Write On, Wisconsin

Oloizia includes UW alumni and faculty on his podcast celebrating Wisconsin writers. Gopal Shah

Wisconsin is renowned for many homegrown industries — dairy, cranberries, brats, beer — but rarely as fertile ground for writers. Jeff Oloizia ’07 is trying to change that with his new podcast, Writing Forward, on which he sits down with authors, poets, journalists, and essayists whose work is rooted in the Badger state.

Each episode of Writing Forward opens with an invitation for the guest to share a piece of writing that, to them, “evokes Wisconsin in some memorable way.” Oloizia then facilitates a discussion about his guest’s work, their connection to Wisconsin, and what it means to be a writer in or of this place.

Featured UW writers have included UW–Whitewater literature professor and essayist Barrett Swanson MFA’10, Still True author and UW Division of the Arts writer Maggie Ginsberg ’97, Hemlock author and essayist Melissa Faliveno ’06, Under Story author Chloe Benjamin MFA’12 (see “The Astonishing Unknowable Universe”), UW creative writing professor and Milk Blood Heat author Dantiel Moniz MFA’18 (see “Writer on the Rise“), and UW creative writing professor and Finna poet Nate Marshall.

In drawing attention to the depth and nuance of Wisconsin’s literary tradition, Oloizia dispels the notion that aspiring writers must leave the state in order to have a promising career.

“I followed the path many writers imagine, toward the places where literary life is supposed to happen,” he says in the show’s introductory episode, “and yet when it came time to start a new chapter, I found myself drawn back to Wisconsin.”

Oloizia is an award-winning writer and editor whose work has been featured in Interview magazine, the Atlantic, the New York Times, and Madison Magazine. He worked in publishing and taught at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington before returning to Madison, where he is a writer and communications professional.

Published in the Fall 2026 issue