Essay
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A life lived in language
‘After five household moves over 90-plus years, my childhood library is still with me.’
Notes from Nina
“I first got to know Nina Leopold Bradley through an extraordinary stroke of good luck, at a time when I really needed it.”
Oct 9, 2025
The elephant in the room
“We travel writers debate whether to delete our social media content before approaching U.S. Customs. Or whether it’s best to write about countries other than the U.S. this year.”
Sep 9, 2025
Valerie Tobias
Starry sky IRL
“No scenes in movies of a couple lying back on the hood of a car, gazing up, making wishes on a ‘falling star.’ No seeing the wonder of the Milky Way or even the familiar friend of Orion.”
Aug 15, 2025
This American Life
My grandmother left Germany for the United States when she was a toddler. She served as a Marine in World War II and remained an American patriot until she died at 86. Yet she was never recognized as a U.S. citizen.
Jul 3, 2025
Fish story
“In Wisconsin, you either fish or you know someone who does. It’s a cultural touchstone, like hunting or the Packers.”
Jun 12, 2025
Never do for a boy…
One of Joe Steen’s favorite sayings guided a significant chunk of my youth: ‘Never do for a boy what a boy can do for himself.’
May 7, 2025
Life in transit
“Before long, my Taos turned into a rolling confessional. A sanctuary for late-night truths. Strangers poured out their lives in the quiet anonymity of the dark.”
Apr 9, 2025
8:00 AM
Living with the living building
The very phrase ‘living building’ seemed a clever combination of words, softening the idea of brick, mortar, and glass with the word ‘living,’ evoking a natural landscape.
Mar 14, 2025
3:00 PM
What is important?
“Given the pressure to get the rent paid, I agreed to let someone move in despite my gut feeling that they were going to be difficult. On each occasion, I was right, and we ended up dealing with that person’s problems for months or years."
Feb 12, 2025
8:00 AM
Old friends
‘But what young person thinks about their later years? Who thinks a conversation with an older person about their losses and challenges sounds like fun?’
Jan 9, 2025
8:00 AM
Selfie truths
‘So that desire — to see, be seen, decide where we belong and document it — existed long before the quick-shot world of today.’
Dec 10, 2024
8:00 AM
The “A” word
“I didn’t mind the checkout guy’s patter. It was rote, but not meaningless. It gave a rhythm to our interaction, moved things along.”
Nov 11, 2024
8:00 AM
In the November Nonprofit issue
Five nonprofits you should know about
Nonprofits are navigating challenging times while doing important work in Dane County.
Isthmus is a nonprofit, pass it on!
Isthmus will celebrate five years as a nonprofit next year yet some people in the community are unaware of the transition and many changes at the paper.
Access takes center stage
Audio description, live captioning and ASL interpretation are a few of the services offered by Madison’s performing arts groups for people with disabilities.
‘The 100 deadly words’
It’s been a fraught time for nonprofits since Donald Trump returned to the White House, especially organizations that serve immigrants, BIPOC communities, and women.
Past is present
Stonemason Jason Arndt works out of a converted creamery in Lake Mills. He’s made few updates to the 1878 building.
