Profound loss has a way of never going away. Writer Amy Fleury moves through her grief on her family’s land, where she often thinks about her late son and her own mortality. She shared a story “Evergreen” at a live storytelling event hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life” and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. It was held on Nov. 14, 2024 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin at The Lakely.

A lot of things are not allowed through the doors of Wisconsin’s prisons. Cell phones are banned and even underwire from a bra is considered a possible weapon. But recently, a group of musicians was allowed to venture inside a Wisconsin lock-up with a piano, violin and cello in tow. WPR’s Sarah Lehr brings us this story of “Concerts for Hope,” a show that took place inside the walls of Oshkosh Correctional Institution.

Most of the folks who live on Langdon Street along Madison’s Lake Mendota are short-timers: students or young professionals. But at Kennedy Manor, on the corner of Langdon and Wisconsin Avenue, many residents have lived in the same apartment for decades – some for as long as 40 years. Jess Miller lives around the corner from Kennedy Manor. His curiosity led him to exploring what makes residents want to stay.

Imagine a Norwegian village during the Viking age. When the day’s work is done, the people play instruments and dance around the fire.

But what are they dancing to? For musician Eric Bestul of Iola, imagining those sounds has become an obsession. WPR’s Rob Mentzer brings us this story of using music as a bridge to the past.

Sending a message in a bottle has been romanticized for centuries. People have even cast bottles for scientific purposes. And as author B.J. Hollars tells us, it helped one Wisconsin veteran connect with humanity on a deeper level. Hollars shared this story about a message in a bottle at a live storytelling event hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life” and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. It was held on Nov. 14, 2024 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin at The Lakely.

The La Crosse area helped shape an historic politician, yet many people aren’t familiar with his story. George Edwin Taylor was the first Black person to run for U.S. president. To ensure that more people learn about his story, Taylor’s early life in western Wisconsin is now the subject of a new children’s book. WPR’s Hope Kirwan spoke with La Crosse author Darrell Ferguson about young Taylor’s life.

Lakes across Wisconsin this time of year are dotted in ice shanties, bonfires and bundled people brave enough to face the cold. They hang out in their huts all day long and throw the occasional ice fishing tournament. For writer Patti See of Lake Hallie, these events remind her of another famous festival: Burning Man.

“What if we, as doulas and midwives, are agents of social change?” asked Tamara N. Thompson, a doula based in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She dives into this concept and shares what led her to becoming a birthworker. In a partnership with Midwest Mujeres, WPR’s “Wisconsin Life” shares the stories of Thompson and five other women working to build community and better themselves in southern Wisconsin.

People flocked to the Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin in mid-January for the annual Bald Eagle Watching Days. As Christina Lieffring tells us, it was just one opportunity for people to see our national bird in the wild, one that was once dangerously close to extinction.

There are groups of people developing ways to improve life for nursing home residents. One particular researcher in Madison is focusing her work on the Hmong population in the upper Midwest. WPR’s Anna Marie Yanny talked with Mai See Thao about what motivates her to pursue this work