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:

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-...

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)

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.

"...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.

"...[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.

"...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. 🐦

"[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.

"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.

"...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?"

"...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.

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.

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.

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...

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 ❤️

@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 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 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.

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!

From @tomkertschernews.bsky.social of @wisconsinwatch.org:

"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.

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. 🌟

"...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.

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." 🎞️

"[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.

"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.

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. 🎶

"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 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.

"...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.

In this month's "Small Bites," @jesseraub.online meticulously meditates on making bread: the process, flour, flavor, time, and place. 🍞

This week - February 12 thru 17 - on Tone Madison! ✨

The past week-plus on Tone Madison: February 2 through 10! ✨

This week on Tone Madison: January 26 through February 1! We featured two stories by new contributors. ✨

This week on Tone Madison: January 19 through 25!

Nicholas R. Wootton's latest experimental short, LIKING THIS ANGLE, finds artistic inspiration in degrees of the edit, writes film section editor @nothingunfinished.bsky.social.

This week on Tone Madison: January 12 through 18!

RIP Hungarian slow-cinema master Béla Tarr. In 2020 and 2023, we published writing by @nothingunfinished.bsky.social and Lewis Peterson on Tarr's enduring works SÁTÁNTANGÓ (1994) and WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES (2000).

This year I took a big step back from the day-to-day at @tonemadison.bsky.social, but my colleagues there have kept up the fight. They’re still publishing adventurous and adversarial journalism. And still, no one else in Madison media is doing anything like it. Please help them meet today’s goal!

tonemadison.com/donate/ We're in the final hours of our year-end fundraising campaign, and there's still $6,800 that we could secure. These are make-or-break funds that will determine how many stories Tone Madison will be able to publish in 2026. Help us "look out for the little guy." 🙏

If today and tomorrow a total of 19 people donate to @tonemadison.bsky.social who have never donated before, we get $1,000 thanks to NewsMatch. If you’ve never donated to Tone, this is the perfect time to start. tonemadison.com/donate/

For today and tomorrow only, our latest local-music compilation, RESOLUTION, is 25% off. That's 30 tracks of demos, alternate takes, rarities, and unreleased material from Madison-connected artists of past and present for just $15. tonemadison.bandcamp.com/album/resolu...

We're in the final stretch of our make-or-break fundraiser. If 22 people donate for the first time, we'll also receive a $1,000 bonus. Help us reach our goal during NewsMatch so our small-but-mighty publication can keep publishing the perspectives you really care about. tonemadison.com/donate/

We only have four days left to unlock $8,400 in matching funds. Tone Madison could unlock a total of $21,000 for journalism that's "full of heart and unafraid to punch up." But we need your help to do it. tonemadison.com/donate/ 🙏

"I implore community members, our elected officials, and those participating in the confidential RFP review process to be critical of any deal that does not return proper value to taxpayers," writes Nick Pjevach, Madison Arts Commission chair, in a guest column.

"The question of honest work in colonial systems and fine arts institutions raises the specter of censorship, particularly of art that is deemed 'political.' But what makes a work of art political or apolitical?" asks Managing Editor @stinadale.bsky.social after a visit to the Trout Museum of Art.

Help Tone Madison continue to be a "vital resource" for film and arts coverage through your donation during NewsMatch. An anonymous local donor has recently offered to match the next $2,500 contributed by our readers. tonemadison.com/donate/

"...Finding balance is all about mastering the layers of flavor being presented." As #doublethegarlic dominates social media, @jesseraub.bsky.social consults with local chefs and experts about reevaluating and preparing your recipes in this month's "Small Bites."

Despite public hesitancy, @wisdot.bsky.social wants an additional lane to stem congestion on 20 miles of the Beltline between West and South Madison. News and Politics Editor Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez reports.

This year we've... • Questioned how local governments allocate resources by pointing out the impacts on the most vulnerable. • Interrogated the narratives that lead to harmful economic policies. • Championed the perspectives of workers and organized labor. tonemadison.com/donate/ 🙏