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Wisconsin Humanities is going into hibernation. What does that mean? And what will happen to Human Powered podcast? Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker have been behind the scenes for past seasons of Human Powered. In this strange moment, after DOGE eliminated federal funding to support humanities councils all over the country, Jen and Jessica are taking the mics to talk with people about what this means in our state and communities. First up, they talk with Dena Wortzel, longtime director of Wisconsin Humanities, about what happened on April 3rd and what comes next. This episode of Human Powered was produced and audio edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

BJ Hollars' energy for making connections in sometimes unexpected places is infectious. He is a writer, a professor, a documentary filmmaker, and a proud resident of Eau Claire. His anthology, "Hope is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic" from Wisconsin Historical Society Press inspired a series of Wisconsin Humanities' Love Wisconsin stories. And a film he co-produced called "When Rubber Hit the Road" about the closing of the Uniroyal tire plant received a Wisconsin Humanities grant. Hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker talk with Hollars about the game of Kubb, gathering the Rubberheads, and how to create mechanisms that encourage conversations, build empathy,  and support democracy. Additional Links to check out: →  Hope is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic→  When Rubber Hit the Road→  Falling in love with the game of Kubb This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

These days the national news is full of stories about deportations and ICE raids, and the latest legislation that will vastly increase the ICE budget. In Wisconsin, studies by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School for Workers have documented the large portion of farm labor -- estimated at 70% -- done by immigrants, many of whom are undocumented. Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker sat down two weeks ago with Mercedes Falk, the director of Puentes/Bridges, an organization based in Alma that works to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap between dairy farmers and their Mexican employees. In this conversation, we hear about the cultural shift that has happened over the past decades as a result of Puentes’ work and learn why Falk applied to take part in Wisconsin Humanities’ Community Powered training program, becoming a Wisconsin Humanities Fellow. The year-long training session was cut short after only a couple of months when WH lost federal funding, but Falk offers her thoughts on what she sees as the value of skills taught in the program, including humanities-based methods of connecting through personal stories. She says that it’s at moments like these that community relationships really matter to help everyone feel safe. We promise you'll find hope in her stories Additional Links to check out: →  Community Powered training program→  Puentes/Bridges This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

“Stories are told for connection,” says Brendon Panke, who has found ways to use stories to build community, entertain audiences, train medical professionals, and help veterans and people who are incarcerated craft their understanding of their place in the world. Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker sit down with Panke to learn more about how the tool of storytelling has applications for breaking through some of the walls and calluses we’ve built. Storytelling is a crucial part of imagining the change we want to see, according to Panke. He believes that narratives are important for deciding where we are going, as individuals and as a society. Listen to hear the story he’s been telling for over ten years, how it has evolved, and how it led him to make a career out of the human inclination to tell stories. By the end, we know you’ll be looking for public spaces where stories are shared.  Additional Links to check out: →  Wisconsin Humanities’ work with Odyssey Beyond Bars→  Human Powered: Humanities Unlocked episode called “A Mic and Five Minutes” This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Adam Carr is a Milwaukee alchemist. He is an evangelist for his home and an urban explorer who uses storytelling, city walking tours, radio productions, film, journalism, and art to build connections between people and place. Hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker invited former Human Powered co-host into a friendly conversation that got deep, fast. Join us for a discussion about the mystery and magic of doing the good work of the public humanities. We talk about starting collective experiences through the mouth, the superpowers of a city, and how to uplift the work of alchemists who make communities thrive in 2025. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss. Additional Links to check out: →  Human Powered: Humanity Unlocked, six episodes about the humanities in Wisconsin’s prisons, co-hosted by Adam Carr. →  Unbounded Imagination: A Love Wisconsin feature on Adam Carr. This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Each of us is experiencing a million things on any given day. Alexandria Delcourt believes that how we move from the chaos and overwhelm of life to understand ourselves, and each other, comes down to telling a good story. Alexandria helped to produce some of readers’ favorite Love Wisconsin stories for Wisconsin Humanities, is the current editor of Our Lives magazine, and leads the Isthmus Writing Workshop. Co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker sit down to talk with Alexandria about her pivot from science to creative writing, what she has learned as an editor and educator, and how to do the most important stories of our lives justice.  Additional Links to check out: → “Basketry teaches me to be flexible” - Love Wisconsin feature story about Ojibwe basket-maker April Stone, produced by Alexandria Delcourt. →  “I love creating characters with important life lessons to learn” - Love Wisconsin feature story about D&D gamer Aiden Sanfelippo, produced by Alexandria Delcourt.  This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

It is August of 2025 and record rainfall has caused catastrophic flash flooding in Milwaukee. Hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin sit down with Milwaukee journalist and former Human Powered host Jimmy Gutierrez to talk about the crucial role of the humanities in moments like these. Gutierrez, who joined the Wisconsin Humanities board earlier this year, as the organization planned for survival after devastating cuts to staff and programs in April 2025, suggests that the word humanities is a limiting word for an expansive idea. He believes that collective knowledge and collective history are built on stories, and that stories are fundamental for how we make sense of the world. “The power,” Gutierrez says, “ is to shine a light” in ways that inspire action. He is excited about Wisconsin Humanities’ upcoming Listening Sessions in communities around the state – local convenings to learn what’s happening, what’s working, and what’s needed – and the role the humanities will play in shaping the future. Additional Links to check out: →  Human Powered: The Power of Experience (Season 1) shares stories from people who experienced the flooding in Wisconsin’s Driftless region firsthand, from farmers to firefighters, all part of a project organized by the Driftless Writing Center that received WH grant funding. →  'We're not FEMA, we're just brothers from Milwaukee': Meet the men helping with free flood cleanup”, a story produced by Jimmy Gutierrez for WUWM 89.7, Milwaukee’s NPR station, on August 12, 2025. This episode of Human Powered was produced and audio edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Food traditions are core to who we are and how we build community. In this episode, cohosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin talk with Qwantese Winters, the founder of A Bowl of Soul. Winter’s has been dubbed the Food Doula and was the host of Wisconsin PBS’s show, “Let’s Grow Stuff.”  Her Love Wisconsin story about learning to farm and cook by connecting with her family heritage was wildly popular, so we wanted to catch up and learn more about how she is showing up in the world today. Winter’s passions have taken root in a program that is both brand new and based on age-old traditions for caring for new mothers. In this episode, we hear how Winters’ blends her particular skills in the kitchen to draw women together, particularly low income and single mothers from the Black community. Through Soul Circles, women learn from their own food stories and cultures to feel empowered as caregivers. If you want some inspiration in the kitchen and in life, this is worth a listen.  Additional Links to check out: →  Love Wisconsin: The Food Doula was one of the most popular stories that Wisconsin Humanities ever shared. It was featured as part of Wisconsin Humanities’ 50 year anniversary celebration and can be read here. →  Let’s Grow Stuff on Wisconsin PBS, a show to help beginning gardeners learn tools and techniques for success, was hosted by Qwantese Winters. Watch some of the segments here.  →  A Bowl of Soul, in Winter’s own words, is featured in Edible Magazine August 2025. Read the essay here. This episode of Human Powered was produced and audio edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

When Ben Grignon walks into a classroom on the first day of school, he starts with a good story. He is a Traditional Menominee Arts instructor at the Menominee Nation High School and has received numerous awards for his work, including ​​receiving the 2022 First Peoples Fund Education Fellow for the We the Peoples Before Education initiative at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. He was also one of the eight people selected in 2025 as Wisconsin Humanities Fellows. In this episode of Human Powered, co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin learn about his work digitizing the Menominee language, hear how he approaches art education, and find out what traditional technique he learned over Zoom during the pandemic. But really, what you don’t want to miss is the story Grignon shares at the end of the episode. Enjoy! Additional Links to check out: →  Ben Grignon shares his story and philosophy about teaching here. →  In early 2025, Ben Grignon was selected to be a Wisconsin Humanities Fellow and receive Community Powered training. The year-long training program was suspended when Wisconsin Humanities’ funding was cut, resulting in program cuts and staff lay-offs. Learn more about the Community Powered training here.  This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

In this episode, special guest Danielle Hairston Green breaks down the basics of how university extension programs combine advocacy, research, and academia in response to real community needs. Hairston Green directs the Institute for Human Development and Relationships with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, where she encourages her staff to tell stories so we can better understand the power and impact of the Wisconsin Idea in action today. Co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin talk with Hairston Green about how she ended up on stage telling her own story, what motivates her, and how she is shifting the narrative to ‘do better’ for fathers in Wisconsin. If you’ve ever wondered if the Wisconsin Idea still matters, or if it might be part of the solutions we are looking for, tune in to this relevant conversation.  Additional Links to check out: →  Danielle Hairston Green won The Moth grand slam in 2022 with a story called “Blessings in Disguise.” You can watch her tell this powerful story of hard truths learned from her mother on The Moth stage here.  →  Danielle Hairston Green is a volunteer member of the Wisconsin Humanities board. You can learn more about the Wisconsin Humanities and their work here.  This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Recent years have seen a startling rise in hate crimes and hate-motivated violence across the country. Wisconsin, too, has felt this pain. In this episode, special guest Benny Witkovsky talks about his work as a public humanities fellow through the Center for Humanities and Wisconsin Humanities to address these challenges from the ground up. His ongoing research points to the ways communities can work together before tragedy strikes, and how to start conversations using personal stories and the humanities. In this relevant episode, co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin review the ways Wisconsin Humanities' Stand Up To Hate resource kit, developed by Witovsky and used in schools with high school students, is an important tool available to any community group. It is a reminder of the crucial work people are doing now to connect with neighbors, learn from our history, and inspire the next generation. Additional Links to check out: →  Stand Up to Hate is a program for anyone who wants their communities to be great places to live.  It helps participants think about how their community might prevent hate and hate crimes by learning about real stories of hate, violence, and resilience from different communities across Wisconsin, from Milwaukee to Meteor and from the 1860s to today. The Stand Up To Hate resource is available from Wisconsin Humanities.  Interested in receiving a free copy of the curriculum? Email us at [email protected] to schedule a consultation and receive your free copy. This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

We hear a lot about the ways nonprofits are preparing to cope with both new and perpetual challenges under the current Trump administration. Mary Beth Collins is the director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in this episode, she shares her birds-eye-view of the state. She brings her deep roots as a Wisconsinite, along with her personal experience as a teacher, an attorney, and as a nonprofit director, to this work. It’s both big-picture and action-oriented. Collins’ passion for working to help community-based organizations comes through in this conversation with co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker. We get her take on how things are going, how Wisconsin looks from a national and global perspective, and what each of us can do to bolster civic health for our future. This conversation is a reality-check and a chance to choose a way forward. Additional Links to check out: → Terry Collins is a proud Wisconsinite who raised his kids, including Mary Beth Collins, in La Crosse. In this Love Wisconsin story, meet the father of our interview subject from this episode and learn more about the Mississippi River valley community of La Crosse. → The Civic Health of Wisconsin initiative of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies is dedicated to strengthening current civic health efforts around Wisconsin and fostering more connected and engaged communities. Learn more here.  This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

Jay Salinas moved to a farm in the Driftless Region of southwest Wisconsin with his partner, fellow artist Donna Neuwirth, and learned to grow vegetables. Before long, they started inviting friends from Chicago to come out and get their hands dirty. Intrigued by what they were learning from their rural neighbors and in conversations with city dwellers, they formed Wormfarm Institute and formalized an Artist Residency Program in 2000. In this episode, co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker talk with Salinas about what happens when people with different perspectives come to the table, the origins of the wildly successful Farm/Art DTour, and the fermenting of ideas that often leads to personal revelations. Salinas speaks to the cycles of work, the need for large-scale movements, as well as what he calls “termite art.” Listen for a terrifically inspired conversation! Additional Links to check out: → Cabeatrice Hart lives and works in Milwaukee and was featured on Love Wisconsin, Wisconsin Humanities’ digital storytelling project. She has been part of urban/rural exchanges with Wormfarm Institute and a collaborative participant on the Farm/Art DTour mentioned in this episode. Read her story here.  → The Wormfarm Institute is based out of rural Sauk County, with far-reaching and groundbreaking programs that bridge the urban/rural divide. It was founded by Jay Salinas and his partner, Donna Neuwirth. Learn more here.  This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

This season of Human Powered podcast launched in June of 2025 with a conversation with the Executive Director of Wisconsin Humanities, Dena Wortzel, just after the nonprofit reduced staff and paused programming due to federal funding cuts. Co-hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin shifted from behind-the-scenes producers for Human Powered to pick up the mics themselves. In that first conversation, they talked with Wortzel about an uncertain path forward. In this episode, Wortzel returns for an update about Wisconsin Humanities’ continued role for Wisconsinites, what has been learned at “Listening Sessions” with community members and cultural leaders around the state, and where Wortzel sees hope. Tune in to find out what is on the horizon for this unique and crucial nonprofit, and how 50+ years of investment in the public humanities continues to make ripples. Additional Links to check out: → Visit the Wisconsin Humanities website and subscribe to the newsletter to stay abreast of the grant program and other projects in 2026.  This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.

We are kicking off 2026 with a special conversation with our neighbor in Illinois, Jane Beachy. Co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker talk with Beachy about a program called Envisioning Justice from Illinois Humanities and her work convening people from other state and territorial organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities with a commitment to programming in prisons, working alongside people impacted by the justice system, and framing conversations about incarceration in America. We learn that some states have doubled down on their efforts despite federal funding cuts, how project leaders from Wisconsin are learning from different models and working with community partners, and why this may be some of the most important work for public humanities agencies.  Additional Links to check out: → Since 2017, Illinois Humanities program, Envisioning Justice, has created free public arts and humanities programs in partnership with communities and people affected by the carceral system and provided grant funding for individuals, nonprofits, and collectives. Learn more here.  → Humanities Unlocked is a series of six podcast episodes about the humanities in Wisconsin prisons, produced by Wisconsin Humanities and Field Noise Soundworks, co-hosted by Adam Carr and Dasha Kelly Hamilton. Listen here.  This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.