Kelly Brown

**note: sorry ya'll. this monday musings post didn't make it out yesterday. had a bit of a crisis I needed to take care of. here it is. enjoy!

music - tess & dave

This album is such a hit. It's so slamming. You probably don't know that Tess and Dave exist, (I didn't) but if you plan on attending a Father John Misty concert in the near future you might have the honor of watching them perform live. They're awesome. 

Tess & Dave by Tess & Dave

article - entitled? try empowered by scott hess - featured in adweek

I think this article is important. Mostly because I think a change in workforce culture is necessary and I witness it every day at my current job. There is a distinct divide between the gen x workers and millennials. It's no longer a question of if millennials are lazy (they're not) it's rather a discussion of how do we change our workplace to fit the new ways millennials work. Read the article to learn more.. 

photos - 3 glasses later by marcus alberti

An article with the headline "Watch what happens to these people after three glasses of wine" has probably appeared on your social newsfeed over the past few days. I think that's lame, but I don't think this project is. I actually think it's funny and beautiful. I love wine and I enjoy the way it relaxes me after one glass at the end of a hard day. I love a smooth, full-bodied cabernet or a spicy light pinot grigio. Check out the entire series. You can't help but smile. I think the photo below closely resembles what I'd look like after three glasses:

quote - miranda july from it chooses you

If you know me, you know I love Brewery Vivant. I take that back. I don't just love Vivant, I adore them. I cherish them. I'm passionate about who they are, what they do and especially what they brew. For anyone who thinks that Founders is the master brewery in Grand Rapids...I'm sorry, you are wrong. 

To start, Vivant appears seemingly normal on the outside. A brown building, some steps, some outdoor seating...but poke your head inside and you'll discover the magic of long oak picnic tables, hidden pews for groups of two, and tall, wood mounted ceilings hovering over it all. 

Now that you're inside you're probably wondering what the heck you smell? It's amazing, isn't it? That's the smell of Vivant's kitchen and you won't get it anywhere else. Be warned, it tends to linger in your clothes and hair. If you're like me, you'll love that part. 

Vivant is straight-up Belgian. Their fries...unbeatable. That burger, come on? The rest of the food, impeccable. You get it. Let's move onto the important part...beer. 

Brewery Vivant does beer better than anyone else. It's that simple. Their mainstays, Undertaker, Big Red Coq, Farm Hand and Triomphe are all great in their own regards. In fact, Undertaker still remains one of my favorite beers of all time. Especially when it's barrel-aged into a sour...ON MY FRICKEN BIRTHDAY. Or, you know, thrown into cake batter and served to me by surprise (thnx Caleb). 

Some other tap rotation favorites - Wizard Burial Ground, Fussy Dutchman, Saison Vivant, Barrel Weiss, Plough Horse, Solitude (YAS), Pepper in the Rye and, like, 50 others. Pro tip: always ask what the barrell aged and firkin of the day are before you order. 

And because I believe in conscious buisness with a purpose, Vivant is not only serving up great food and beer, they're also on a mission to do so in a sustainable and lean way. Vivant is small on purpose. They believe in small buisness that doesn't include excess footage or cramped corners. The servers there know the customers and treat them like they're special. This is the kind of place where the brewers, chefs, servers, bartenders and hosts love their job. You can read more about their awesome philosophy here. 

Next time you're in GR, skip that traditional Founders visit and head to Brewery Vivant instead. It's totally worth it. 

If you know me, you know I love Brewery Vivant. I take that back. I don't just love Vivant, I adore them. I cherish them. I'm passionate about who they are, what they do and especially what they brew. For anyone who thinks that Founders is the master brewery in Grand Rapids...I'm sorry, you are wrong. 

To start, Vivant appears seemingly normal on the outside. A brown building, some steps, some outdoor seating...but poke your head inside and you'll discover the magic of long oak picnic tables, hidden pews for groups of two, and tall, wood mounted ceilings hovering over it all. 

Now that you're inside you're probably wondering what the heck you smell? It's amazing, isn't it? That's the smell of Vivant's kitchen and you won't get it anywhere else. Be warned, it tends to linger in your clothes and hair. If you're like me, you'll love that part. 

Vivant is straight-up Belgian. Their fries...unbeatable. That burger, come on? The rest of the food, impeccable. You get it. Let's move onto the important part...beer. 

Brewery Vivant does beer better than anyone else. It's that simple. Their mainstays, Undertaker, Big Red Coq, Farm Hand and Triomphe are all great in their own regards. In fact, Undertaker still remains one of my favorite beers of all time. Especially when it's barrel-aged into a sour...ON MY FRICKEN BIRTHDAY. Or, you know, thrown into cake batter and served to me by surprise (thnx Caleb). 

Some other tap rotation favorites - Wizard Burial Ground, Fussy Dutchman, Saison Vivant, Barrel Weiss, Plough Horse, Solitude (YAS), Pepper in the Rye and, like, 50 others. Pro tip: always ask what the barrell aged and firkin of the day are before you order. 

And because I believe in conscious buisness with a purpose, Vivant is not only serving up great food and beer, they're also on a mission to do so in a sustainable and lean way. Vivant is small on purpose. They believe in small buisness that doesn't include excess footage or cramped corners. The servers there know the customers and treat them like they're special. This is the kind of place where the brewers, chefs, servers, bartenders and hosts love their job. You can read more about their awesome philosophy here. 

Next time you're in GR, skip that traditional Founders visit and head to Brewery Vivant instead. It's totally worth it. 

article - the erotic truths of scary old sex in the new yorker

I think this article is important. I think sex education, honest sex education, is important. NPR also released a great article this week titled "Girls and Sex and the Importance of Talking to Young Women About Pleasure." You can read that here. Read and listen to both. Then grab the books and gobble them up.

music - town and country by bibio

I think this song is gold. I also think this album, "Mineral Love" is gold. Listen to both while you enjoy coffee and try to forget it's snowing outside (SERIOUSLY MICHIGAN).

podcast - you must remember this

Guys...this podcast. Yowza. It's everything I want in a podcast and more. The music, the history, the storytelling...all the components are there. If you're not immediately drawn into episode one of the Manson series, hold tight for episode two. Every episode left me wanting to listen to the next and wondering if I would have been snagged away as a Manson girl back in the mid-60s. Yikes. 

beer - fussy dutchman by brewery vivant

Can a beer be included in the Monday Musings? Sure. Why not? Beer inspires me. If you know me then you know that Brewery Vivant is my jam. Not only is the food and ambiance superb but the beer is the best ever. Vivant is steadily releasing sour beer which makes my heart sing. Fussy Dutchman is just the right amount of sour with a sharp red wine and balsamic vinegar taste. It's phenomenal paired with comfort food. Grab a bottle (yes, bottle, no cans of these bad boys) before it's gone.

photo - whatever adam driver is doing here...

I've recently gotten back into Girls because, like I said in yesterdays #Create30 post...Adam Driver. Hands down he is the best actor of our gen. I love and adore him dearly and whatever he is doing in this photo makes me so giddy. 

So, I guess day fourteen of the #Create30 challenge never published? Regardless, we're half way people! This challenge seems to be dragging on for eternity BUT I've finally reached the point where it feels "normal" to sit down and write 200 words for 10-30 minutes each evening. That's pretty awesome and for that I say, "goal achieved."

I do feel like I've hit a bit of a rut on the fiction front so I'm not going to share what I contributed to "Henry_Party" yesterday and today (both are trash). Instead, I'm just going to leave you with a quote from the first page of Joan Didion's "White Album" since it's what I"m currently reading:

Day thirteen feels great. It feels like an accomplishment - even if I missed one day. What do I hope is the outcome of this experiement? I'm not sure. Do I think my writing will improve? Probably not. Then again, what harm can it do? Not much. If anything, the #Create30 project shows that I dedicated myself to creating something...ANYTHING, for 30 days. That's an achievement, right? 

Still chugging along with fiction writing in a sad attempt to distract myself from the fact that I'm not at AWP and that I'm not 100% certain if I'll be at an MFA in the fall. 

"He’s alright you know,” Grace says and leans over to set her glass of wine down, spilling a little on the glass table. By the way she is moving, I can tell she’s had too much. Her dress opens in the front and I turn my eyes to the kids in the yard. “I know Henry’s got this little thing for Madeline and, well, that’s fiiine.” She says and slurs out the last words. She takes a sip of her wine, leans her head back in the chair and pulls her sunglasses down over her eyes. “Listen E, I’m glad you brought him.”

Tragedy in Brussels

Today is a hard day with the news of the tragedy in Brussels (Belgium) this morning. I don't care to share my political or social stance on topics such as these, but my heart is heavy with the news of another terrorist attack on an innocent and beautiful country. 

Please note that if you're from Grand Rapids the iconic "blue bridge" will be lit in the colors of the Belgium flag over the course of the next couple of days. The Blue Bridge lighting was updated to controlled LED in 2013 and has since illuminated in red, white and blue on July 4th and a rainbow following the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. Learn more by clicking here.

Tragedy and sadness aside...

I am struggling to find inspiration and the urge to continue work on the short story I've been posting excerpts from. If you've read my Monday Musings post from this week, you know that I'm fully immersed in Patrick Dacey's first collection "We've Already Gone This Far" and that it has me blown off my rocker. It's a collection of stories about honesty and deep human relationships. It's about morals and ethics. It's about language and fear and so, so much more. 

On another note, the Sleeping Bear Dunes have been featured (again) via the Refinery 29 Snapchat story today via this post from last year. And yes, I do the Snapchat. 

Aaaaaand on another note, my wonderful mentor and writing hero, Caitlin Horrocks, has somehow managed to be even more of a rockstar by having one of her phenomenal stories published post-baby in the latest edition of American Short Fiction. Go buy it now. By doing so, you're supporting artists and literary mags and culture and much more. I can't wait to receive my copy.

Note: This post was written during the #Create30 project.

On Mondays I ask myself, what inspires me? What forces itself into my brain and refuses to leave? What makes me want to create better?

Welcome to the first Monday Musings post. The content of these posts may vary from week to week and will include anything from food to podcasts, music to movies, quotes, photos and everything in between. Certain things challenge me, inspire me, force me to react, cry, laugh, or shout. These things deserve to be shared.

podcast: colors by radiolab

I'm fascinated with podcasts. I admit, it started with Serial but has since grown into a full fledged obsession. I have a lot of time at work to immerse myself in narrative driven radio shows. So, I asked around for recommendations and a friend led me here. To Radiolab. To this phenomenal episode titled "Colors."

This episode of Radiolab is the essence of what a podcast can achieve. It weaves together interview and narrative with intelligent reporting and musical composition. The audio cues are spot on. And when the choir sings the rainbow...chills.

I recommend listening to this podcast while you take a walk on a sticky hot day. Contemplate the surrounding area. What colors do you see?

music: save it for later by pete townshend

I started this romantic comedy from Netflix titled "Love." You've probably heard of it. My rating...it was alright. I might have enjoyed the soundtrack more than the actual show itself. This song was featured in the final episode when Mickey pops a record on and cries to her cat (sort of). Pretty similar to where my life is at, actually. 

book: we've already gone this far by patrick dacey

Just read it. Please. George Saunders himself has a quote on the front of the book and was one of Patrick's professors at Syracuse. A full review to come...

quote: joan didion from slouching towards bethlehem

What could you create in 30 days?

Welcome to day one of the #Create30 project (cheers, cheers). This project is a celebration of process that urges people to get their hands dirty, exercise their vocal chords, put pen to paper, and so much more. 

This project is not about the finished product. 

It's about the process. 

Think about what you could create if you set your mind to something for 30 days - if you set aside just a few moments to work on something you loved. What would happen? Possibly magic. 

The #Create30 project can be designed to fit your needs. Is there something you used to do that you've given up in previous years because of work, stress, family and life in general? Now is the time to pick it back up. Start small and scale the project to what you'd like to achieve. Or, shoot for the stars and set a big goal to accomplish in the next 30 days. 

Need help getting started? No worries. Start with a verb:

dress, make, write, create, jump, soar, throw, save, catch, listen, read, dance, cook, break, paint, perform, speak, climb, walk, look, take, replace, introduce, update, decide, finish

The #Create30 project is what you make it. 

My chosen verb is write. For the next 30 days I plan to write a minimum of 200 words each day. These sessions can be blog posts, fiction, poetry, stream of conscious or journaling. They can not, however, be writing that is performed for work (i.e freelance, social media etc). 

Each day I'll either post a full fledged blog with the tag #Create30, or, I will post an update for that day with a sampling of the outside work I've created. Outside being something other than a traditional blog post. 

Today, I continued work on a short story that I have been putting together piece by piece. Here's a quote:

"First, Henry takes the controller from the game room and brings it out to the party, attempting to plug it the butts of the other children so he can control them. They squirm away from him, running to their parents, shouting that one of the boys poked them or touched them inappropriately. Then, he sits in the dirt and digs his fingernails into the ground, pulling the freshly cut grass from its roots and draping it gracefully over his pant legs, as if he is designing himself a new set of clothes."