Wisconsin Life

Back in 2019, “Wisconsin Life” worked with students at Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School, or MG21. The goal was to get more high school student stories on the airwaves.

When we first showed up in the classroom, there was one student who seemed to be particularly interested in creating radio and interviewing people right away: Cierra Riederer, a junior. She decided she wanted to create a story about her brother, Thomas, who has Down syndrome. Cierra interviewed her mother and grandmother about their love of him.

(This story originally aired 6/17/19)

In central Wisconsin, four generations of blacksmiths work together, creating art they hope will last for hundreds of years. The metal sculptures created by Boleslaw Kochanowski and his sons grace public spaces in Stevens Point, Door County and beyond.

Sometimes when we’re far from home, it’s nice to have something familiar around to keep us connected. Writer Eric Dregni has lived in Norway and Wisconsin. And by pure coincidence, he and his son have found a connection in both places with the same, familiar thing: a stave church.

Bryan Box served two tours with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Now, he works in forestry in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. In 2019, Box wrote the essay, “Ghosts Of War In A Wisconsin Forest” for The New Republic, depicting his struggles with PTSD and the healing potential of the Northwoods. WPR’s Brad Kolberg recently visited with Box to walk through the woods, record his essay and talk about why he wrote it. A full audio version of the essay can be heard on the Wisconsin Life website. A warning for listeners: this feature contains descriptions of violence and self harm.

Gene Purcell dedicated almost his entire professional life to public media. His passion began in La Crosse, where he started as a student reporter at WLSU-FM. Through the decades, he worked his way up the ladder. Purcell tragically passed away in July 2021 following an accident.

Outside of work, he was a bit of a music nerd. Purcell played guitar, collected thousands of albums, and restored an old jukebox. He also had a short stint in rock star management. His sister, Connie Purcell, shares that story.

We all have a lot of things to cross off our to-do lists. Have you taken the trash out? Are the bills paid? Laundry folded? And if you’re writer Catherine Jagoe, have you paused and turned your gaze skyward at dusk, to witness the dance of the chimney swifts?

For those who have fought and died in the U.S. Armed Forces, they leave with their families the weight of their sacrifice. Holly Higgins of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, lost her son, Daniel Johnson, while he served in the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan in 2010. Higgins talks about dealing with the loss with her other son, Erik Johnson, a Specialist in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. They shared their experience as part of StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative, which is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Listener Chris Murphy of Madison asked our WHYsconsin project, “Why are there a higher concentration of outsider artist environments in Wisconsin than anywhere else in the U.S.?” WPR’s Tim Peterson turned to the experts to learn more about the monuments and sculpture parks that embrace celebrate concrete, gems, and trinkets.

Was it a badger? Was it a bobcat? Or was it just an abnormally large, trash-eating house cat? Author BJ Hollars tells the story of his family’s nocturnal search for a strange creature wandering the streets of Eau Claire.

Was it a badger? Was it a bobcat? Or was it just an abnormally large, trash-eating house cat? Author BJ Hollars of Eau Claire tells the story of his family’s urban tracking expedition in search of “The Beast Of The East Hill.