Author Archives: Katherine Wikoff

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About Katherine Wikoff

I am a college professor (PhD in English, concentration rhetoric) at Milwaukee School of Engineering, where I teach film and media studies, political science, digital society, digital storytelling, writing for digital media, and communication. While fragments of my teaching and scholarship interests may quite naturally meander over to my blog, this space is intended to function as a creative outlet, not as part of my professional practice. Opinions are my own, etc.

Flocked

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

The near-blizzard snowstorm over the weekend left city streets a mess, with gigantic piles of snow at intersections so tall that it’s hard for someone in a compact car to see oncoming traffic. But I just stopped off at Starbucks … Continue reading →

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Empty nests, awaiting summer occupants

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

  They look so lonely up there in the naked trees 🙂 But there’s a reassuring permanence about them at the same time.  When spring comes, these nests will be here to shelter baby songbirds again, as they have for several years … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Photography | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Deco on Rye

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

Okay, my title is like a bad pun.  But that’s what I thought of when I saw such a tiny building squeezed into the space between two larger and older buildings. A sandwich 🙂 This somewhat out of place Art Deco building is part … Continue reading →

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Coffers and Corinthians

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

A trip to the dentist took me past City Hall again for the second time in a couple months. In December it had been probably a few years since I’d been able to get up close, thanks to the scaffolding … Continue reading →

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The Northern Soul Project – The Father-Son Shredded Wheat Commercial (Post #5)

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

Warning: this television ad (or, “advert,” as they apparently say in England) will make your heart melt. Apparently just released within the past week, this Shredded Wheat cereal commercial profiles a father and son who go out dancing at the all-nighters together.  In Post … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Learning, Life, Music, Northern Soul, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Perspective (2)

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

Bright sunshine today for the first time in maybe a week. Had to pull down the blinds in my office . . . at which point I noticed another “perspective”-type convergence of lines similar (vaguely) to my post last Friday, … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Art, Photography, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

General Tom Thumb rescued from deadly Milwaukee hotel fire!

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

In doing some class prep I came across a book titled Vintage Milwaukee Postcards, by Larry Widen, which talks about, among other interesting pieces of Milwaukee history, the famous (in its day) Newhall House Fire. The Newhall House was a sprawling six-story, wood-framed luxury … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, History, Learning, Life, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Be my Facebook friend?

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

In a comment at the end of a post a couple days ago Kitty Barran (KittyBarran.com) mentioned that she’d rather receive my blog posts through Facebook than either email or Twitter. So I’ve done it.  Joined Facebook.  I now have a “profile picture” and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Writing, blogging | Tagged | 5 Comments

Perspective

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

I definitely was paying attention at the Faculty Senate meeting this morning in the Schroeder Room of MSOE’s Walter Schroeder Library! But sitting in a different seat than usual led to a new perspective on a view that is normally at my back.  As … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Katherine Wikoff

On my way to work this morning I saw this fragment of litter lying on the ground. Obviously, it’s the outside edge of continuous-feed printer paper.  Anyone younger than thirty may not know what that is, so here’s a photo for reference. … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments