As Wisconsinites, we can pretty easily observe the ways in which polka and its various cultural trappings (read: beer, dancing, more beer) have shaped public life. Folklorist, musician, and author Rick March’s new book, Polka Heartland: Why the Midwest Loves to Polka, seeks to document this influence and chart its trajectory from European parlor fad […]
Wisconsin Folklore from the WPA Writers Project
Giant lake sturgeon that swallowed an elk, ghosts and John Muir’s handcrafted locks. They’re all in a reissue of the WPA 1937 collection of Wisconsin folklore. The Monday Buzz talks with editor Jim Zimm.
We Are The Vampires
Blood-sucking undead roaming the streets, terrorizing the good citizens. No, we’re not talking about the banksters and the one percent. Or are we? Tomislav Longinović is Professor of Slavic and Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His new book Vampire Nation: Violence as Cultural Imaginary was published by Duke University Press in 2011 and […]
Digital Jesus and How The Web Shapes Religion
On the Monday 8 O’Clock Buzz, host Brian Standing was joined by Robert Glen Howard, folklorist, communications professor at U.W. Madison and author of Digital Jesus. His work focuses on the folklore in online religion and specifically how this has shaped Christian fundamentalism.