WHYSCONSIN
Cannibal Sandwiches: A Polarizing And Misunderstood Wisconsin Tradition
Imagine. It’s the holidays and to quiet your pre-dinner hunger, someone hands you a slice of rye bread topped with a thick spread of fresh raw beef, chopped onion and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. A cannibal sandwich sounds great, right?
This story is part of Wisconsin Life and WPR's WHYsconsin project. What have you always wondered about Wisconsin, its people or its culture that you want WHYsconsin to look into? You ask the questions, and we find the answers!
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Filling The Church With Song For Over 80 Years
For nearly eight decades, one Wisconsin farm girl has followed the music along the back roads of the bluffs high above the banks of the Mississippi. As the sun rises on Sunday morning, catching the mist off the alfalfa, a pick-up truck crisscrosses the farmland on its way to morning services.
From Australia to Milwaukee, Kane Pitman Covers The Bucks
Imagine leaving your family and job and moving overseas to Milwaukee to fulfill a dream. That’s exactly what Kane Pitman did. Since arriving in Wisconsin, the Australian freelance writer has become one of the few beat reporters for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Parenting, Prom, And The Packers
The smell of heavy cologne, hairspray, and nervous energy in the air can only mean one thing: it’s prom season. As high schoolers across Wisconsin worry about who to ask and what to wear, the dance means something completely different to adults.
Complex Grief: ‘I Am A Little Damaged, But I Am Oh So Good’
We all grieve in different ways. It’s painful. It lingers. It’s complicated.
In working through her own grief, Nikotris Perkins recently wrote about the heartache of losing her daughter for the storytelling organization Ex Fabula.
Small Talk About The Weather: A Competitive Sport In Wisconsin
Now that we’ve hopefully moved on from winter, Madison comedian Esteban Touma is taking time to reflect on cold weather in Wisconsin. Born and raised in Ecuador, the state’s severe winters have tested him.
Menominee Tribal Member Started Propane Business To Help Himself, His Neighbors
Arnold Chevalier grew up mainly on the Menominee Reservation in Neopit, WI, about 50 miles northwest of Green Bay. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident at a young age.
“My family spent some time in Milwaukee and I shined some shoes on the streets, so I guess technically that’s the first time I earned some money,” explained Chevalier.
Seamstress Uses Her Skill to Mend Broken Hearts
Sewing has always been an important part of Kelly Kowaleski’s life. “I love sewing. I’ve loved it since I first started. It’s my outlet. It’s my passion,” Kowaleski said.
Sewing is also how she would bond with her son Brady.
QWERTY: Milwaukee’s Typing Legacy
If you’re near a computer keyboard, take a look at the first six letters on the upper row and you’ll find: Q-W-E-R-T-Y…or…qwerty. So who decided how the letters on our keyboards are arranged, and why that particular configuration?
La Crosse Man’s Collection of Vintage Guitars is a Museum of Electric Guitar History
For guitar players, visiting Dave’s Guitar Shop is an awe-inspiring experience. Upstairs, owner Dave Rogers’ personal collection of vintage guitars grew to become a museum of electric guitar history. Hanging on the walls are hundreds of guitars by Fender, Gibson, Gretch, Rickenbacker, and Paul Reed Smith.
Lou The Rabbit: The Best Classmate I’ve Ever Had
There’s a very special pair of classmates at Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School, or MG21.
It’s junior Tierra Byrd and Lou (a.k.a. Nibbler) the rabbit.
“He’s really, really soft, extremely soft.
Wisconsin’s Trapper Schoepp Shares Songwriting Credit With Bob Dylan
There aren’t many Midwestern musicians who share a songwriting credit with Bob Dylan. But Milwaukee artist Trapper Schoepp is now one of them. Schoepp recently helped finish the song, “On, Wisconsin,” a tune partially penned by Dylan back in 1961.
A Father And Son’s Chilly Trout Fishing Expedition
Trout fishing conjures an image of sparkling sunlight reflecting on a rushing stream and a fisherman in hip boots confidently whipping his pole and casting a line into the moving water.
