A Tour of the Kansas Beer Industry Breweries in the state of Kansas are opening at a fast pace, in communities from Council Grove to Olathe. As the industry grows, the opportunities for craft beer fans to enjoy the communities and beer abound. Check out Ryan Triggs and Nick Feightner at Tall Trellis Brew Co. where you can enjoy a pint while sitting next to hop bines. Visit Fields & Ivy Brewery, the only brewery in the state with an active grain silo. Author Michael Travis traveled for a year and visited every brewery, capturing the heartbeat and story behind the owners and head brewers who make the magic happen.
Set out with a true aficionado and affable guide to sample a dizzying array of beverages made in America's heartland. Expedition of Thirst maps routes that crisscross eastern Kansas and western Missouri, with stops at some 150 breweries, wineries, and distilleries along the way. Pete Dulin, a seasoned writer on the subject, explains how and why these businesses produce beer, wine, and spirits tied to regional terroir and represent the flavors of the Midwest from the Flint Hills to the Ozarks. More than a travel guide, his book is a cultural journal exploring the people, places, and craft that make each destination distinct and noteworthy. Dulin shares the stories of many of these brewers, winemakers, and distillers in their own words. Expedition of Thirst captures the character of the small business owners and makers and offers insight about their craft. For good measure, Dulin delves into the history, culture, and geography that have shaped these producers and their practices, from the impact of Prohibition to the early influence of immigrant winemakers and brewers, regional agriculture, and politics. As informative as it is engaging—even intoxicating—his Expedition is sure to work up readers' thirst to travel and discover firsthand the singular regional pleasures so richly described in these pages.
Why are some companies able to generate committed, long-term customers while others struggle to stay afloat? Why do the employees of some organizations fully dedicate themselves while others punch the clock without enthusiasm? By studying the ins and outs of companies that enjoy extraordinary loyalty from customers and employees, John Jantsch reveals the systematic path to discovering and generating genuine commitment. Jantsch's approach is built on three foundational planks, which he calls the clarity path, the culture patron, and the customer promise. He draws on his own experiences and shares true stories from businesses like Threadless, Evernote, and Warby Parker. His strategies include these: Build your company around a purpose. People commit to companies and stories that have a simple, straightforward purpose. Understand that culture equals brand. Build your business as a brand that employees and customers will support. Lead by telling great stories. You can't attract the right people or get them to commit without telling a story about why you do what you do. Treat your staff as your customer. A healthy customer community is the natural result of a healthy internal culture. Serve customers you respect. It's hard to have an authentic relationship with people you don't know, like, or trust. As Jantsch says, "Have you ever encountered a business where everything felt effortless? The experience was perfect, and the products, people, and brand worked together gracefully. You made an odd request; it was greeted with a smile. You went to try a new feature; it was right where it should be. You walked in, sat down, and felt right at home. . . . Businesses that run so smoothly as to seem self-managed aren't normal. In fact, they are terribly counterintuitive, but terribly simple as it turns out." As a follow-up to The Referral Engine, this is about more than just establishing leads- it's about building a fully alive business that attracts customers for life.
In this candid autobiography that seamlessly incorporates political philosophy, the life story of Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sylvester "Sly" James is told in a fast-paced, entertaining, informative, and authentic style. Elected to the mayor's office in 2011 as a political outsider, James immediately made his mark with his unflinching candor. That tone carries over to this book, as James holds nothing back when detailing the life experiences that shape his core values and beliefs. James strongly believes the only government that runs efficiently is local government, and he details how politics on the civic level should be implemented on the state and federal stages. Although he was elected in a nonpartisan process, James reveals his strong and reasoned political leanings. A fierce advocate for children, James has targeted reading proficiency for third graders as a benchmark for success in later life. Consistent with this, Education is the first of the "4 E Agenda" he created as mayor, along with Employment, Efficiency, and Enforcement. The product of all-black neighborhoods, James always felt comfortable interacting with people different from himself--whether it be in forms of race, religion, ethnicity, or beliefs. In an era when segregation was still the norm, James attended a predominantly-white Catholic high school, was the sole black member in a rock band, and later entered into a mixed-race marriage. When he became the first black lawyer for a prestigious Kansas City law firm, James immediately thrived by showcasing his intelligence and work ethic. Along with his service during the Vietnam War era, these experiences laid the foundation for James to become mayor of a city that still bears the signs of an unofficially-segregated past. When he won re-election to the office in 2015 with an amazing 87 percent of the vote, it was a crystal clear indication that James is first and foremost a unifier of the people. A Passion For Purpose serves not just as the title of this revealing and perceptive book, but also as the mantra by which Sly James based his tenure as mayor--and his life.
Wichita, aka “Doo-Dah,” is a midsize city with attractions that easily rival the nation’s largest metropolises in entertainment value. Fun awaits for all who come to discover it! 100 Things to Do in Wichita Before You Die is a bucket-list book filled cover to cover with timeless destinations and lesser known places. Dig into the burgeoning arts scene with tips for the First Friday Gallery Crawl or the Tallgrass Film Festival. Find out the story behind the 44-foot-tall Keeper of the Plains statue in downtown. Root, root, root for the home team, the Wichita Wind Surge at Riverfront Stadium. Outdoor activities, delicious dining, shopping, concerts, and a thriving arts scene scratch the surface. As they say, “Wichita is what you make it,” and around every corner is an experience waiting for you. Wichita native and travel writer Vanessa Whiteside is your personal guide to her favorite places in her much beloved hometown. Crack the spine on this book and choose an adventure in the city!
An evocative, gorgeous four-season look at cooking in Maine, with 100 recipes No one can bring small-town America to life better than a native. Erin French grew up in Freedom, Maine (population 719), helping her father at the griddle in his diner. An entirely self-taught cook who used cookbooks to form her culinary education, she now helms her restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, in a historic mill in the same town, creating meals that draw locals and visitors from around the world to a dining room that feels like an extension of her home kitchen. The food has been called “brilliant in its simplicity and honesty” by Food & Wine, and it is exactly this pure approach that makes Erin’s cooking so appealing—and so easy to embrace at home. This stunning giftable package features a vellum jacket over a printed cover.
“Aven is a perky, hilarious, and inspiring protagonist whose attitude and humor will linger even after the last page has turned.” —School Library Journal (Starred review) Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again. Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms. Autumn 2017 Kids’ Indie Next Pick Junior Library Guild Selection Library of Congress's 52 Great Reads List 2018
At the close of the eighteenth century, Erasmus Darwin declared that he would 'enlist the imagination under the banner of science,' beginning, Michael Page argues, a literary narrative on questions of evolution, ecology, and technological progress that would extend from the Romantic through the Victorian periods. Examining the interchange between emerging scientific ideas-specifically evolution and ecology-new technologies, and literature in nineteenth-century Britain, Page shows how British writers from Darwin to H.G. Wells confronted the burgeoning expansion of scientific knowledge that was radically redefining human understanding and experience of the natural world, of human species, and of the self. The wide range of authors covered in Page's ambitious study permits him to explore an impressive array of topics that include the role of the Romantic era in the molding of scientific and cultural perspectives; the engagement of William Wordsworth and Percy Shelley with questions raised by contemporary science; Mary Shelley's conflicted views on the unfolding prospects of modernity; and how Victorian writers like Charles Kingsley, Samuel Butler, and W.H. Hudson responded to the implications of evolutionary theory. Page concludes with the scientific romances of H.G. Wells, to demonstrate how evolutionary fantasies reached the pinnacle of synthesis between evolutionary science and the imagination at the close of the century.
