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.

Smiley (Or, The Most Happy Staircase)

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Two references to unpack in that title, but first . . . . . . here’s a photo I took the other day around 2:15 PM of the atrium staircase at the Grohmann Museum (where my office is). If you … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Photography, Popular culture | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

“The Pianist’s Hands” – A short story, plus my start-to-finish ChatGPT creative conversation

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Alternative Title: How I Wrote “The Pianist’s Hands” (When I Thought I Was Just Dashing Something Off) 🙂 Back in February or March, I began drafting a short story with ChatGPT for my writing group—just an exercise, nothing too serious. … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Practice in the Age of AI, Creativity, writing exercises, Writing with AI, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Hello World!” – Creative Practice in the Age of AI

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

I mentioned a new project last week that I’ve been working on for the past month but wanted to run past my writing group before launching. Here it is! This is the first post in a new series reflecting on … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer), writing exercises, Writing with AI, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fun with Lines

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Just a few “lines” photos from the past couple of weeks. Although the subject matter is a little mundane, together they constitute a fun collection of “striped” moments in my life during late June and early July. So why not? … Continue reading →

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

“Home Life in Colonial Days”

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

I’m working on a poem for my writing group (which I’m writing with inspiration, feedback, and encouragement from my buddy, ChatGPT, and which I’ll share here on my blog at some point soon), and in the course of trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Day and Night at the Museum (after the rain)

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

I took this picture of the Grohmann Museum reflected in a puddle in August of 2016. I loved it, and it was accepted the following year for a fiftieth-anniversay exhibition of alumni art at my undergraduate school, Wright State University. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

“The Blind Pig” – A short story, plus my start-to-finish creative conversation with ChatGPT

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

I want to try something new today, both in terms of content and in terms of blog format. This is an experiment, and I’m not sure my WordPress skills are up to it. Here goes, and let’s just see if … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, writing exercises, Writing with AI, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

LOL, that lurid, sensationalist movie poster for “12 Angry Men”

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

I’m teaching a technical communication course this summer and using the film 12 Angry Men as “raw material” for students to use in analyzing positive and negative communication behaviors commonly found on project teams. In doing some class prep, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Movies and film, Popular culture, Teaching | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Only murders . . . and criminal negligence?

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

A stairwell on campus is closed for painting, and when I noticed the yellow “CAUTION” tape blocking off the doorway, I suddenly thought about Season 3 of “Only Murders in the Building.” Season 3, you may remember, is the storyline … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Creativity, Popular culture, Television, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Figuring out my office thermostat, 21st-century style

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Today is the day my spring semester grades are due. Exams and classes are finished. Which means that the building my office is in, the Grohmann Museum, was not open yet when I came in this morning. Usually, during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital society, Life | Tagged , | 2 Comments