Welcome to arts heaven Dean Robbins, who steered Isthmus’ cultural coverage for more than two decades, looks back on ‘arts-critic heaven.’

Happy 50th anniversary to @isthmusmadison.bsky.social, one of the country’s best alternative weeklies. Before my six-year stint as editor in chief, I spent two decades as arts editor, wrangling a crew of individualists who obsessed over every dazzling sentence.

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You Are a Star, Martin Luther King Jr. | The Scholastic Parent Store It's Martin Luther King, Jr., like you've never seen him before!Using a unique mix of first-person narrative, hilarious comic panels, and essential facts, Dean Robbins introduces young readers to a tr...

Happy birthday to MLK! My Scholastic children's book YOU ARE A STAR, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. strives to combine emotional storytelling and humor, with sidebars and two-panel comics that feature anecdotes not included in other picture-book biographies.

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Happy birthday to theatrical legend André De Shields. My essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS shows how counterculture productions in 1960s Madison helped launch De Shields’ Tony- and Emmy-winning acting career.

Wisconsin Idols: 100 Heroes Who Changed the State, the World, and Me | Dean Robbins Wisconsin Historical Society Press (April 1, 2025) This essay collection for adult readers offers a personal perspective on dozens of legendary figures with often surprising connections to Wisconsin, ...

For the Wisconsin-curious on your holiday gift list...?

deanrobbins.net/wisconsin-id...

Thanks for including MAMBO MUCHO MAMBO, @kidsbookaday.bsky.social!

The lives of Ann Landers and Dear Abby in Eau Claire Two of the worlds most famous advice columnists, who were twins and rivals, spent a decade in the 1950s in Eau Claire before making it big.

WQOW News 18 interviewed me about Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren, the twin-sister advice columnists who spent a crucial decade in Eau Claire. I included a chapter on their intense love-hate relationship in my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS.

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Such fun last weekend presenting my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS at the Wisconsin Book Festival! I loved seeing old friends and meeting new ones at the Wisconsin Historical Society auditorium, with expert support from the @whspress.bsky.social.

Wisconsin Trained Actress Carrie Coon! YouTube video by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

.@carriecoon.bsky.social enrolled in a theater program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a lark, regarding acting as an impractical career. See how it all worked out for her in my book WISCONSIN IDOLS: 100 HEROES WHO CHANGED THE STATE, THE WORLD, AND ME.

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Chris Farley's Wisconsin Roots YouTube video by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

Chris Farley crushed the audition for a Madison improv troupe with a shocking bit of physical comedy—the turning point in his rise to stardom, as you learn in my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS: 100 HEROES WHO CHANGED THE STATE, THE WORLD, AND ME.

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¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! The Dance That Crossed Color Lines - Candlewick Press “The Spanish text is both conversational and informative, liberally using such words as ‘giraban,’ ‘vibraban,’ and ‘meneaba,’ which will allow...

My picture book MAMBO MUCHO MAMBO!: THE DANCE THAT CROSSED COLOR LINES (@candlewickpress.bsky.social) is now out in paperback, in both English and Spanish. It’s the story of a barrier-breaking dance and musical style that helped spark the civil right movement.

www.candlewick.com/978153624687...

Southeast Wisconsin friends, please join me at Franklin Public Library for a presentation on my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS: Thurs, Sept 18, 6:30 pm. Here's a chance to discover heroic role models at a time when we desperately need a few.

www.franklinpubliclibrary.org/en-us/events...

Gwen Jorgensen - Wisconsin Idols YouTube video by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

Gwen Jorgensen planned to spend her life as an accountant, but an unexpected turn set her on the path to Olympic gold in triathlon. Read all about it in my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS: 100 HEROES WHO CHANGED THE STATE, THE WORLD, AND ME (@whspress.bsky.social).

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Edna Ferber's Birthday YouTube video by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

Edna Ferber’s novels connected with American readers as sexual politics evolved in the early 20th century. In my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS, you learn that Ferber’s writing career almost went up in flames in an Appleton, Wisconsin, furnace.

@whspress.bsky.social
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The Miracle of Apollo 13 | On Wisconsin How Jim Lovell x'50 pulled off NASA’s most daring recovery.

RIP Jim Lovell, who pulled off one of the most daring recoveries in the annals of aviation during the Apollo 13 mission. I had a chance to interview the pioneering astronaut for a magazine article and included him in my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS.
onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/the-miracle-...

‪@joycecaroloates.bsky.social‬

Madison’s Walk of Fame with Author Dean Robbins YouTube video by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

Join me on a tour of ordinary spots where truly extraordinary things happened, based on my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS. See little-known places associated with Elvis Presley, Nirvana, Joni Mitchell, Chris Farley, Joyce Carol Oates and more.

@whspress.bsky.social
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Southeast Wisconsin friends, please join me at the Oconomowoc library for a presentation on my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS, hosted by Books & Company: Tuesday, July 29, 6 pm. I’ll tell little-known tales of heroic figures with surprising Wisconsin connections.

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Duke Ellington - Wisconsin Idols YouTube video by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

Jazz genius Duke Ellington had one of the greatest experiences of his life in Wisconsin, and he wrote a composition called "Uwis" as a way of thanking the state and its people. This video is based on an essay from my book WISCONSIN IDOLS (@whspress.bsky.social).

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Wisconsin Book of the Month: Who's included in this list of 100 'Wisconsin Idols'? In "Wisconsin Idols," Dean Robbins appreciates 100 artists, thinkers and pioneers who had some impact on the state or himself.

Thanks to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and @jhiggy.bsky.social for choosing my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS as the Book of the Month!

www.jsonline.com/story/life/2...

@tavaresbooks.bsky.social

A lovely review of THE SHAPE OF THINGS: HOW MAPMAKERS PICTURE OUR WORLD in the News Tribune: "a great introduction to maps for young readers that would make an excellent supplementary text for teachers working on geography units."

@aaknopf.bsky.social
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Madison friends, join me for a talk about my book WISCONSIN IDOLS on Tues, June 24, at the Wisconsin Historical Society's History Maker Space: U.S. Bank Plaza, 1 S. Pinckney St, 12:30 pm. I’ll discuss heroic figures with often surprising connections to the state, including Oprah and Elvis.

Thank you @vpalmquist.bsky.social!

Opinion | We have met our heroes, and they are us In a nation starved for heroes, I found that examples of ordinary people doing heroic things abound right here in Wisconsin.

How to find hope in seemingly hopeless times? Here’s an idea from my guest column in the @captimes.com, inspired by my book WISCONSIN IDOLS: tour the places associated with heroic figures in your state. I tried it in Wisconsin, communing with dozens of brave souls.

captimes.com/opinion/gues...

Local author shares his 'Wisconsin Idols' When you're out walking, do you ever wonder, 'who was here before me?' Dean Robbins has asked and answered that question. Even the most seemingly uninspiring se

Fox47 News came by to discuss my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS and my lifelong obsession with heroic figures. If you ever wondered what I look like in a Superman costume, click here.

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My book WISCONSIN IDOLS includes an essay on the Beatles' memorable 1964 appearance in Milwaukee. In a peak moment of my Beatle-loving life, the book rose to #5 on Amazon in the category of “The Beatles.” Didn’t last long, but I’ll gaze at this screenshot till the day I die.

Dean Robbins career in Wisconsin. #Shorts #YouTubeShorts YouTube video by LookForwardWI

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is featuring me in its #LookForwardWI campaign, which promotes the joys of living in the state. In a series of videos, I discuss my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS and my life as a writer.

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Madison-based author publishes book called ’Wisconsin Idols’ A Madison-based author just published a new book about one hundred prominent figures who have left their mark on Wisconsin and beyond.

Thanks to @wmtv15news.com for the chance to discuss Oprah Winfrey, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and other iconic figures featured in my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS: 100 HEROES WHO CHANGED THE STATE, THE WORLD, AND ME.

www.wmtv15news.com/video/2025/0...

For my presentation on WISCONSIN IDOLS at last weekend's Ridges and Rivers Book Festival, I read my essay on Elvis Presley’s “Last Miracle.” At the end of his life, Elvis regained his mojo long enough to dramatically stop a fight at a Madison gas station.

At Milwaukee’s Boswell Book Company, I shared little-known stories about Harrison Ford, Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey and Ann Landers in a presentation for my essay collection WISCONSIN IDOLS: 100 HEROES WHO CHANGED THE STATE, THE WORLD, AND ME. A lovely crowd of fellow hero-worshippers!