Growing Bolder Community

I'm writing from Wisconsin, which over the past couple of weeks has been "ground zero" in the conservative governor's fight to bust public sector employee unions. Seventy thousand people showed up at the state capitol yesterday to rally for the cause. Today's major Wisconsin daily newspaper noted that the level of hatred and vitriol in the debate across the state, in bars and restaurants and...

As I mentioned, my third act of each day, after getting coffee and reading the comics, is to peruse the BackPage of the newspaper for "News of the Weird." Here are a few from last week's North County Times:"Weinermobile crashes into Wisconsin homeMOUNT PLEASANT, Wis (AP) -- One southern Wisconsin homeowner is probably not in love with the Oscar Meyer wiener.The famed hot dog's Wienermobile...

John Doyle and John Williams make Irish music magic. Accompanied by a marvelously talented young fiddler, Duncan Wickel , Doyle and Williams recently played a concert in Wisconsin, to a packed house at a local college. If you ever have the opportunity to see these guys, GO without a second’s thought! RUN like the wind to the ticket counter! Doyle is a songwriter and guitarist, originally from...

I took a short side-trip into the past this weekend, back to the area of central Wisconsin where I spent a couple of years as a teenager. The journey started with a dark blue satin dress and rhinestones and the annual Viennese Ball at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, and ended up the next day revisiting what used to be the farm where we lived after moving from Chicago. An anchor point was...

Now is a great time to start planning your summer vacation to Door County, Wisconsin. For a girlfriend getaway, a family vacation, or just the two of you, this region is packed full of charms for everyone. Located on the peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan, this region offers up a relaxing experience and features numerous independent restaurants, wineries, inns, live...

Announcing the arrival of “Heck on Heels,” my new collection of essays! Here's the text of the press release I'm sending out into the universe... "This is the second collection of essays by award-winning Wisconsin writer and photographer Mary T. Wagner. “Heck on Heels” follows Wagner’s debut collection, “Running with Stilettos: Living a Balanced Life in Dangerous Shoes,”...