If you have been donating to @tonemadison.bsky.social and want some other ideas for supporting good writing/art/journalism with your money, I have some suggestions for you, including ongoing projects from some of Tone’s wonderful freelancers:
Tone Madison
@tonemadison.bsky.social
Fiercely independent coverage of arts, culture, and politics in Madison, Wisconsin, that was worker-owned and reader-supported. 2014–2026. Archive available at tonemadison.com
in my last true piece for Tone, I—maybe most appropriately—connected with an artist who has significant ties to my home state of Pennsylvania. highly recommend making it to at least one of the Midwest Video Poetry Fest programs this Saturday at Art Lit Lab artlitlab.org/events/2026-...
Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 7mo ago"...[Anne] Ciecko determinedly forges her own path through multimedia, and packs in a staggering amount of history in not only her vivid diction but in affectionate, architectural-focused footage around the rust belt city," writes Arts Editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social.
my final story for tone madison is about my favorite semi-niche hobby and the coolest guy to do it with in wisconsin! (he's been leading weekly walks, which i like to call "the berghain of birding," for around 13 years)
Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 7mo ago"...Even in the winter on particularly birdless days, [Henrikson] enjoys looking at the patterns that ice crystals form and seeing if he can conjure birds in their shapes," writes @manateemailbox.bsky.social. 🐦
In our final Microtones, current and former editors—@scottgordonwi.bsky.social, @stinadale.bsky.social, @stevenmps.bsky.social, @nothingunfinished.bsky.social, Oona Mackesey-Green, and Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez—reflect on Tone Madison's life and legacy. Thanks for reading, 2014–2026.
The meanings of Tone Madison
Current and former editors reflect on the publication's life and legacy.
tonemadison.com
"...If you have a network, bring them together, then tell them to bring their friends. Have an open door, be inclusive, and you're gonna end up just building something before your very eyes, before you even really know it," Porch Flowers player and arts organizer Evan Fernandez tells Aaron Grych.
Creating a music community on the isthmus with "Evan's style"
Musician and arts organizer Evan Fernandez discusses the importance of managing the HQ practice space for local bands and his own ensemble, The Porch Flowers.
tonemadison.com
"...[Anne] Ciecko determinedly forges her own path through multimedia, and packs in a staggering amount of history in not only her vivid diction but in affectionate, architectural-focused footage around the rust belt city," writes Arts Editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social.
"Limerent Pittsburgh" intricately constructs a folkloric affection of place
Artist Anne Ciecko's 2025 videopoem is a highlight among the 30 selections of this year's Midwest Video Poetry Fest at ALL on April 4.
tonemadison.com
"...Even in the winter on particularly birdless days, [Henrikson] enjoys looking at the patterns that ice crystals form and seeing if he can conjure birds in their shapes," writes @manateemailbox.bsky.social. 🐦
Good birding in all seasons with the storied Charles "Chuck" Henrikson
The retired lecturer and winsome ornithologist has been coordinating Tuesday birder hikes at the Arboretum for well over a decade.
tonemadison.com
"[Lea Jacobs' JOHN FORD AT WORK is] rich in behind-the-scenes details, rigorous in frame-by-frame analyses, and readable with a strong, articulate voice that paints a vivid historical picture and line of thinking to guide the readers through the many elements at work in the films," writes Lance Li.
Lea Jacobs sheds new light on an old master in "John Ford At Work"
The UW Professor Emeritus' new book on the storied American director coincides with a five-film UW Cinematheque series this spring.
tonemadison.com
"It's easy to build a great food culture in [Madison] just by going out more often, especially during non-peak hours.... One small change in dining habits would have a massive impact," writes @jesseraub.online in his final "Small Bites" column.
Small Bites: How I would fix Madison dining
Going out on Sundays and other thoughts on building a more sustainable food city.
tonemadison.com
"...This is a challenge that really interests me as a filmmaker: of 'empty space' or the question about whether or not the camera and its mere presence in space can index a historical trace or the latency or the presence of a ghost past. Can that be transmitted purely by the presence of the camera?"
Inspiriting radical communal aspirations: an interview with Ben Balcom on "The Phalanx"
The Milwaukee filmmaker's latest experimental short premieres locally at the Chazen Museum during the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival on April 12.
tonemadison.com
"...Lisa Low's REPLICA, after all, is a book of reconciliations: between who society expects us to be and who we are; between what our love looks like to others and what it really is; between the need to justify our existence and letting our defiance speak for itself," writes @rmbanting.bsky.social.
Lisa Low's "Replica" grapples with racial alienation and whiteness
Moving from childhood to adulthood, the author's new poetry collection confronts and reconciles expectations in order to live authentically.
tonemadison.com
A huge loss to Madison and local journalism. Tone has been an amazing source of impactful and insightful local journalism for over a decade, an an important voice in Madison politics and culture. I'm hugely grateful for the work they produced. It will be sorely missed.
Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 7mo agoTone Madison is saying goodbye on April 3. Though we're sad, we're also grateful. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be proud to bring you a few more fiercely independent stories on local arts, culture, and politics.
great local publication that I am gutted to see go. we should all be so lucky to have the kind of coverage everyone over there was able to provide.
Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 7mo agoTone Madison is saying goodbye on April 3. Though we're sad, we're also grateful. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be proud to bring you a few more fiercely independent stories on local arts, culture, and politics.
my favorite tone work i did was this four-part, seasonal series on dane county's oak savannas. I love oak savannas tonemadison.com/series-colum...
A Year On The Oak Savanna Archives – Tone Madison
A four-part series tracing a year in the life of Dane County’s oak savanna restoration projects.
tonemadison.com
Thank you @tonemadison.bsky.social and especially editors @stinadale.bsky.social & @scottgordonwi.bsky.social for working with me these past two years, with a lot of patience and flexibility, to publish more of my writing (7!) than any single news outlet. I will miss working with this publication ❤️
Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 7mo agoTone Madison is saying goodbye on April 3. Though we're sad, we're also grateful. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be proud to bring you a few more fiercely independent stories on local arts, culture, and politics.
@tonemadison.bsky.social did the damn thing and they did it on their terms. That's very difficult, especially now. I'm sad to read this, but everyone over there deserves congratulations and respect for doing what they did, how they did it.
Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 7mo agoTone Madison is saying goodbye on April 3. Though we're sad, we're also grateful. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be proud to bring you a few more fiercely independent stories on local arts, culture, and politics.
Tone was one of those things I'd point to when I'd talk about Madison and say "it's a city that punches way above its weight class" a real Lion of a publication that made me proud to live there. Scott created a small miracle that defined the kind of character Madison has at its best.
Tone Madison@tonemadison.bsky.social · 7mo agoTone Madison is saying goodbye on April 3. Though we're sad, we're also grateful. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be proud to bring you a few more fiercely independent stories on local arts, culture, and politics.
Tone Madison is saying goodbye on April 3. Though we're sad, we're also grateful. Over the next couple weeks, we'll be proud to bring you a few more fiercely independent stories on local arts, culture, and politics.
Tone Madison is saying goodbye
We are sad, but grateful too.
tonemadison.com
Sad to hear @tonemadison.bsky.social is closing up shop, but appreciate the years of hard work from all the great folks involved. They’ve been a unique and truly “progressive” voice (in a town that often doesn’t meet the meaning of that label). Don’t take your local independent media for granted!
"A Taylor win would prevent conservatives from flipping the court until at least the end of this decade... as Wisconsin faces continued legal debates on elections, abortion, labor, and the role courts should play in overseeing immigration enforcement," writes @burness.bsky.social for @boltsmag.org.
Eyeing voting rights, liberals aim to secure Wisconsin Supreme Court through 2030
In the April election, Wisconsin liberals are hoping to expand their majority on a body that could be a critical backstop for voting rights during the next presidential race.
tonemadison.com
Join us and Madison Music Radar tonight at 8 p.m. at Gamma Ray Bar for a "Rising Artist Showcase"—featuring Bloodroots, Alewives, Sapsucker, and Dicot! All proceeds will benefit a Minneapolis rent relief fund. 🌟
Madison Rising Artist Showcase, presented by Madison Music Radar and Tone Madison w/ Bloodroots, Alewives, Sapsucker and Dicot | Gamma Ray Bar
gammaray.bar
"...The only surveillance we need to keep each other safe is community surveillance on these technologies to ensure residents are informed of their presence," writes News and Politics Editor Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez in today's Microtones.
Police surveillance technology needs proper accountability
Grassroots resistance against Flock cameras are writing the blueprint for comprehensive reform.
tonemadison.com
Arts Editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social introduces our extended preview of the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival (April 9 through 16): "...May your experience offer a hopeful pleasure that reminds you of the potential for better days, and the collaborative power of art through community." 🎞️
Continuity and expressive experimentation in the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival
Eight writers share their initial insights on the eight-day extravaganza, April 9 through 16, across UW campus and Madison.
tonemadison.com
"[mk zariel's] BOY APPARITION is a collection that breaks wide open everything we think to be true and provides us with curious and daring alternatives," writes @rmbanting.bsky.social.
"Boy Apparition" finds queer liberation by challenging normative constructions of masculinity
mk zariel's chapbook coaxes us to the edges of our imaginations, and is infused with the undercurrent of love that is necessary to keep going.
tonemadison.com
"Running for local office should be an accessible entry point into politics, one where forging relationships with your neighbors and understanding your community matter more than working more formalized political connections," writes @scottgordonwi.bsky.social in today's Microtones.
Don't shrink the Common Council and County Board
Madison needs more representation, not less.
tonemadison.com
New contributor and Madison Music Radar founder Aaron Grych rounds up five of his favorite local music releases (songs and projects) from January and February 2026. Grych's picks include @alewives.bsky.social, Cause and Control, Worms for Sale, Sandhill Strangers, and Hush Now, Sweet Halo. 🎶
Madison acts rivetingly ring in 2026
Five local bands offer new songs and projects, and capture a hopeful feeling in the new year.
tonemadison.com
"Film has been a pivotal way for me to learn about Cuba," says programmer Victoria Gutierrez. Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez details the new Cine Cubano series at The Cardinal Bar as well as the venue's sustaining connections to the island nation. The next screenings are on Sunday, March 8. 🎞️
The Cardinal Bar's Cuban film series invites local support for Madison sister city
Cine Cubano bridges interest in Cuban cinema with the cultural exchange and aid mission of the Madison-Camagüey Sister City Association.
tonemadison.com
"...The dream of the inexpensive starter home is not compatible with our economic reality, but a starter apartment under $200,000? That's more realistic," writes Managing Editor @stinadale.bsky.social in our latest Microtones.
Starter homes? No, we need starter apartments
As homeownership continues to be out of reach for too many Madisonians, we should build more owner-occupied, multi-family housing.
tonemadison.com
"...All people, children and adults, are the arbiters of their own bodies and should not be forced into a box to fit someone else's design," writes @anodynerhyme.bsky.social.
The federal war on trans healthcare mirrors that of abortion
Hospitals are folding to anti-trans hate, but the community continues to advocate for trans youth.
tonemadison.com