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.

Watching the “Up” Documentary Series (Film #3, 21 Up)

Over the weekend I watched the third film in the “Up” series.  All the original seven-year-olds are back and are now age 21. I started writing this post on Saturday; today is Wednesday.  In a couple of days I’ll be … Continue reading

Posted in History, Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

A walking tour of the Milwaukee River’s bridge houses

Two weeks ago I posted about getting stopped at the Wisconsin Avenue drawbridge in downtown Milwaukee.  I was able to illustrate that blog post with two photographs of bridge houses that I found online, but those were basically the ONLY photos I could … Continue reading

Posted in Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Watching the “Up” Series (#2, 7 Plus Seven)

This weekend I watched the second film in the “Up” series, 7 Plus Seven.  Last week I watched (and wrote this blog post about) the first film, Seven Up.  Six more films to go on my way to 56 Up, the … Continue reading

Posted in Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Watching the “Up” Series (#1, Seven Up)

Several years ago, in one of those serendipitous moments that can occur only in the physical world (i.e., not online),  I stumbled across a film in the documentary section of a Blockbuster video store, 49 Up.  I realized at once … Continue reading

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A pause for river traffic at the Wisconsin Avenue drawbridge

One of the joys of living in a city with a navigable river is encountering its drawbridges.  Around noon yesterday I happened to be two cars back when the Wisconsin Avenue bridge was raised to accommodate one of the larger … Continue reading

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

Watch the Book Trailer for ALL GOD’S CHILDREN

I have to share this book trailer for my friend Anna Schmidt’s next novel, due out in September, I believe. Her publisher has created an promotional video that I think really lives up to the content of Anna’s novel. If … Continue reading

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Woody Allen on filmmaking as therapy

Great article about Woody Allen in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal Magazine.  In a post I wrote on “Creativity and the importance of routine” last year, I mentioned Allen as an example of someone who shows up every day and does … Continue reading

Posted in Movies and film | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pixar’s “The Blue Umbrella” is cinematic poetry. “Monsters University” is fun, too.

This past weekend my younger daughter and I continued our longstanding tradition of catching Pixar’s new release on its opening weekend. Monsters University was a lot of fun.  Not completely on a par with the studio’s finest hits, but really nothing … Continue reading

Posted in Movies and film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Jessica’s Wednesday Poem Club: What is the Meaning of a Jar Placed in the Woods, If No One Is There to See It?

For today’s post, especially if you enjoy poetry, head over to the “Wednesday Poem Club” hosted by my friend and fellow-blogger, Jessica Slavin. I was planning just to leave a quick comment on the Wallace Stevens poem “Anecdote of the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Waiting for Sherlock

I love the BBC One Sherlock Holmes series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson.  Have you seen it?  Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth now carries a smartphone, and his good friend Dr. Watson publishes … Continue reading

Posted in Books and reading, Life, Movies and film | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment