Summertime, according to Gershwin, the living is easy, and summer in Wisconsin is indeed a golden time, a brief season that evokes leisure, cold beer, boats, lakes, and beaches, all of which we touch on in this, our summer issue. Our cover story celebrates the current spotlight on Native American art and artists nationally and internationally, and how Native artists with connections to Wisconsin are playing a major role in this long overdue recognition. The Wisconsin Table features a fresh take on brewing beer in Waukesha County that’s also a look back at the history of brewing culture in the state. We have stories about sand and beaches on Lake Michigan, and about boats and boat building on Lake Superior. You will also find, as always, new poems, and another fine short story from our annual writing contest.
This has been a year of change and upheaval for me. There have been two deaths in the family in recent months, one of which was a relief and one that I’m still grieving. Our twenty-year-old son unexpectedly moved home for the summer. Enough said about that. And in the midst of production on this issue, we adopted a collie puppy and I was offered a full-time job, both welcome and exciting events that will require change and adjustment. After the publication of this, my sixth issue as interim editor, I will be joining Beloit College, another renowned Wisconsin institution, and one even older than the Academy, where I will serve as editor of Beloit College Magazine.
Wisconsin People & Ideas was my introduction to the Academy, and it is the heart and soul of the organization. It has been a pleasure and an honor to take the helm of the magazine during this time of ongoing transition, and as excited as I am to join Beloit College, I will miss my colleagues at the Academy and being part of the team that produces this remarkable magazine for you, our valued members. I hope that you all enjoy the summer, and this issue of the magazine. Thank you for reading, and for being a part of our community. I hope that our paths will cross again on down the road.
