Vine Street Brewing hosted its Second Annual “Women in Beer” event in late March 2025 with an all-star roster of guests. Several women shaping the beer industry in Kansas City, Missouri, and nationally participated in a panel discussion. They shared their entry point into the beer industry, experiences, insights, and advice for other women in the beer industry.
Continue reading “Women in Beer Industry Share Insights”Beyond the Smile of Jeremiah Grider
Inside the Goetz Museum and historic Pony Bar, a beer charger displays the image of a Black man with a wide smile missing some teeth. The charger, a promotional tin litho wall hanging, bears the caption “Jerry’s Smile.” Not mentioned by his full name, Jeremiah Grider had a fascinating life story far more complex than the newspaper accounts published about him.
Continue reading “Beyond the Smile of Jeremiah Grider”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.