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”Brew View – Hold Fast Brewing
Meet Hold Fast Brewing, one of a few Springfield breweries featured in my book Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers: A Social History of Brewing in Missouri (Fall 2025).
Continue reading “Brew View – Hold Fast Brewing”Writer’s Notebook: January 2025 – Intuitive Writing
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: 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”