Wisconsin Life

There’s something kind of magical about watching the Olympics — the competition, the sportsmanship and camaraderie. Four years ago, a boy from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, fell in love with curling. And recently, a visit from Olympic gold medalist and curler Matt Hamilton got him even more excited for the Games in Beijing.

When it comes to successful conservation, working well with people can be more important than the science. One conservationist in southern Wisconsin is working to help farmers make the transition to managed grazing, a more environmentally – and often financially – stable farming practice. Jacob Grace of the Grassland 2.0 project brings you the story.

When writer Ron Weber decided to go for a walk, on a pleasant January day, he encountered an unexpected companion. Their shared journey was both amusing – and inspiring…offering Weber a thoughtful reflection on the importance of “play.”

Joyce Salter Johnson has loved history her entire life. But as a descendant of slaves, her family history – like the history of many Black families across the country – was largely struck from the historical record. Johnson had to take it upon herself to uncover her family’s roots. WPR’s Christine Hatfield brings you her story.

Pam Gustafson of Milwaukee loves to write poetry. It helps her process everything she reads and sees in her life, since she can’t cry due to an autoimmune disorder. So when Gustafson’s sister died from COVID complications in May 2021, she couldn’t cry about it. To grieve, Gustafson wrote a poem.

It’s pretty well established that Packers fans travel well. Just scan the crowd at any opponent’s stadium, and you’ll see plenty of green and gold. But when writer and Wisconsin native Sandy Reitman wanted to just watch a game on TV with some other cheeseheads while living in New York City, she went looking for a Packers bar.

Like many festivities, Hmong New Year celebrations were put on hold in the first year of the pandemic. Some gatherings returned this last year, including a New Year celebration at Sheboygan North High School on November 27, 2021. As we continue to settle into 2022, Nkaujoua Xiong brings us the sounds and voices from that event.

Legendary advice columnists Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren dished out wise and witty advice to millions of readers for more than half a century. The two were also twins – and sometimes bitter rivals. But before they were famous, they lived in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for more than a decade. Writer Dean Robbins brings you the story of the sisters who, perhaps, could have used some advice themselves.

Dogsledding has been a family affair for writer Julie Buckles. She and her husband, Charly Ray, caught the bug when they first moved to northern Wisconsin. She has raced with her daughter, Caroline, in the annual Apostle Islands Sled Dog race. Buckles considered hanging it up, but she just kept on dogging it. Danielle Kaeding brings us this audio postcard. (This story originally aired on February 2, 2018)

Driving home on a snowy night, author Crystal Chan and her mother encountered a hitchhiker in the blowing snow. The question of whether to pick him up or not led her to explore the meaning and limits of compassion.