Writing isn’t always an intuitive process, especially when working on my current book Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers.
Continue reading “Writer’s Notebook: January 2025 – Intuitive Writing”Writer’s Notebook: January 2025 – Intuitive Writing
Writer’s Notebook: December 2024
A brief update on writing my fifth book, Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers: A Social History of Beer in Missouri.
Continue reading “Writer’s Notebook: December 2024”Ten Years Later on the KC Ale Trail
Reflections on writing and publishing KC Ale Trail a decade ago.
Continue reading “Ten Years Later on the KC Ale Trail”Gloves and Glory: The Life of Triple Crown Champion Henry Armstrong and the Mystery of Henry Armstrong Beer
A literary reading and Vine Street Brewing beer release event highlighting St. Louis boxer Henry Armstrong
Continue reading “Gloves and Glory: The Life of Triple Crown Champion Henry Armstrong and the Mystery of Henry Armstrong Beer”Balancing Artful Storytelling and Historical Interpretation
Seeing The Story in History
“Our task is not to find the maximum amount of content in a work of art,” Susan Sontag wrote in her 1964 work, Against Interpretation and Other Essays. “Our task is to cut back content so that we can see the thing at all.”
Maria Popova, the brilliant writer behind The Marginalian, explored Sontag’s line of thought regarding art and content, criticism and interpretation. Popova’s examination and Sontag’s words prompted thoughts about how I’m researching and writing about history. Bear with me as I follow Popova and Sontag, leading to thoughts about my work on Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers: A Social History of Beer in Missouri.