Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Elsa Englebert
John Hunter’s ceramics are shaped by faith
Before John Hunter begins working, he ties a denim apron around his waist and removes the rings from his fingers, setting them gently on a shelf. Then he bends over his pottery wheel, slowly but surely molding a hunk of clay into a mug or plate, beginning with only his hands and a wet yellow sponge. “It’s something that’s sort of natural for me,” Hunter says.
KATSEYE: Well, at least those girls can dance!
Sixteen square inches cannot contain Katseye. Watching their Coachella Weekend 1 performance of “Gnarly” on my iPhone feels almost sacrilegious — no amount of pixels could possibly capture them in their entirety. But even when rendered on a tiny phone screen in a YouTube video of middling quality, the girl group has a stunning ability to keep you watching. They’re hypnotic, sweat glistening on toned stomachs, hips swinging in perfect sync. It’s chaos, it’s coordination — grimey, yet polished.
A senior’s guide to graduation
It’s April, which means the class of 2026’s intense senioritis is about to be disrupted by the terrifying, exciting, stressful approach of graduation. What once seemed impossibly far away is now just around the corner, and I think I speak for most seniors when I say that we’ve been so immersed in desperately formulating post-grad plans that we haven’t really begun to consider the technical details of graduation, like if we want to take graduation photos and throw a grad party.
The Badger Herald’s graduation fashion guide
Whether you’re walking across the stage toward a full-time job offer or a relaxing gap year, do it in style with the perfect dress and shoes to complement your cap and gown. Dresses It’s sort of an unspoken rule that graduation dresses should be white, but why limit yourself to just one color?
One last round: A senior’s reflections on Madison’s bar scene
Like a senior citizen reflects on their life before dying, I, a senior at the University of Wisconsin, have been reflecting on my college days before graduation in May — particularly the nights I’ve spent at Madison’s student bars. My birthdate ends in 2003, so I’m practically fossilized, but my four years have given me insight into the best and worst of our city’s watering holes — my wizened, leathery hands have clutched drinks at just about every bar west of Capitol Square.
The Badger Herald staff picks: Beach reads
For us college students, spring break is a sacred time to decompress, ignore any incoming emails and finally enjoy a week without responsibilities. Now, call me crazy, but this blissful stretch of exam and homework-free days is the perfect time to crack open a new book. I’m not talking about textbooks, but beach reads, which are books that you can turn off your brain to read. They can be anything from guilty-pleasure romances to thought-provoking self-help books, as long as they’re page-turners.
Dressed to the nine (to five)
Before accepting a full-time job offer, there are questions one must ask. What’s the pay? What are the benefits? Am I finally going to have to learn Excel after all those years of avoiding it at all costs? But, the most important question to ask a new employer is this: What’s the dress code? My search for career-worthy closet staples began long before my job search did.
The best and worst of the Oscars red carpet
The Oscars just took place, and if I had to guess, some people won and more people lost. Personally, I’m more concerned with what everyone was wearing than with which bloated, 3-hour-long montage of Dutch angles and tearful monologues took home Best Picture. I’m handing out the real awards: Best and Worst Dressed of the 2026 Oscars. In an all-white Givenchy ensemble, Timothée Chalamet looked like a guy who aggressively dances at you at a bar while maintaining uncomfortable eye contact.
Badgers tell all: Study abroad secrets
We Badgers love our home city, but all it takes is a traumatizing situationship, a hellish semester or a terrible football season to drive us out of Madison and ultimately, out of the country. Maybe that’s why UW is ranked #6 among U.S. universities for student participation in study abroad programs.
I can’t help it, I’m a Scorpio!
In the 1990s, you could open any tabloid magazine and, alongside gaudy spreads of paparazzi photos and the latest dish on a Hollywood has-been, you could access the ancient wisdom of the cosmos. Or something like that. Horoscopes — astrological forecasts of an individual’s future, based on their zodiac sign — have been staples in newspapers for nearly a century, although they’re considered by many to be nothing more than kitschy, baseless nonsense.
I read ‘Wuthering Heights’ and all I got was this lousy film adaptation
Warning: Spoilers for “Wuthering Heights” (book and movie) ahead! When the trailer for director Emerald Fennell’s latest film, “Wuthering Heights,” dropped, it promised to be a romantic epic worthy of its Valentine’s Day release date.
Testing the tepid waters of UW’s e-dating scene
In the name of research, courageous reporters like myself have gone to some truly terrifying places. Last week, I cemented myself among the bravest of them all when I, armed with nothing but my base journalistic instincts, explored uncharted territory — the Hinge feed of a 21-year-old woman. It was my friend’s account. Huddled together on her living room couch, we spent the better part of 15 minutes scrolling and swiping and giggling. “I’m not really looking for anything real,” she told me.
Fur: Friend or faux?
Like a red lip or a good pair of blue jeans, fur doesn’t go out of style. I imagine that the women who regularly wear it — and I’m talking real fur, not the cheap plastic faux stuff — are the type to greet their friends with a kiss on each cheek, drink red wine with dinner and smoke long white cigarettes. When it’s cold enough, they can disappear within their big fur coats, and all that can be seen of them are their glossy black high heels poking out from the bottom of their thick brown pelts.
De-strangification of “Stranger Things”: Why the show’s final season fell flat
I first watched “Stranger Things” when I was in seventh grade, home alone one night and granted uninhibited access to Netflix on my mom’s iPad mini. At school that day, everyone in my Level 2 French class had been jabbering on and on about the new season, and I’d begun to feel a bit left out.
A 2025 year in review of Madison restaurants, bars and cafes
A lot can happen to a local restaurant scene over the course of a year. In Dane County, 2025 brought 39 new restaurant and food business concepts and 15 closures. Before we can look ahead to the 14+ new spots anticipated for the Madison area in 2026, we’re taking stock of how the restaurant landscape has changed in the past 12 months. Three concepts expanded with a new location, including Hop Garden (6889 Canal St, Belleville), Cafe Domestique (11 N.
5 things Madison has to look forward to in 2026
The end of 2025 might feel a bit melancholy, but there are plenty of things to look forward to in the year ahead. These milestones and events are worth adding to every Madisonian’s calendar. Madison Public Market opening After over two years of construction and several delays, it’s official: Madison Public Market is opening in 2026 on Madison’s east side.
Textile Arts Center of Madison launches inaugural artists-in-residence program
The Textile Arts Center of Madison's inaugural artists-in-residence program starts in January 2026. Dakota Mace and Ireri Andrea Muñiz Ortega, both textile artists, will be the first two local artists to take part in the program. The program is the newest undertaking for the Textile Arts Center, or TAC, which moved to its new South Park Street location in August.
GM Banh Mi serves Vietnamese street fare in downtown Madison
GM Banh Mi, a new quick-service restaurant on West Johnson Street that specializes in banh mi, became the only dedicated Vietnamese eatery in downtown Madison in November. It’s also the first business to open in the West Johnson Street retail space beneath the oLiv Madison apartment complex and a first culinary venture for the restaurant’s owner, Zoe Nguyen, whose family comes from Vietnam.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve at these local events
Across Madison, restaurants, businesses and community organizations are preparing for their New Year's Eve celebrations on Dec. 31. Each of these events — ranging from fine-dining to family fun — will celebrate the past year and welcome the next one. Canter Inn This New Glarus restaurant, which opened in October, is ushering in 2026 with a three-course dinner accompanied by hors d’oeuvres.
Badger Herald staff picks: Holiday movies, songs
The holiday season is here, which means several things — 1) Mariah Carey is about to get a very substantial paycheck for “All I Want for Christmas is You” and 2) Elementary school teachers across America are dusting off their old “Elf” DVDs to play for their students on the last day of class before winter break — for the twentieth year in a row. Some holiday songs and movies, like these, become nothing short of grating as a result of pure overexposure.
Susan B. Anderson turned a passion for knitting into a family business
A bear in a coat buttoned up to its chin, a slumbering toadstool doll wrapped in a leaf, and a pig wearing overalls and a pom-pom hat. Each of these whimsical creatures was imagined — then created as an 8-inch-tall woolen toy — by Susan B. Anderson, an avid knitter and the co-founder of Barrett Wool Co. Anderson learned to knit when she was a teenager, guided by pamphlets and printed patterns she bought at a local fabric store.
Holiday pop-ups at Madison's restaurants and bars
These themed pop-ups, charming light displays and seasonal cocktail menus make for a festive night out. Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge Although Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge’s Charlie Brown Christmas Dinner Experience is already sold out, don’t fret — the vinyl bar is hosting plenty of other holiday-themed events in December. On Dec. 10 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., sip Manhattans and enjoy the warm jazz of the Vince Guaraldi Trio on vinyl at Lola’s Vinyl Listening Party: A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Presents fit for Badgers: Your comprehensive holiday gift guide for every major
These stocking stuffers are curated for students of every major, from engineering to film December 4, 2025 Tis the season … to buy a gift for your marginal acquaintance whose name you drew for your friend group’s Secret Santa gift exchange. You hardly know this person, and now you need to pick out the perfect present based on your very limited knowledge of who they are and what they like.
Your guide to the Madison area coffee scene
Ten years ago, I remember skipping high school pep rallies and assemblies to meet my friends at Barriques’ sunlit cafe in Middleton. When I visit that same coffee shop today — like I did recently (pictured below) to work on one of my knitting projects — I can still hear the sound of our laughter and clacking keyboards as we worked on English papers and sipped lattes.
New additions add variety to Madison's coffee scene
Madison’s bustling coffee scene is growing consistently, and this year has been no exception. In 2025, the Madison area welcomed six new coffee shops, with two more on the way. Cafe Domestique Cafe Domestique’s third Madison location opened on Allen Street in April. The bright and airy cafe at the heart of the Regent neighborhood shares a space with GlouGlou Wine Bar and boasts a sunny back patio. 11 N.
These Madisonians run the city's smallest food pantries
On first glance, the miniature pantries — small boxes perched on wooden posts and typically found in front yards — closely resemble Little Free Libraries. But there’s one crucial difference: Instead of books, free pantries are stocked with non-perishable foods and sanitary items. Congress adopted a measure to reopen the government and resume full food aid benefits on Nov. 12. Still, food insecurity remains a major issue.
Shop local to level up your at-home coffee setup
We visited specialty stores, gift shops and kitchen supply outposts around town to seek out what your at-home coffee set-up might be missing. Boil: Make hot water in almost an instant with this pleated Alessi electric kettle. Find it at The Century House gift shop, 3029 University Ave. Measure: This coffee scoop measures just the right amount of grounds for an individual cup of coffee and doubles as a clip for your bag of beans. Find it at Dune Gift + Home, 155 W.
Winter specials at nine Madison-area coffee shops
Alice Good Coffee’s cardamom rose petal mocha latte blends the familiar sweetness of house-made chocolate sauce with the warmth of cardamom. A sprinkling of rose petals on top proves that floral flavors aren’t just for spring. 300 S. Main St., Verona Barriques caters to year-round iced coffee drinkers with a peppermint mocha cold brew that includes house-made peppermint chocolate cream. 127 W.
Plan a festive day with 7 local shopping itineraries
It’s easy to shop local in Madison, thanks to the city's excess of bustling retail corridors lined with boutiques, restaurants and specialty shops — so this holiday season, why not devote a morning, an afternoon or an entire day to exploring each one? Atwood Avenue Energize before an afternoon shopping spree with a meal at one of Atwood Avenue’s relaxed lunch joints, like the all-vegan Green Owl Cafe or snug American tavern Alchemy Cafe.
New chamber music series brings world-class musicians to a Fitchburg farm
Coppia Concerts, a concert series created by married couple Dawn Wohn and Jay Hutchinson, will kick off its inaugural concert season at Four Winds Farm in Fitchburg on Nov. 15. Wohn, a Julliard-trained violinist, is the featured soloist in the Coppia Concerts’ first program, “Seasons on the Farm.” She is a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music and has performed in concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall.
What’s a Thanksgiving dinner worth?
For 37 years, the Goodman Community Center’s Thanksgiving Basket Drive has provided Dane County families experiencing food insecurity with everything they need to assemble a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Indigenous-owned businesses offering THC seltzers, handmade jewelry and more
November is National Native American Heritage Month. Celebrate by attending a local art market featuring more than 40 Indigenous artists or by supporting one of these Wisconsin-based Indigenous-owned businesses offering handmade items, unique beverages, and more.
Forward Craft & Coffee launches new cocktail program
Last month, Forward Craft & Coffee owners Dan Podell, Chad Walhood and Melissa Moss introduced craft cocktails to the Atwood Avenue cafe’s menu, expanding its existing alcoholic beverage repertoire that still includes a rotating tap list of 20 beers. Naturally, many of the cocktails at the east side coffee shop are coffee-forward.
The stories behind six local Little Libraries
Over the course of the past decade and a half, Little Free Libraries — those miniature book banks that invite passersby to “Take a book, share a book” — have appeared all over the world, but the movement actually began in Wisconsin. Here in the capitol of their home state, Little Free Libraries are everywhere, tucked away in quiet, residential neighborhoods and stationed on bustling corners of city streets, ranging from unadorned wooden boxes to complex replicas of their owner’s homes.
Stella’s Bakery moves retail location to Regent Street
Stella's Bakery is moving its retail space to a central location downtown Madison. On Nov. 1, the business will officially open its new brick-and-mortar on Regent Street. “I liked the idea of Regent Street, so I was really thrilled when this came on the market,” says co-owner Jennifer Patrello. The bakery's former retail location on Syene Road will now exclusively operate as a production and distribution center, while the Regent Street storefront will add a cafe concept.
Show some local pride with a Madison-themed costume this Halloween
Dressing up as a witch, zombie or vampire for Halloween is so last October. This year, opt for an unconventional costume with some local flair that honors Madison’s unique culture. Not everyone is sure to “get it,” but those who do — well, they’re true Madisonians. John Nolen Drive construction worker It's a Madison driver's greatest fear: a pack of orange vest-clad construction workers blocking their morning commute.
A nightclub and cocktail bar opens on State Street
State Street's newest addition, Cielo, offers a sleek cocktail bar on the first floor with a space for DJs and dancing above. "We wanted it to be a place where you can get dressed up and go out with your girlfriends and sit at a nice cocktail bar," says owner Susan McKinney, who also owns and operates Sotto Night Club on Henry Street with her two daughters, Carla Ortega and Sean Ortega.
Some 'bloody good' renditions of a classic savory cocktail
Love them or hate them, bloody marys are a staple for weekend tailgates and brunches in the Midwest — particularly here in Wisconsin, where renditions of the savory cocktail are sometimes so loaded with toppings that they could qualify as full meals on their own. Here are 10 renditions at local restaurants that range from classic to completely over the top. Café Hollander Café Hollander claims to know bloody marys so well that its brunch menu features six of them.
These outdoor fall festivals near Madison celebrate the season
When it comes to autumn, Wisconsin is tough to beat, boasting unmatched fall colors, bountiful pumpkin patches and apple orchards, and a blissfully mellow climate. Celebrate the season with these eight festivals, all within driving distance from Madison. Verona (15-minute drive) Among Verona Fall Fest's offerings are a petting farm, hay rides, food trucks, a beer tent and a bonfire to cap off the evening.
Nine Madison eateries to satisfy your hangover hankerings
Sundays — Some University of Wisconsin students choose to spend them productively, rising with the sun and getting a jump on next week’s homework. Some. It’s much more likely you wake up a few minutes shy of noon, brutally hungover and still wearing jeans and sneakers, with 20 missed calls, 50 unread texts, a pounding headache and zero will to live … much less a will to get out of bed.
Food truck brings Norwegian street food to Stoughton
When Kaj Myklatun opened a food truck, called Pota Madre, in his home country of Norway in 2024, he could only dream of one day expanding to seven locations — including one, most recently, in the United States. Myklatun's dream became a reality when Madison resident Pernille Zander tried Pota Madre’s food while visiting family and honeymooning in Norway with her husband, Travis, in May of this year. “When we tasted it, we were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is good.
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend” is tail-wagging pop - for the girls
Singer’s seventh full-length album might not bring anything new to the table, but its high points show Carpenter at her best Categories: September 16, 2025 Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Maybe, but definitely not in one short year. Less than ten months after the release of her smash hit album “Short n’ Sweet,” salacious blonde songstress Sabrina Carpenter announced that her next project, “Man’s Best Friend,” would hit streaming platforms at the end of August.
10 hidden libraries, coffee shops, campus spots for your next study session
Knock out your homework at one of these secret spots September 13, 2025 With the school year kicking off, students are gearing up to spend long hours hunkered down in drab libraries and bustling coffee shops, of which Madison has no shortage … but not all study spots are created equal. Take State Street Colectivo, which, on a Sunday, might as well be the KK on a game day — good luck getting anything done, or a seat for that matter.
9 nearby wineries, vineyards and distilleries to visit this harvest season
Wisconsin might not be the most well-known wine region in the world, but its unique terroir allows for the production of specialized wines that can’t be found anywhere else. With grape harvest season kicking off mid-September, early autumn is peak time to visit some of the state’s expansive vineyards, tour its wineries and taste its homegrown wines, ciders and spirits. Mt. Horeb (25-minute drive) This vineyard’s name isn’t the only thing that’s Italian.
11 new concession items to try at Camp Randall
Football season at Camp Randall is now in full swing, and with it, 11 new concessions items that are anything but standard stadium fare. Badger Bacon Bar Adventurous football fans will revel in this salty-meets-sweet snack: Nueske's bacon dipped in milk chocolate. Badger Dog This Klement's all-beef hot dog is topped with fried onions and hot relish, plus beer-cheese sauce to give it some Wisconsin flair.
6 events and exhibits that celebrate quilting this fall
Quilts are more than just bed coverings — they can be records of history, political statements, works of art and even clothing. This September, Madison is celebrating these multi-layered textiles with plenty of quilt-related events, including a three-day quilting extravaganza, quilting classes and the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture’s first quilt exhibits in over two decades. Alliant Energy Center, Sept.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Elsa
Contact Elsa, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack