• From 2008 to 2021 Jason A. Smith was the associate director of the Wisconsin Academy and editor of its quarterly magazine of Wisconsin thought and culture, Wisconsin People & Ideas. He is an editor and nonprofit communications professional with many years of experience crafting compelling stories and translating complex ideas for diverse audiences. Before joining the Wisconsin Academy in 2008, Jason was the managing editor of The Common Review, the quarterly magazine of the Great Books Foundation, where he also developed anthologies for adult reading groups. While in Chicago, Jason worked with Chicago Public Schools to pilot a reflective reading course for their system-wide service learning program. Jason has nearly twenty years of experience in the publishing and nonprofit sectors, and has advised on a number of publications by the American Library Association and the Project on Civic Reflection at Valparaiso University. He lives in Monona with his wife and two kids.

Magazine Article

Bars

It might surprise some of the readers of this magazine to learn that I have spent the night in jail. No, this wasn’t a field trip to look for ghosts on Alcatraz... Read more.
Magazine Article

72 Rays

A lot of folks have asked me what the wheel spoke-like emblem on our Wisconsin Academy logo and Wisconsin People & Ideas masthead represents. For those of you... Read more.
Magazine Article

Civic Elevation

Spring is in the air and the election season is upon us here in Wisconsin. Across the state, citizens turn out in droves to fulfill what is known as perhaps the... Read more.