Word of Mouth: Sept 24

From your friends at Isthmus, Madison's alt-weekly.

Where we're volunteering

Araceli Esparza, communications director at Community Shares of Wisconsin:

I'm curating the spoken word and poetry section of the Latino Art Fair on Oct. 12, at the Overture Center. There will also be music from Angela Puerta and kids' activities in the morning. In the evening there will be a performance from the Mariachi Herencia de México, a Grammy-nominated group from Chicago. Since I work with Overture as both a community advisory board member and as part of the Latino Art Fair, it has been a joy to see local Latino artists being represented.

What we're eating

Craig Bartlett, Isthmus associate publisher:

I've always had some sort of favorite condiment: BBQ sauce in high school, that garlic sauce from Papa's John in college, ranch on anything in my mid-20s. Now that I'm a parent and mature, I'm on to hot sauces. My latest obsession is Valentina's. I first had it at Canteen and I put it on everything. Then I tracked it down at the grocer and it's been game over ever since. My kids refer to it as the "new hot sauce" but I think it will soon just become THE hot sauce they ask for.

How we're moving

Jeri Casper, Isthmus advertising assistant & web analyst:

I rode my bike to work for the second time ever; the first time was about two years ago and I hated it so much I never did it again. I still hated it today, but I feel compelled to cut down on driving ever since watching 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg's address to the U.S. Congress and her TEDxStockholm Talk. Plus, as of this morning, her speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. She's basically uprooted her young life to fight for all life on Earth, so suffering o'er the hills of downtown Madison is the least I can do.

What we're drinking

What we're listening to

Chelsey Dequaine, Isthmus social media & marketing director:

Taylor Swift released her seventh studio album, Lover, in August. Compared the rest of her albums, this one came out with less hype. Most songs are pop bangers and remind me of tracks from 1989, which is great for when I go on a run or clean my house, but the track "Lover" feels very much like Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You," and I dig that. I might even add it to my wedding playlist.

What we're reading

Devin Renner, marketing director at True Coffee Roasters:

Just finished The Testaments, the sequel to Margaret Atwood’s "The Handmaid’s Tale." It wasn’t what I expected. In some ways, it takes away from the first book by answering questions better left to the imagination. On the other hand, it was good in that it resolved a lot of unanswered questions. Hardcore fans of the original book should read this with a grain of salt. Fans of the Hulu series will be overjoyed.

What we're eyeing

Mike Muckian, Isthmus contributor:

A friend who always responded negatively to sulfites, the preservatives used in both red and white wine, turned us on to the Ullo Wine Purifier. The little cup is fitted with a filter made up of food-grade super-porous polymer that apparently catches the sulfites as it filters the wine. The unfiltered Cakebread Pinot Noir we tried had a tart acidity we've always associated with tannins. Once filtered, that acidity was entirely gone, leaving a fully flavored wine with a soft, velvety mouthfeel. I think Ullo will become a regular thing with us.