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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”
“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.
I’ll be at this year’s Lit on Grand at Afterword Tavern & Shelves on Saturday, October 12. Also catch me at the Heartland Book Fest that morning.
Continue reading “Upcoming October 2024 Events and Appearances”
Literary Landscapes editor Dr. Andy Oler nominated my essay about Miriam Davis Colt for Best of The Net.
Continue reading “Best of The Net Nomination”
Order the latest issue #16 of The New Territory or better yet, sign up for a subscription! This issue contains my Literary Landscapes essay about Miriam Davis Colt and the Vegetarian Settlement Company. The failed settlement of Octagon City once existed in Allen County, Kansas. Based on Colt’s travels and my own immigrant mother’s journey, I reflected on what we choose to carry and what to leave behind.
Continue reading “Now Available: The New Territory, Issue 16”