Here on Lake Hallie: In Praise of Barflies, Fix-it-Guys, and Other Folks in Our Home Town” was published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. See’s blog “Our Long Goodbye: One Family’s Experiences with Alzheimer’s Disease”…

Chris Seroogy is a retired teacher, writer, and poet in De Pere.

David Shih is Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The New Republic, The Progressive, Slate, NPR’s Code Switch, Electric Literature, Literary Hub, and Inside Higher Ed. His book Chinese Prodigal: A Memoir in Eight Arguments is the winner…

Destiny Skubis is a Wisconsin native though loves to travel near and far. Her work consists of early childhood development, studying home-birth midwifery, and homesteading with the seasons.

Anne Strainchamps is the host of TTBOOK.  She co-founded the show, along with Steve Paulson and Jim Fleming, and has been a featured interviewer on the program for more than a decade.   

Born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, Mark Sullivan spent a decade doing a bad Jack Kerouac impression, before returning home to the greatest state in the Union. He currently studies audio engineering in Milwaukee.

Ken Szymanski is the 2020-2024 Eau Claire writer-in-residence and an English teacher at DeLong Middle School. He is the author of Home Field Advantage and Sit Down and Stay Awhile: My Aunt Lil, a Small-Town Bar, and a Lifetime of Polkas.

Esteban Touma is a writer and comedian adjusting to life in the US. His comedy has been featured in Comedy Central and NPR. The U.S. government has officially declared him an “authorized legal alien with a reentry permit.” He formerly hosted “The Moth” in Madison and was a regular at…

Andy Turner is a freelance journalist, college English instructor and radio DJ living in Milwaukee. He is a music and B-movie fanatic.

Mixee Vang is a pharmacist and mathematician by training but who enjoys all experiences relating to food, travel, writing, and culture. Any free time is dedicated to sharing with her daughters an active life sprinkled with adventure. She lives in Sun Prairie.

Tressa Versteeg is an independent producer with Midwestern roots. She makes radio about the intersection of geography, art, and human nature.

Ron Weber is a Wisconsin DNR Forester living in Weyerhaeuser. He writes outdoor essays for several Wisconsin publications.

Dusty Weis is the host of the “Lead Balloon” podcast, a Milwaukee-based freelance podcast producer and a former radio news reporter.

Paul Wiegel has a “day job” as a teacher and lives in Berlin, Wisconsin. He’s also a writer who occasionally works as a street performer typing on-demand poems with Fox River Poetry Company at festivals and markets around Wisconsin.

Ayak Akhtar is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. His novel “American Dervish” is set in Milwaukee where he grew up.

Will Allen is a MacArthur genius and former pro-basketball player. He’s now a farmer, and founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc. He’s just published his first book called “The Good Food Revolution.”

Candice Gaukel Andrews is a nature and travel writer. Her most recent books are Beyond the Trees: Stories from Wisconsin’s Forests and Travel Wild Wisconsin: A Seasonal Guide to Wildlife Encounters in Natural Places.

Lynda Barry is an award-winning author and cartoonist best known for her weekly comic strip “Ernie Pook’s Comeek.” Her graphic novel “What It Is” won the comics industry’s 2009 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work. her latest book is “Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor.” She lives on a farm…

Terry Bell is the former host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”

Marcia Bjornerud is a professor of Geology at Lawrence University, and the author of the Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth.

Chrys Bocast is a musician with a Ph.D. in Environment and Resources from the Nelson Institute at the University of Wisconsin. She produced the audiobook version of “People of the Sturgeon“, which includes the sounds of sturgeon. She is now a Wisconsin expat and lives in Colorado.

Anthony Bukoski has published five story collections, including Time Between Trains, a 2003 Booklist Editor’s Choice selection, and North of the Port (2008). He lives in Superior.

Eddy Cevilla was the multimedia producer and reporter at PBS Wisconsin.

Dave Cieslewicz is the former mayor of Madison and teaches in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the UW-Madison.

Rod Clark is a writer and publisher of the literary journal Rosebud.

Erin Clune is a writer in Madison.

Ximena Conde is the 2nd Century News Fellow at the Milwaukee Office of Wisconsin Public Radio. She loves to jog around Milwaukee even if it’s two miles at a time. Ximena also enjoyed the cheese curd taco at the Wisconsin State Fair.

Dr. Tony D’Alessandro heads the division of transplant surgery at the U.W. Hospital and Clinics. “Wisconsin Innovations” is on display at the Wisconsin Historical Museum in Madison.

Sean Michael Dargan composed and performed the “Wisconsin Life” radio theme. He is a Madison-based guitarist, singer and songwriter who has performed with many different groups, including a long-stint with Irish-rock band, the Kissers.

Elizabeth Delaquess is a podcast specialist at First Unitarian Society, a radio tech at Wisconsin Public Radio, and a volunteer features producer for a show called “Third World View” on WORT.

Molly Dove is an intern at the Eau Claire office of Wisconsin Public Radio. She loves Wisconsin for its delicious cheese curds and beautiful kayaking spots.

Michael Fedo is the author of several books, including his most recent on Henry Wood called “A Sawdust Heart: My Vaudeville Life in Medicine and Tent Shows.”

Susan Firer is the former poet laureate of Milwaukee and the author of many books, including Milwaukee Does Strange Things To People.

John Galligan is a teacher and novelist in Madison.

Jesse Gant is the co-author of the book, Wheel Fever: How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State.

Benson Gardner is a freelance contributor to Wisconsin Life. He remembers zealously upending a single piece of city park furniture one solstice night during his Menomonie coming of age, to create the decidedly unimpressive monument to creativity known as “bench-henge.”

Jane Hamilton is the author of the award-winning novels The Book of Ruth, A Map of the World, and When Madeline Was Young. She lives in a farmhouse in Rochester, Wisconsin.

Tim Harmston is a stand-up comedian based in Minneapolis but raised in Menominee, Wisconsin. He’s appeared on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham.

Anne Helke is the online content producer for the “Wisconsin Life” project who grew up on a lone draft horse farm in the midst of dairy farms in north-central Wisconsin, which was great until she realized you can’t get string cheese from draft horses.

John Hildebrand is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the author of several books, including his most recent, The Heart of Things: A Midwestern Almanac. He has been awarded a Minnesota Book Award, Banta Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, Bush Fellowship, Wisconsin Arts Board…

Adam Hirsch is a journalist and freelancer in Madison.

Heidi Hodges is contributing editor of Door County Magazine and a freelance photographer.

Erika Janik is the co-creator and former executive director of Wisconsin Life. She is the author of six books, including Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction, Apple: A Global History, and  Marketplace of the Marvelous: The Strange Origins of Modern Medicine. She’s currently the executive…

Tim Southwick Johnson is a songwriter who also plays acoustic guitar, mandolin, tenor guitar, ukulele and harmonica. His latest album is called Sand County Songs.

Tom Jones is a photographer and enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. He’s the co-author of People of the Big Voice. The book won a USA Best Books Award for Photography.

Lesley Kagen is an actress, voice-over talent, former restaurateur, sought-after speaker, and award-winning New York Times bestselling author of five previous novels including Mare’s Nest.

Marie Kohler is an award-winning playwright, actor, and writer in Milwaukee. She’s written five plays including “Counting Days” which earned a nomination for the American Association of Theater Critics’ Best New Regional Play.

Tea Krulos is a journalist based in Milwaukee. His books include Heroes in the Night and Monster Hunters. 

Brett Laidlaw is the author of the book and the blog Trout Caviar and the author of Trout Caviar: Recipes from a Northern Forager.

Jim Lattis is an astronomer and the director of the UW-Space Place in Madison.

Yao Liu is the production assistant for the “Wisconsin Life” project who grew up in China and now enjoys the winter in Wisconsin.

David Maraniss is a journalist with the Washington Post. He’s the author of “Barack Obama: The Story” and “Rome, 1960: The Summer Olympics That Stirred the World.”

Dennis McCann is a retired journalist and the author of several books, including This Superior Place: Stories of Bayfield and the Apostle Islands.

James Mills is a freelance journalist and an independent media producer

Oscar Mireles is the principal of Omega School in Madison. He’s been writing poems for 25 years and is the editor of two anthologies, called “I Didn’t Know There Were Latinos in Wisconsin.”

Patricia Monaghan was a poet and essayist. She was published widely on women’s spirituality and mythology and was a senior fellow of the Black Earth Institute.

Clara Neupert grew up in Beloit. She attends UW-Eau Claire, where she is also an intern at Wisconsin Public Radio. She has a sinking suspicion that she’s developing lactose intolerance — an unfortunate condition in the dairy state.

Caryl Owen is the former technical director of To The Best of Our Knowledge.

Count This Penny is an Appalachian pop band based in Madison, Wisconsin. They write songs born of time spent walking old dogs and doggedly traveling to and from the hills of home. Their 2012 album is called “Pitchman.”

Benjamin Percy is the writer-in-residence at St. Olaf College and the author of several books, including The Dead Lands and Red Moon.

Michael Perry is the author of several books on life in Wisconsin including Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story. Visit his website at SneezingCow.com

Ann Peters teaches English at Yeshiva University in New York City and is the author of House Hold: A Memoir of Place.

Margot Peters is an award-winning biographer. Her most recent work is Lorine Niedecker: A Poet’s Life.

Phoebe Petrovic is the Lee Ester News Fellow at Wisconsin Public Radio. She’s trying to bike around Wisconsin as much as she can before it snows. Then she’ll switch to cross country skiing.

Fabu Phillis Carter is a poet laureate and storyteller. Her website is http://artistfabu.com/. She lives in Madison.

Taylor Pomasl is an intern at Wisconsin Public Radio and senior journalism major in Eau Claire. She grew up in the Northwoods and is a massive Wisconsin sports fan. She loves her home-state because of its dairy-heavy diet.

Bill Povletich is a documentary filmmaker, TV producer and the author of Some Like it Cold: A Sheboygan Surfin’ Safari and Green Bay Packers: Trials, Triumphs, and Tradition.

David Rhodes is the author of the award-winning novel, Driftless. He lives on 35 acres of land in the Driftless region of Wisconsin.

Patrick Rothfuss is the bestselling author of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear.

Adam Schrager is an Investigative producer and reporter with WISC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Madison.

Kevin Searock teaches high school science in Portage and is the author of Troutsmith: An Angler’s Tales and Travels.

Jo Shaffer is a former Madison resident, who attended Madison West High School when they wrote stories for Wisconsin Life. Jo now lives in New York City and works as a filmmaker and musician.

Judith Siers-Poisson is the executive producer of WPR’s Central Time.

Patrick Somerville is the author of several books, including his latest novel This Bright River.

Andrea Thalasinos is a professor of sociology at Madison College. Her respect for huskies grew while she was running her own sled team of six dogs. She helped found a dog rescue group in the upper Midwest for displaced northern breeds. Andrea lives and writes in Madison, Wisconsin. She is the…

Sam Thayer lives in the woods in Northwestern Wisconsin. He teaches workshops on edible wild plants throughout the U.S. and he’s the author of The Foragers’s Harvest and Nature’s Garden.

Kait Vosswinkel is the online editor at PBS Wisconsin. When she’s not working in web development, she is busy pursuing her passion of quality video and multi-media content for the web.

Larry Watson is an award-winning writer and the author of several novels, including American Boy and Montana 1948.

Tegan Wendland is a freelance journalist and radio producer.

Fred Wessel is a contributing producer at PBS Wisconsin.

Michelle Wildgen is the executive editor of the literary journal Tin House and the author of the novels Bread and Butter, You’re Not You, and But Not for Long

Todd Witter was one of the founders of Wisconsin Life. He’s now the Assistant Program Director at Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Mike Baron is a videographer and editor for the “Wisconsin Life” project and lives in a divided home of Packers and Vikings fans.

Michael Eicher is a videographer and editor for “Wisconsin Life,” and his love of downhill skiing prompts the winter mantra; more snow, more snow, more snow.

Inga Foley is a video editor for the “Wisconsin Life” project and enjoys bike riding, gardening and working on her old VW.

Ethan Freel is a videographer and editor for “Wisconsin Life” and has seen a Hodag in some woods Northwest of Rhinelander.

Josh Kappler is a videographer and editor for “Wisconsin Life” and enjoys sharing stories about the people and places of the Midwest.

Tom Micksch does something for the “Wisconsin Life” project (though no one is quite sure what); and being born and raised in Green Bay, Tom bleeds green and gold … a condition that can be managed with therapy.

Will Salzmann is a videographer for PBS Wisconsin who also serves as a volunteer firefighter.

Lina Soblytė is a Lithuanian videographer and editor for “Wisconsin Life” who loves the outdoors, and she will climb a tree or a roof to get a unique shot.  

Philip Ashby is an animator for the “Wisconsin Life” project who enjoys road tripping on the classic Wisconsin highways with no destination.

Steve Dorchester is an animator at PBS Wisconsin; enjoying Wisconsin life.

Jen Hadley is a motion graphics designer for the “Wisconsin Life” project who says the only tattoo that she would ever consider getting would be the outline of the state of Wisconsin.

Erika Kachama-Nkoy is a web developer and designer at PBS Wisconsin with a keen interest in exploring Wisconsin.

Rodney Lambright II is an animator and storyteller for Wisconsin Life project who moved from Illinois to the wide open spaces of Wisconsin in the 7th grade and found great opportunities for years to come.

Brandon Ribordy is an animator for the “Wisconsin Life” project who also designs scenery for theatre, other PBS Wisconsin’s productions and “The Antiques Roadshow” … and spends his spare time at home, playing with his two boys.

Scott Stetson is an illustrator/animator for the Wisconsin Life project. He is a lifelong Midwesterner and Wisconsinite since 2007.

Michaela Vatcheva is a motion graphics designer, producer and videographer for the “Wisconsin Life” project. A passionate sailor, she feels fortunate to live in a state with over 15,000 lakes.