“Who is Wisconsin? What publics are we serving? What publics aren’t we serving?” says Tim Frandy. Asking those questions “is very important to doing effective culture work.” Today, we kick […]
The Legendary Witchcraft of Scandinavia
As Halloween approaches, the Wisconsin Historical Society digs deep into the origins of European witchcraft legends. On Tuesday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m., Halloween Eve — if you will — […]
Journey into the ‘Polka Heartland’
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 […]
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 […]
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.
