Whether we’re talking sculptors, painters, authors, musicians, or any other creative, decade after decade, the Midwest produces some of the most profound artists in the world. In recognition, this year we’re zooming out from Wisconsin to celebrate ceramicists in our neighboring states. Next stop: Indiana.

Webster’s dictionary defines doyenne as a woman considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long experience in some field or endeavor. I’m not forcing clichés into the world’s most obscure wedding speech, just figuring out what doyenne means. It’s also the name of Heather Wentler’s organization focused on, per mission statement, unleashing and igniting the power and potential of women entrepreneurs to create entrepreneurial ecosystems where all women thrive.

I have a confession. I’m a paradoxical gardener, full of contradictions. I don’t like the feeling of dirt under my fingernails, but I love to put my hands in the soil. I’ll also (sheepishly) admit that I get squeamish when I happen upon the creepy crawly bugs, grubs, and wiggly worms that live underground, but I’m fascinated with their habitat and ecosystem. I’m a gardener, but I’m a lazy one and don’t aspire to spend all my free time caring for plants.

Welcome back to the “us” in inclUSion. This series discusses how we’re responsible for the culture we live in and for the changes that need to be made. We’re in this together, but we all have to do some work individually too. It’s our responsibility, and it will take all of us contributing to make real change.

Brienne Allan, brewer at Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts, shook the craft beer world when she vented on Instagram, asking if anyone else was experiencing sexist comments on the job. She didn’t know what to expect, but just needed to put it out there. Over a thousand responded. Stories went beyond sexist comments, describing events ranging from unprofessional to horrific.

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Sexism and sexual harassment in breweries can’t just be a white women issue. It’s an everybody issue. They shared this sentiment with me and then said the issue is really heartbreaking because we’re learning that some respected brewers aren’t necessarily the same person the public sees them as.

The 2020 pandemic was a chaotic year for the service industry. Some businesses have closed, others still might, but for Sardine co-owners and chefs Phillip Hurley and John Gadau, 2021 is full of hope.

Wisconsin produces more cheese than any other state. Six hundred varieties are crafted here, double that of runner-up California. Ninety percent of the state’s milk is turned into cheese, and not only has Wisconsin won more cheese awards than any other state, but it has won more cheese awards than any other country.

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Maggie Roovers —general manager at Fresco, and previously head chef at Forequarter

What's your night cheese, that cheese you love for a quick snack and always have in your fridge? Merkts or Kaukauna cheese spreads with Ritz crackers. The Merkts horseradish flavor is a real winner in my book!

When one looks out on the Dane County landscape today, it’s hard to imagine that a community like the Village of Shorewood Hills, just to the west of Madison, was once farmland a little over a century ago. But a young man, John Charles McKenna Sr., who came from a family of community builders, looked out on the land and saw a place to build a home for himself and others.

How much of your day, heck, how much of your year is spent thinking about how those released from prison are doing? If they’re able to get a job? If they’re finding housing? You’re certainly not alone if you answered somewhere around the zero-second mark, but what if I asked whether or not you think we should work to reduce recidivism rates? I imagine many would think it the moral direction. Well, if someone released from prison can’t find housing or get a job, it’s not hard to imagine the odds of them going back to prison increase.

If you have a cat (and possibly even if you don’t), you know how a hairball cough looks and sounds: the cat crouches down; extends its head and neck to make a long, fairly straight body; and then has a dry, hacking cough. Sometimes there is gagging afterwards and a hairball might come up, but often you just hear the noise and then the cat is fine. Many people don’t realize that their cat is actually coughing and not trying to bring up a hairball. Vomiting up hairballs happens in most cats, but shouldn’t happen more than one or two times per month, and it’s a different action from a cough.

Eighteen years ago, I imagined a magazine that would tell stories about the places we live, neighborhood businesses, people whose efforts positively affect and influence us, and the many things we can explore throughout our community.

When you drive from the south into Wisconsin, as so many Illinois folks do to experience the incredible vacation destinations in the Badger State, those using Highway 90 are welcomed by the city of Beloit, the gateway to Wisconsin.