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.

The marketing campaign that helped The Return of the King sweep the Oscars

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Today’s Variety has an interesting article about how ten years ago The Return of the King was nominated for—and won—an astounding 11 Academy Awards.  Only two other films have won that many Oscars: Ben-Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997).  Even more significantly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, History, Movies and film, News, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sweets for the sweet?

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

An article in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education describes new research on embodied cognition presented last week at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference. “Embodied cognition” is the idea that the nature of people’s minds is shaped by the form … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sunlit Gas Flame (photo)

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Anyone who lives in Milwaukee or has driven on the elevated freeway loop south of Downtown knows the Wisconsin Gas Building, a beautiful Art Deco tower topped by a weather beacon in the shape of a flame.  The flame changes … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Winter Crab Apples (photo)

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

What’s this?  Up in our tree . . . ?  More crab apples! Remember when I wrote about our crab apple tree last September?  I guess I haven’t spent time in our yard since winter started (brrr!), but I was surprised … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Tosa All-City Read: Rocket Boys and October Sky

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (an old-city inner-ring suburb of Milwaukee), is having its inaugural “all-city read” this month.  Children ages 8-12 are reading a fantasy adventure, and people ages 13+ are reading Rocket Boys, the 1998 memoir by retired NASA engineer Homer Hickam, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, History, Milwaukee, Movies and film, Popular culture, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

To survive, bookstores should be more like funeral homes (were)

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

Interesting post over at The Shatzkin Files, “The future of bookstores is the key to understanding the future of publishing.”  What will it take for bookstores to survive in an era of e-readers and online book purchasing?  One possibility mentioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, History, Life, Popular culture, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Stovetop Hot Cocoa and Coal Furnaces

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

I’ve been thinking about my great-grandparents lately.  Our microwave died not long ago, and with it the ability to heat up coffee and milk instantly . . . IN the cup we plan to drink from.  Instead we have to add … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Moments of Classroom Grace

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

My friend and colleague, Lisa Rivero, posted on the topic of “Classroom Grace” last week over on her blog.  I’ve been thinking about her remarks ever since. Lisa was talking about those magical moments that happen in classrooms, especially in … Continue reading →

Posted in Higher education, Life, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

“He’s coming back” – Sherlock mini-episode appetizer

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

It’s been a long time since the last episode of BBC One’s Sherlock, but tomorrow night marks the return of our favorite sleuth to American television in “The Empty Hearse,” a clever nod to Conan Doyle’s “The Empty House,” the story … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Countdown to Downton Abbey (1 day to go!) – The Rise and Fall of the English Country House

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Katherine Wikoff

“History is bunk,” Henry Ford once said. What he meant was that most history, as written in textbooks and taught in schools, has little to do with life as lived by ordinary people.  War and politics are on the periphery … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Popular culture, Television, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments