Page 98 – Wisconsin Life

On the near west side of Madison, there’s a triangle-shaped patch of grass in the middle of the Hillington Green neighborhood. Ingeniously, we call it Triangle Park. Though it contains only a small play structure and four benches, it anchors a community I’ve belonged to for my entire 18 years.

August Rites of Passage As School Begins Again
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August Rites of Passage As School Begins Again

The Arts

August Rites of Passage As School Begins Again

I often introduce students in my English classes to the concept of liminality, or the important middle phase of the rite of passage ritual. The Latin word limen means “threshold,” and liminal characters are in the process of crossing from one world into the next: a boy about to become a man, an expectant mother, a groom before his wedding day, an elderly aunt on her deathbed.

Madison Women Brew A Traditional Fermented Tea
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Madison Women Brew A Traditional Fermented Tea

Food & Travel

Madison Women Brew A Traditional Fermented Tea

In a nondescript building on Madison’s south side, a casually-clad crew of workers rolls shining metal tanks across the floor while music echoes through the room. The crew are brewing a fermented tea called Kombucha.

Pinhole Photographer Takes Photography Down To Basics
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Pinhole Photographer Takes Photography Down To Basics

The Arts

Pinhole Photographer Takes Photography Down To Basics

Cameron Gillie worked as a photojournalist for many years before he decided to take photography down to its simplest form – a pinhole camera. The simplicity of the camera has changed the way he sees and what it means for him to make a photo.

One Woman’s Lessons Learned From Observing The Fox River
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One Woman’s Lessons Learned From Observing The Fox River

Science & Nature

One Woman’s Lessons Learned From Observing The Fox River

As a child, I was taught that a river was the lifeline of an area. It fed its residents, allowed travel and trade, and provided recreation. This was the book learning.

Lessons Learned From Best Friends
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Lessons Learned From Best Friends

Culture & History

Lessons Learned From Best Friends

I sat behind Karen in Miss Rhinehart’s second grade class: Sabaska, See. She asked if she could borrow a comb; I told I’d never used one. She looked at my frizzy hair and laughed.

Dancing In The Cornfield
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Dancing In The Cornfield

Culture & History

Dancing In The Cornfield

My childhood home in Oshkosh lay on the outskirts of town, at the edge of a farmer’s field. It was in and beyond this field that I would tromp and discover the mysteries of the world: how the corn would burst forth from the earth, grow tall, bear abundance, and then turn dry, and how the little creek that ran through it would swell and foam in the springtime rains.

Pull Tab Artist Turns Gambling Into Sculpture
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Pull Tab Artist Turns Gambling Into Sculpture

The Arts

Pull Tab Artist Turns Gambling Into Sculpture

Artists can draw inspiration from just about anywhere. A few years ago in Madison, middle school teacher and artist Jo Jensen found hers piled on the counter of a local tavern.

Ghosts of Memory in Oshkosh
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Ghosts of Memory in Oshkosh

Culture & History

Ghosts of Memory in Oshkosh

Oshkosh is a Wisconsin town trapped in time – at least for me. I was born there, and proudly sported more than one pair of its bib overalls in my youth.

Oneida Farm Preserves Native Foodways
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Oneida Farm Preserves Native Foodways

Culture & History

Oneida Farm Preserves Native Foodways

A small farm in Northeastern Wisconsin is helping to preserve an important aspect of the Oneida tribe’s culture. Besides providing organic produce, the farm grows white corn, beans and squash in what’s called a “three sisters” garden.

A Wisconsin Astronaut Returns Home
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A Wisconsin Astronaut Returns Home

Culture & History

A Wisconsin Astronaut Returns Home

Monday marks the anniversary of the first moon landing. Many of us have since dreamed of boldly going where few men have gone before. Astronaut Jeff Williams is preparing for his fourth launch into space next year.

The Legacy of Sister Thea Bowman
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The Legacy of Sister Thea Bowman

Culture & History

The Legacy of Sister Thea Bowman

Twenty-five years ago, the first and only African-American Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration passed away. This year, Sr. Thea Bowman’s fellow nuns in La Crosse, former students, and friends are remembering a woman who fought for civil rights and used music to enrich her faith.

The Ways We Misunderstand Each Other
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The Ways We Misunderstand Each Other

Culture & History

The Ways We Misunderstand Each Other

Wisconsin has been my home since I came here from the Chicago area for college in the late 1980s. I’m the product of a Mexican-Irish father and a Filipina-Irish mother. In Chicagoland, this isn’t that unusual a provenance.

Bringing Shakespeare To Kids
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Bringing Shakespeare To Kids

The Arts

Bringing Shakespeare To Kids

Milwaukee-based actor Ron Scot Fry has been traveling around the world introducing kids to Shakespeare for years. He tells us how he fell in love with the Bard and why he thinks Shakespeare is particularly relevant for kids.

Amazing Grace: A Choir For Sufferers Of Memory Loss
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Amazing Grace: A Choir For Sufferers Of Memory Loss

The Arts

Amazing Grace: A Choir For Sufferers Of Memory Loss

Weekends are usually quiet at the Milwaukee High School of the Arts. But for a few hours on Saturday mornings, the Amazing Grace Chorus fills the band room with song. The singers come from diverse backgrounds but they share one thing in common: memory loss.