We’re voracious consumers of culture. And each week, a member of our team shares the words, images, and beers that inspired them.

Read.// Living so close to a “Spaghetti Junction,” a looping tangle of interstates and highways, it's hard for me to picture a place no roads can access. So it's no surprise that I was drawn to Julia Phillips' “Disappearing Earth,” a novel of connected short stories set in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, a spot only reachable by boat or by air. The plot revolves around the kidnapping of two local girls, and the remote nature of the setting dials up the tension. Where can someone disappear to in such an unreachable place? With a diverse cast of characters representing the varied population of the region—from indigenous peoples to ethnic Russians, from reindeer herders to migrant workers—the novel was a finalist for the National Book Award, among many others, and this page turner deserves all the accolades it got.

Look.// The students at Australia's Brent Street Performing Arts are the stars of “Dance Life,” a new docuseries on Amazon Prime. But even if you've never heard of Brent Street or don't typically watch a lot of dance, the artistry and athleticism on screen make it hard to look away for even a second, lest you miss a single spin, leap, or flip. Though it does contain some of the baked-in drama of a reality show, “Dance Life” also offers a peek into the lives of those gifted and dedicated hopefuls who take on the uphill battle that is a career as a performer. Above all, though, the series is a celebration of artistic expression and physical achievement. By the final episode, you'll be googling whether a season two is in the works.

Drink.// Two Roads Brewing’s Road 2 Ruin Double IPA

You've got to love a brewery named for a Robert Frost poem. At Two Roads Brewing, the mission statement is all about choosing the “road less traveled,” and judging by the popularity of its products since its 2012 founding, that less-traveled road was an auspicious one. At the 2023 World Beer Awards, Two Roads took home three gold medals, and at the 2023 World Beer Festival, the brewery took home a silver. Two Roads Brewing also prides itself on its sustainable practices and uses innovative methods—such as sending spent grain to local farmers for feed rather than sending it to landfills, and capturing and reusing heat from the brewing process. Try the Road 2 Ruin Double IPA, but make no mistake: This Connecticut outfit is only on a winning path.