This winter, we asked some of the newly inducted 2024 Academy Fellows to recommend books, documentaries, podcasts, records, or plays. Here’s the list of what’s currently inspiring Wisconsin’s most inspiring thought leaders.
Faisal Abdu’Allah
Faisal Abdu’Allah, PhD, is an influential British and Afro-Caribbean artist and educator at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who enriches Wisconsin's cultural landscape with thought-provoking art that bridges diverse communities. His work, which is deeply influenced by his Islamic faith and British upbringing, challenges and expands cultural narratives.
“As an artist, I find myself at a crossroads where I curiously observe, read, and listen in order to better understand the world. This process allows me to discern and create space for infinite possibilities. The book I am currently reading is Black and British: A Forgotten History (Picador, 2023) by Dr. David Olusoga. This significant work explores the history of black people in Britain, from Roman times to the era of American slavery, and highlights the contributions of black Britons in key conflicts, including the Battle of Trafalgar and both World Wars. It emphasizes that black British history is an essential part of the nation's cultural and economic narrative. My life and work are deeply rooted in the achievements and challenges faced by my ancestors. Olusoga’s accounts are vivid; he reveals the love, beauty, and magic of history through the lens of a historian.
“In my studio, I have over 2,000 vinyl records that I consider my books. I spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday working on various projects, selecting different albums to grace the turntables and set the tone for the day. Each song transports me back to moments from my youth; I can almost smell my mother’s cooking and hear the laughter of mischief, along with moments of sadness—a kaleidoscope of experiences that have shaped who I am. Currently, the most prominent song I am playing in my studio is “Find Your Peace” from the album Foreverland by Keyon Harrold. Harrold’s sultry solo, hypnotic tone, languorous beat, and angelic vocals are transformative. With repeated instructions to find your peace, you are compelled to sit, close your eyes, and take flight—and after four minutes and 30 seconds, peace will be reborn and you will have that peace of mind. Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/j9t9bjuy.”
Amy Quan Barry
Amy Quan Barry is a decorated poet, novelist, playwright, and the Lorraine Hansberry Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Barry is the author of eight books of fiction and poetry and a full-length staged theater production.
“The UW–Madison MFA poetry class of 2021 has already met with a lot of success, as three alums published debut poetry collections in the past few years. Additionally, all three authors worked with Nobel Prize-winning poet Louise Glück at
Stanford, but I like to think it was our very hands-on mentorship here in Wisconsin that really made the difference. Their works include: Adrienne Chung’s Organs of Little Importance (Penguin Poets, 2023), Alison Thumel’s Architect (University of Arkansas, 2023), and Ajibola Tolase’s 2000 Blacks (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2024).
“Chung is a formalist through and through, but don’t let that scare you off. A crown sonnet that rhymes ‘Carolyn Bessete’ with ‘baguette’ heralds a collection worth checking out. Thumel’s devastating collection uses Frank Lloyd Wright and architecture as a metaphor for the ways we navigate grief. Tolase is a Nigerian national who was profiled earlier this year in The Washington Post, and 2000 Blacks explores the surrealism that arises from living in repressive spaces.”
Dr. Howard Fuller
Dr. Howard Fuller has committed his life to activism and educational reform, specifically serving Black children from low-income backgrounds. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana,
and moved to Milwaukee with his mother at a young age, where he emerged as a gifted student, athlete, and leader.
He recommends Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point (Crown, 2023) by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. From the publisher: “With the clarity and brilliance that made their first book, How Democracies Die, a global bestseller, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt offer a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times … In this revelatory book, Levitsky and Ziblatt issue an urgent call to reform our politics. It’s a daunting task, but we have remade our country before—most notably, after the Civil War and during the Progressive Era. And now we are at a crossroads: America will either become a multiracial democracy or cease to be a democracy at all.”
Karen Ann Hoffman
Karen Ann Hoffman is a Haudenosaunee-raised beader from Stevens Point. A citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, she creates objects of great beauty and cultural significance that reflect Haudenosaunee understandings and honor generational legacies.
“I’d like to recommend Louis V. Clark III’s 2023 play, Little Boy Lost (Stupid Indian). This link will take you to a YouTube recording of the play: https://tinyurl.com/4j3vkjvw. Clark is also the author of How to be an Indian in the 21st Century (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2017), a deeply personal collection of prose and poetry reflecting on the complexity of identity and expectations. Clark further probes these themes in Rebel Poet: More Stories from a 21st Century Indian (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2019). This play, these musings, illuminate the everyday beauty and barriers intrinsic in navigating life in Wisconsin through a uniquely personal and cultural lens and, importantly, they do so in the most approachable way.”
Dr. Mrill Ingram
Dr. Mrill Ingram is an environmental geographer whose work reaches across Wisconsin’s landscapes, connecting the farm field to the street terrace, in order to champion creative environmental action. The arc of Ingram’s career embraces sustainable agriculture, academic collaboration, progressive media, and community-based research.
“The world lost a giant in the environmental art world this past year, Patricia Johanson, who broke ground revisioning how our spaces of living and infrastructure might be more imaginative and ecologically integrated and vibrant. I was awed by the breadth of her vision after looking through a book about her work, Art and Survival: Patricia Johanson's Environmental Projects (Mullen Books, 2006) by Caffyn Kelley and Lucy R. Lippard.
“It’s not every day you read something so breathtaking you drop everything and rush out to buy the book. I don't quite remember how I encountered Marsha de la O’s poem ‘Gods in Ruins,’ but I looked her up and immediately ordered the collection, Creature (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2024). Marcia de la O’s poems feel just right for this moment, capturing her world, which is indeed filled with many creatures, with devastating yet beautiful exactitude.
Marie Kohler
Marie Kohler is an actor, playwright, director, artistic director, producer, and entrepreneur. Her work has significantly contributed to the theater arts community in Wisconsin, and among her many projects, she is co-founder of Renaissance Theaterworks.
“I have loved Hilary Mantel’s writing since devouring Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate, 2009). Searching for more of Mantel’s writing, I came upon An Experiment in Love (Viking, 1995) about a girl’s upbringing in Northern England in the 1960s and ’70s—grounded by a troubled mother-daughter relationship and friendships/rivalries with girls while the protagonist advanced successfully through schooling. The book has the feel of an autobiography to me and chimes with at least some of Mantel’s history. Her stories prompt memories of my childhood in a similar era—and great admiration for the extraordinarily honest and poetic quality of Mantel’s descriptions. What a brilliant writer, and what a loss her death in 2022 meant to us.”
David Ullrich
David Ullrich’s career in public service, nonprofit leadership, and volunteer work spans more than fifty years and has led to significant improvements in the Wisconsin environment. After growing up amidst the lakes and forests of northern Wisconsin and earning a law degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Ullrich dedicated his life to the protection and restoration of the planet, with an emphasis on Wisconsin.
“I recommend three books. The first is Hannah Coulter (Shoemaker & Hoard, 2004) by Wendell Berry. Berry’s wonderful prose captures the essence of life in words that are few in number and large in meaning. The second is Fluke (Scribner, 2024) by Brian Klaas, which explores the unexpected experiences in life that tend to shape our futures much more than the best laid plans. The third is The Road to Wisdom (Little, Brown and Company, 2024) by Francis S. Collings, which reconciles religious faith and science in a way that can lead to truth and trust in the contentious world we live in.”
