Posts tagged milwaukee

Urban Wilderness:

We often think of wilderness as something “out there” rather than something that exists in pockets all around us – even in cities. Writer Eddee Daniel set out to explore the estuary of the Milwaukee River.

Eddee Daniel is an artist, writer, and the author of several books, including Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed. 

Photo: Eddee Daniel

Rules of Sheepshead:

Sheepshead is a quintessential Wisconsin game, particularly in Milwaukee. While more Wisconsinites may play euchre, sheepshead has a unique hold on the state and its devoted fans. Dave Cieslewicz shares his love of sheepshead as part of Wisconsin Life’s look at games.

Dave Cieslewicz is the former mayor of Madison and teaches in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the UW-Madison.

Milwaukee Does Strange Things:

The summer festival season is upon us including Summerfest in Milwaukee, followed by a several months of ethnic and neighborhood festivals in that city. To celebrate, poet Susan Firer shares her poem “Milwaukee Does Strange Things To People.”

Commentator Susan Firer is the former poet laureate of Milwaukee and the author of many books, including Milwaukee Does Strange Things To People.

Turing Test:

Saturday, June 23rd, marks the 100th anniversary of Alan Turing’s birth – the father of modern computer science. He also created the Turing Test, which tests the ability of a machine to exhibit intelligent behavior. Each year, there’s a prize awarded to the most human-like computer. And this year’s prize went to Milwaukee computer programmer Mohan Embar.

Milwaukee programmer Mohan Embar won the 2012 Loebner competition for the most human computer.

Growing Power:

In Milwaukee, MacArthur genius and former pro-basketball player Will Allen is getting ready for another growing season. Allen is a pioneer of the urban farming movement – the founder and CEO of Growing Power, a community-run farm in the middle of inner city Milwaukee. It’s a project dedicated to the proposition that healthy, affordable food should be a civil right.

Will Allen has just published his first book – called “The Good Food Revolution.”

Accordion:

January is National Polka Month. And what better place to commemorate this iconic sound than in Wisconsin, where the polka is our state dance? To celebrate, poet Susan Firer shares her poem “1956, The Year My Sister, Using Her Ill Health Once Again, Blackmailed My Parents Into An Accordion.”

Commentator Susan Firer is the former poet laureate of Milwaukee and the author of many books, including Milwaukee Does Strange Things To People.

“American Dervish” by Ayad Akhtar:

Milwaukee native Ayad Akhtar is getting rave reviews for his new novel, “American Dervish.” It’s a coming-of-age story based partly on his own experience as a Pakistani-American boy, growing up in Wisconsin.

Ayak Akhtar is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright with a new play opening this month in Chicago. His new novel, “American Dervish” is set in Milwaukee where he’ll be giving a reading at Boswell Books tonight.