The North American Guild of Beer Writers, along with support from CraftBeer.com, a website for beer lovers published by the Brewers Association, has selected two submissions to receive the 2019 Diversity in Beer Writing Grant.

After receiving a collection of strong entries, the Guild and CraftBeer.com decided to expand this year’s recipients in order to tell two important and timely stories:

Cynthia R. Greenlee, Ph.D, is a historian and journalist based in Durham, North Carolina. For her article tentatively titled, "Moonshine, Homebrew, and Dandelion Wine: Black Bootleggers and the Hidden History of 'Beer City,'" she's researching African-American contributions to drinking culture around Asheville, North Carolina in the mid-20th century.

Beth Demmon, a San Diego-based journalist, will report on the cross-section of enthusiasm for beer and parenthood. She'll explore the story of how a generation of craft beer lovers who have come to frequent taprooms integrate their interests with growing families and how choosing between personal and professional passions can mean that kids are inevitably going to be in beer-focused spaces.

As winner of the grant, Greenlee and Demmon will receive a cash stipend for completed work. The final stories will be published on CraftBeer.com in the fall.

The goal of NAGBW’s Diversity in Beer Writing Grant is to highlight the value of stories that can showcase diversity and inclusion – in all its forms and challenges – within beer. Applications were accepted online during the month of March. Writers submitted story pitches covering a wide variety of topics, from heritage to privilege and the value of different points of view.

Greenlee and Demmon’s stories will be recognized by the North American Guild of Beer Writers and CraftBeer.com during the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, held Oct. 3 to 5 in Denver, Colorado.