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.

Affect versus effect: which is which?

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

In commenting on the dash–hyphen post a couple days ago (and that’s an en dash between the words “dash” and “hyphen” 🙂 ), Kathleen suggested that I write a post about “affect” and “effect.”  Great idea!  Using “affect” and “effect” correctly … Continue reading →

Posted in Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Hyphen or dash: What’s the difference, and when to use which?

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Here’s a punctuation “issue” that people have asked me about lately: what’s the difference between a hyphen and a dash, and when do you use which? Difference #1 — a hyphen is short, and a dash is long.  In Morse … Continue reading →

Posted in Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

As inauguration nears, check out the Smithsonian’s “First Ladies” exhibit

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

As preparations accelerate in advance of of President Obama’s second inauguration on Monday (which is also Martin Luther King, Jr., Day), one of the biggest stories coming out of Washington is Michelle Obama’s new “bangs” hairstyle.  I bring this up not … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tim Burton full moon (photo)

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

Doesn’t this gorgeous full moon look like something filmmaker Tim Burton might order up?  Actually, this is last month’s full moon (December 2012).  I had completely forgotten I’d photographed it until today, when I was working with some other pictures from … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies and film | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“Catch Me If You Can” – best un-Christmas movie ever

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

We have probably all watched a favorite Christmas movie this past month.  But how about an un-Christmas movie – like Die Hard, for example, which has little to do with Christmas but is set during the Christmas season?  It’s fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Snow!

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Well, after a record-setting 288 days without measurable snowfall, Milwaukee finally saw some flakes today.  Below is a photo taken about 1:30 p.m., when I left my office to get some lunch.  The tree branches were just beginning to acquire … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Dreaming of a “White Christmas”? Try “Endless Autumn” instead.

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Doesn’t our Christmas wreath look pretty, from the front, anyway?  Can you see what’s hiding underneath?   The wind blew this leaf into our Christmas wreath, where it lodged pretty forcefully.  It’s not noticeable at first glance from the outside, only from … Continue reading →

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It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . St. Patrick’s Day?

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

My favorite Starbucks establishment is just a few blocks away from my office, at Red Arrow Park at the corner of Water and State in downtown Milwaukee.  It is the only Starbucks I know of that’s located in a park … Continue reading →

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White Tree of Gondor?

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Nope, just a tree in the parking lot at our local grocery store.  I love the way naked winter trees are illuminated at night by those large overhead lights.  Here is a shot of three trees at a shopping mall that … Continue reading →

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Holing up for winter

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

A few months ago I wrote some posts (here, here, and here) about the chickadees and woodpeckers that nested in our magnolia and silver maple trees, respectively.  Just the mere act of writing about these birds (and videorecording them) has … Continue reading →

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