Wisconsin Life

Picture this: you're sitting on a blanket on the Capitol Lawn in Madison. It's a warm summer evening, and you're listening to beautiful classical music.  You're feeling very fancy, sipping wine and eating cheese. But at the end of the concert, when you start to pack up your blanket, a song with a very different

Many of us are grateful for everything our mothers taught us. For Jana Rose Schleis, she’s thankful that her mom — Betty Schleis of Two Creeks, Wisconsin — taught her how to be beautiful. == I learned how to be a woman from my mom. What I mean is, I learned how to express my

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 Top,” the state song of

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 picture book about the musician,

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 Superior Chippewa. She also has ties to the Fond du Lac Band in Minnesota, and she’s making a Potawa...

Prior to 1972 girls didn't always have the opportunity to play sports at school. But the passage of Title IX changed that. It paved the way for Manitowoc’s Roncalli High School girls basketball team to become the sport's first state champions in 1975. Two former teammates talked with one another about that experience as part

(Editor's note: This is the script for the "Wisconsin Life" animation "WPR Reports: Uprooted, Erne's story" from PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio.) In the summer of 1980, Ernesto Rodriquez stood on the shores of the Port of Mariel. He was about to board a fishing boat with 80 other people and leave the only

When radio producer Alexandra Salmon first saw Sedella Yancey rap at a summer night concert in Madison in 2023, she was mesmerized by the musician's stage presence and her talent at such a young age. She was performing the classic Digable Planets' song "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" with the Adem Tesfaye Band. Yancey

Have you ever picked up a hobby because a friend or relative was really into it? Did you try to see if they’re truly onto something? Writer Yia Lor of Eau Claire did this with geocaching, an outdoor activity her late sister, Jer Lor, loved to do with her kids. == My sister, Jer, was

When’s the last time you stopped to look at your spare change? For writer Ron Weber, one ordinary find leads him on an unexpected American odyssey.

"The reason I went to college is because I had picked up a camera and started taking pictures of rock 'n' roll bands. I wanted to work in the music industry and I did it," said Marty Sosnowski.

The auto repair industry is dominated by men. But on Madison’s northside, Dutch’s Auto Service veers from that reality. Learn how the women-owned auto repair shop may be unique but it faces universal struggles in a changing industry.

Leslie Schroeder has a dream. That dream is to have a flax-to-linen textile industry in Wisconsin. Inspired by the local food movement, Schroeder wants to create a market for sustainable and quality local clothing. To jumpstart that effort, the Madison resident helped create the Midwest Linen Revival and is organizing events, like Field to Frock.

Blue moon ice cream is a staple at roadside shops throughout the Upper Midwest. But where did this Smurf-colored treat come from? And what explains its long-standing appeal? WPR's Sarah Lehr brings us the scoop from an ice cream shop in Columbus as part of our Wisconsin Road Trip series .

Learn what inspired polka musician Mike Schneider to pick up the accordion as a kid and to travel the country playing for people. WPR's Nick Rommel recently talked with the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Famer at a gig in Eagle.

Even in our era of two-day shipping and instant downloads, many booksellers are finding that readers still want the connection of finding their next read in store. WPR's Hope Kirwan hit the road for our Wisconsin Road Trip series to visit a unique bookstore in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin that's bringing in more customers every year: Driftless Books & Music.

There are so many activities that define summertime as a kid. Maybe it's running through a sprinkler. Trips to the library. Playing tag through the neighbors' yards. For writer Ron Weber, it was playing baseball, something he looks back on with deeply fond memories. == It comes as the snow melts in mid-March and the