Human Powered
A podcast from Wisconsin Humanities, because being human is a shared experience, and we are here to explore it together. Join us for relevant and personal conversations with people who are using their passions, skills, and cultural traditions to create healthy civic spaces for all of us.
Season four is hosted by Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker, with audio production by Chrissy Widmayer.
Human Powered
Human Powered: In Conversation with Jimmy Gutierrez
It is August of 2025 and record rainfall has caused catastrophic flash flooding in Milwaukee. Hosts Jessica Becker and Jen Rubin sit down with Milwaukee journalist and former Human Powered host Jimmy Gutierrez to talk about the crucial role of the humanities in moments like these. Gutierrez, who joined the Wisconsin Humanities board earlier this year, as the organization planned for survival after devastating cuts to staff and programs in April 2025, suggests that the word humanities is a limiting word for an expansive idea. He believes that collective knowledge and collective history are built on stories, and that stories are fundamental for how we make sense of the world. “The power,” Gutierrez says, “ is to shine a light” in ways that inspire action. He is excited about Wisconsin Humanities’ upcoming Listening Sessions in communities around the state – local convenings to learn what’s happening, what’s working, and what’s needed – and the role the humanities will play in shaping the future.
Additional Links to check out:
→ Human Powered: The Power of Experience (Season 1) shares stories from people who experienced the flooding in Wisconsin’s Driftless region firsthand, from farmers to firefighters, all part of a project organized by the Driftless Writing Center that received WH grant funding.
→ 'We're not FEMA, we're just brothers from Milwaukee': Meet the men helping with free flood cleanup”, a story produced by Jimmy Gutierrez for WUWM 89.7, Milwaukee’s NPR station, on August 12, 2025.
