Staff Reports
In a city where craft beer fests have attracted thousands in recent years, Bill Riley figures to carry an interesting message in his free presentation at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Bartholomew County Public Library.
Riley will speak on “Something’s Brewing: What Craft Beer Can Teach Us About Creative Placemaking in Indiana,” offering insights into urban, suburban and rural dynamics in the Hoosier state, according to organizers.
Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces, according to online sources. Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well-being.
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The talk will be held in the Red Room of the library, 536 Fifth St. in downtown Columbus.
Riley understandably believes that beer brings people together, which is what many of the attendees of both the Columbus Craft Beer Fest and the local Corn Maze Beer Fest have said. As Riley sees it, craft beers mix what Riley calls “high and low culture” to appeal to a wide variety of people.
It doesn’t matter if a community is urban, suburban, or rural — as communities consider creative placemaking efforts, thinking about what local craft breweries do similarly can unlock new ideas for community growth.
By focusing on the18th Street Brewery in Gary and the Big Woods Brewery in Nashville and Terre Haute, Riley’s talk will reveal what urban, rural, and suburban areas can learn about creative placemaking from local craft breweries and how these lessons can be applied to any community revitalization effort.
Bartholomew County Public Library is one of 24 organizations across the state selected by Indiana Humanities to host a Hoosier scholar such as Riley. He is a professor of English at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, where he directs the professional writing major. He attended DePauw University and earned a master’s in fine arts in creative writing from the Ohio State University.
His book, “The Milan Miracle: The Town that Hoosiers Left Behind,” won bronze in the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards. He is at work on a second book, “Beer Run: 12 Great Midwestern Beer Trips.” He writes a monthly craft beer column and routinely presents at academic conferences on the intersection of beer and culture.
The Indiana Humanities INseparable Speakers Bureau of which Riley is a part is a curated list of informative presentations, discussions and workshops by Indiana scholars to help Hoosiers understand and talk about urban, suburban and rural differences.
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Who: Writer and professor Bill Riley speaking on "Something’s Brewing: What Craft Beer Can Teach Us About Creative Placemaking in Indiana," offering insights into urban, suburban and rural dynamics in the Hoosier state, according to organizers.
When: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8
Where: Red Room of the Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St. in downtown Columbus.
Admission: Free.
Information: 812-379-1266 or mybcpl.org
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