The Gospel of Matthew records a peculiar astronomical event that occurred at the birth of Christ. Could the “Christmas Star” have been a nova, a supernova, a comet, or some other spectacular sight? I will talk about what was visible around the time of the birth of Christ, and describe Kepler's idea that that the Star was a planet alignment that guided the “wise men from the East.”

Register at: http://craftwriting.as.uky.edu

This one day event will bring to UK brewers and professional writers from the craft beer industry. Craft beer, the annual production of under six million barrels of beer by small breweries, is one of the fastest growing areas of the food industry. According to the Brewers Association, craft beer provides over 108,000 jobs and its retail dollar value in 2012 was estimated at $10.2 billion. In the last twenty years, over 2,000 new breweries have come online, commanding almost 6% of the overall American beer market. These breweries have, in turn, helped revitalize city neighborhoods, generated new jobs in related industries, and played a key role in expanding digital and social media usage.

This event will showcase the professional writing – in print and digital media – that is dominant in the craft beer industry. Writing has played a major role in promoting the business of craft beer. Craft Writing will serve as an event that draws interdisciplinary attention to the ways industry utilizes writing – in various digital forms – to promote, inform, highlight, argue, market, brand, and foster relationships between products, consumers, and other relevant parties.

Featured Speakers:

Stan Hieronymus, author of For The Love of Hops, Brewing with Wheat, and Brew Like a Monk. Blogger at Appellation Beer and For the Love of Hops.

Julie Johnson, Co-owner of All About Beer, former Editor of All Bout Beer. Currently Technical and Contributing Editor.

Teri Fahrendorf, 25-year beer industry veteran, founder of the Pink Boots Society, author of beer related articles, 19 years brewmaster at Steelhead Brewing, Triple Rock Brewing and Golden Gate Brewing, and blogging gypsy “Road Brewer,”

Roger Baylor, owner of New Albanian Brewing, author of The Potable Curmudgeon.

Jeremy Cowan, owner of Shmaltz Brewing, author of Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah.

Mitch Steele, Brewmaster at Stone Brewing, author of IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes, and the Evolution of India Pale Ale.

Keynote speaker

Garrett Oliver, Editor of The Oxford Companion to Beer, author of The Brewmaster’s Table, regular contributor to All About Beer. Brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery