Human Powered

In this episode of Human Powered, co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin talk with longtime collaborator and award-winning Wisconsin Life producer, Maureen McCollum. They get to the heart of what makes WPR's Wisconsin Life radio segments so unique and why that matters today. McCollum addresses listeners’ love for Wisconsin food stories, including the “polarizing” but wildly popular deep dive into Cannibal Sandwiches, and hints at what’s to come for Wisconsin Life. 

Additional Links to check out:

→ In 1980, there was an exodus of Cubans who left their homes for the United States as part of the Mariel Boatlift. This includes almost 15,000 Cuban refugees who were sent to Fort McCoy in Sparta, Wisconsin. Originally planned as a four-minute Wisconsin Life story, the eight-part podcast series from WPR, “Uprooted,” was produced to share untold stories from some of those people still living in Wisconsin. Find it here. 

→ PBS Wisconsin recently created a Wisconsin Life animated short following Ernesto Rodriguez from Cuba to Wisconsin, one of the stories shared in the “WPR Reportes: Uprooted” podcast. Watch it here. 

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

We are kicking off 2026 with a special conversation with our neighbor in Illinois, Jane Beachy. Co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker talk with Beachy about a program called Envisioning Justice from Illinois Humanities and her work convening people from other state and territorial organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities with a commitment to programming in prisons, working alongside people impacted by the justice system, and framing conversations about incarceration in America. We learn that some states have doubled down on their efforts despite federal funding cuts, how project leaders from Wisconsin are learning from different models and working with community partners, and why this may be some of the most important work for public humanities agencies. 

Additional Links to check out:

→ Since 2017, Illinois Humanities program, Envisioning Justice, has created free public arts and humanities programs in partnership with communities and people affected by the carceral system and provided grant funding for individuals, nonprofits, and collectives. Learn more here. 

→ Humanities Unlocked is a series of six podcast episodes about the humanities in Wisconsin prisons, produced by Wisconsin Humanities and Field Noise Soundworks, co-hosted by Adam Carr and Dasha Kelly Hamilton. Listen here. 

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

This season of Human Powered podcast launched in June of 2025 with a conversation with the Executive Director of Wisconsin Humanities, Dena Wortzel, just after the nonprofit reduced staff and paused programming due to federal funding cuts. Co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin shifted from behind-the-scenes producers for Human Powered to pick up the mics themselves. In that first conversation, they talked with Wortzel about an uncertain path forward. In this episode, Wortzel returns for an update about Wisconsin Humanities’ continued role for Wisconsinites, what has been learned at “Listening Sessions” with community members and cultural leaders around the state, and where Wortzel sees hope. Tune in to find out what is on the horizon for this unique and crucial nonprofit, and how 50+ years of investment in the public humanities continues to make ripples.

Additional Links to check out:

→ Visit the Wisconsin Humanities website and subscribe to the newsletter to stay abreast of the grant program and other projects in 2026. 

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Jay Salinas moved to a farm in the Driftless Region of southwest Wisconsin with his partner, fellow artist Donna Neuwirth, and learned to grow vegetables. Before long, they started inviting friends from Chicago to come out and get their hands dirty. Intrigued by what they were learning from their rural neighbors and in conversations with city dwellers, they formed Wormfarm Institute and formalized an Artist Residency Program in 2000. In this episode, co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker talk with Salinas about what happens when people with different perspectives come to the table, the origins of the wildly successful Farm/Art DTour, and the fermenting of ideas that often leads to personal revelations. Salinas speaks to the cycles of work, the need for large-scale movements, as well as what he calls “termite art.” Listen for a terrifically inspired conversation!

Additional Links to check out:

→ Cabeatrice Hart lives and works in Milwaukee and was featured on Love Wisconsin, Wisconsin Humanities’ digital storytelling project. She has been part of urban/rural exchanges with Wormfarm Institute and a collaborative participant on the Farm/Art DTour mentioned in this episode. Read her story here. 

→ The Wormfarm Institute is based out of rural Sauk County, with far-reaching and groundbreaking programs that bridge the urban/rural divide. It was founded by Jay Salinas and his partner, Donna Neuwirth. Learn more here. 

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

We hear a lot about the ways nonprofits are preparing to cope with both new and perpetual challenges under the current Trump administration. Mary Beth Collins is the director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in this episode, she shares her birds-eye-view of the state. She brings her deep roots as a Wisconsinite, along with her personal experience as a teacher, an attorney, and as a nonprofit director, to this work. It’s both big-picture and action-oriented. Collins’ passion for working to help community-based organizations comes through in this conversation with co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker. We get her take on how things are going, how Wisconsin looks from a national and global perspective, and what each of us can do to bolster civic health for our future. This conversation is a reality-check and a chance to choose a way forward.

Additional Links to check out:

→ Terry Collins is a proud Wisconsinite who raised his kids, including Mary Beth Collins, in La Crosse. In this Love Wisconsin story, meet the father of our interview subject from this episode and learn more about the Mississippi River valley community of La Crosse.

→ The Civic Health of Wisconsin initiative of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies is dedicated to strengthening current civic health efforts around Wisconsin and fostering more connected and engaged communities. Learn more here. 

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Recent years have seen a startling rise in hate crimes and hate-motivated violence across the country. Wisconsin, too, has felt this pain. In this episode, special guest Benny Witkovsky talks about his work as a public humanities fellow through the Center for Humanities and Wisconsin Humanities to address these challenges from the ground up. His ongoing research points to the ways communities can work together before tragedy strikes, and how to start conversations using personal stories and the humanities. In this relevant episode, co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin review the ways Wisconsin Humanities' Stand Up To Hate resource kit, developed by Witovsky and used in schools with high school students, is an important tool available to any community group. It is a reminder of the crucial work people are doing now to connect with neighbors, learn from our history, and inspire the next generation.

Additional Links to check out:

→  Stand Up to Hate is a program for anyone who wants their communities to be great places to live.  It helps participants think about how their community might prevent hate and hate crimes by learning about real stories of hate, violence, and resilience from different communities across Wisconsin, from Milwaukee to Meteor and from the 1860s to today. The Stand Up To Hate resource is available from Wisconsin Humanities. 

Interested in receiving a free copy of the curriculum?

Email us at [email protected] to schedule a consultation and receive your free copy.

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

In this episode, special guest Danielle Hairston Green breaks down the basics of how university extension programs combine advocacy, research, and academia in response to real community needs. Hairston Green directs the Institute for Human Development and Relationships with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, where she encourages her staff to tell stories so we can better understand the power and impact of the Wisconsin Idea in action today. Co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin talk with Hairston Green about how she ended up on stage telling her own story, what motivates her, and how she is shifting the narrative to ‘do better’ for fathers in Wisconsin. If you’ve ever wondered if the Wisconsin Idea still matters, or if it might be part of the solutions we are looking for, tune in to this relevant conversation. 

Additional Links to check out:

→  Danielle Hairston Green won The Moth grand slam in 2022 with a story called “Blessings in Disguise.” You can watch her tell this powerful story of hard truths learned from her mother on The Moth stage here. 

→  Danielle Hairston Green is a volunteer member of the Wisconsin Humanities board. You can learn more about the Wisconsin Humanities and their work here. 

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

When Ben Grignon walks into a classroom on the first day of school, he starts with a good story. He is a Traditional Menominee Arts instructor at the Menominee Nation High School and has received numerous awards for his work, including ​​receiving the 2022 First Peoples Fund Education Fellow for the We the Peoples Before Education initiative at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. He was also one of the eight people selected in 2025 as Wisconsin Humanities Fellows. In this episode of Human Powered, co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin learn about his work digitizing the Menominee language, hear how he approaches art education, and find out what traditional technique he learned over Zoom during the pandemic. But really, what you don’t want to miss is the story Grignon shares at the end of the episode. Enjoy!

Additional Links to check out:

→  Ben Grignon shares his story and philosophy about teaching here.

→  In early 2025, Ben Grignon was selected to be a Wisconsin Humanities Fellow and receive Community Powered training. The year-long training program was suspended when Wisconsin Humanities’ funding was cut, resulting in program cuts and staff lay-offs. Learn more about the Community Powered training here. 

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Food traditions are core to who we are and how we build community. In this episode, cohosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin talk with Qwantese Winters, the founder of A Bowl of Soul. Winter’s has been dubbed the Food Doula and was the host of Wisconsin PBS’s show, “Let’s Grow Stuff.”  Her Love Wisconsin story about learning to farm and cook by connecting with her family heritage was wildly popular, so we wanted to catch up and learn more about how she is showing up in the world today. Winter’s passions have taken root in a program that is both brand new and based on age-old traditions for caring for new mothers. In this episode, we hear how Winters’ blends her particular skills in the kitchen to draw women together, particularly low income and single mothers from the Black community. Through Soul Circles, women learn from their own food stories and cultures to feel empowered as caregivers. If you want some inspiration in the kitchen and in life, this is worth a listen. 

Additional Links to check out:

→  Love Wisconsin: The Food Doula was one of the most popular stories that Wisconsin Humanities ever shared. It was featured as part of Wisconsin Humanities’ 50 year anniversary celebration and can be read here.

→  Let’s Grow Stuff on Wisconsin PBS, a show to help beginning gardeners learn tools and techniques for success, was hosted by Qwantese Winters. Watch some of the segments here. 

→  A Bowl of Soul, in Winter’s own words, is featured in Edible Magazine August 2025. Read the essay here.

This episode of Human Powered was produced and audio edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

It is August of 2025 and record rainfall has caused catastrophic flash flooding in Milwaukee. Hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin sit down with Milwaukee journalist and former Human Powered host Jimmy Gutierrez to talk about the crucial role of the humanities in moments like these. Gutierrez, who joined the Wisconsin Humanities board earlier this year, as the organization planned for survival after devastating cuts to staff and programs in April 2025, suggests that the word humanities is a limiting word for an expansive idea. He believes that collective knowledge and collective history are built on stories, and that stories are fundamental for how we make sense of the world. “The power,” Gutierrez says, “ is to shine a light” in ways that inspire action. He is excited about Wisconsin Humanities’ upcoming Listening Sessions in communities around the state – local convenings to learn what’s happening, what’s working, and what’s needed – and the role the humanities will play in shaping the future.

Additional Links to check out:

→  Human Powered: The Power of Experience (Season 1) shares stories from people who experienced the flooding in Wisconsin’s Driftless region firsthand, from farmers to firefighters, all part of a project organized by the Driftless Writing Center that received WH grant funding.

→  'We're not FEMA, we're just brothers from Milwaukee': Meet the men helping with free flood cleanup”, a story produced by Jimmy Gutierrez for WUWM 89.7, Milwaukee’s NPR station, on August 12, 2025.

This episode of Human Powered was produced and audio edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.