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@brennanbrown

Brennan Kenneth Brown

brennanbrown
Calgary, AB

Hey there! 😄 My name is Brennan, I'm a 29-year-old Queer Métis JAMstack developer and content strategist from Winnipeg, Manitoba currently residing in Calgary, Alberta. I have completed both the Full-Stack Developer Program at InceptionU and the Growth Marketing Bootcamp at OnRamp.

I'm passionate about the IndieWeb movement and building sustainable, accessible web experiences. I create free, open-source tools that empower individuals to own their digital identities and connect meaningfully online. My work focuses on JAMstack themes, static site generators, and community-building tools.

🪙 The Toonie Club: Simple, Sustainable Support

I've recently launched The Toonie Club, inspired by Manuel Moreale's "One a Month" Club. Instead of complex tiers and exclusive content, it's simple: $2 CAD per month (or pay what you want) for full access to everything I create.

My Open-Source Projects

I create and maintain numerous FOSS projects focused on the IndieWeb:

Jekyll Themes (Free & Open-Source)

  • 🗃️ Enjoyment Work: A Digital Garden theme for daily thoughts and zettelkasten-style knowledge management
  • 🚰 Watery: Minimalist theme using Water.css framework with accessibility best practices
  • 📔 Purelog: Responsive sidebar theme using Pure.css, designed for writers
  • 🎏 Classic Spirits: Classic sidebar theme for old-school blogging, built with Bulma

Eleventy & Modern Tools

  • 🎈 11ty-Indie-Web-Blog-Starter: Modern blog template with Eleventy and Tailwind CSS
  • 📰 Indiepaper: Brutalist Medium-inspired Hugo theme with IndieWeb principles
  • Ⓜ️ Meddler: CLI tool to convert Medium exports to multiple static site formats

Community & Accessibility

  • 🍉 WatermelonClub: Palestine solidarity resources for Canadian students
  • BIPOCmentalhealthYYC: Mental health resources for BIPOC folks in Calgary
  • jekyll-audit: CLI tool for auditing Jekyll sites (performance, accessibility, SEO)

The Toonie Club Philosophy

I believe in small, sustainable support from many people rather than large amounts from a few. This approach:

  • Makes support accessible to everyone regardless of income
  • Creates stability through predictable, recurring contributions
  • Builds a community of mutual support and connection
  • Rejects the "creator economy" model of gated content and FOMO

All supporters receive the same benefits, whether you contribute $2 or $200. No exclusive content, no tiered access—just transparent support for open-source work.

Join the Community

When you support my work through GitHub Sponsors, you're investing in:

  • A more open, decentralized web
  • Tools that respect user privacy and autonomy
  • Community-driven development over corporate interests
  • Sustainable creative economics for independent developers

Let's Collaborate!

I'm always looking to work with hopeless idealists who are passionate about:

  • IndieWeb principles and decentralized technology
  • Web accessibility and the A11y Project
  • Sustainable open-source development
  • Community building and digital sovereignty

✨ View all my repositories - Thanks for being part of this journey!

*Questions? Email me

@brennanbrown

If I reached this goal, it would allow me to dedicate myself full-time to free and open-source software and IndieWeb projects, with a focus on contributing to the greater good of the community, In addition, this would provide me with a sense of financial security, freeing me from the need to balance my passion for FOSS with other paid work. I would focus my time and energy on developing and maintaining projects, improving the user experience, and collaborating with other contributors to the community. I could invest in better tools and equipment, attend conferences and workshops to share my knowledge, or even mentor new contributors to the community.

Featured sponsors

@lukejahnke
Past sponsors 1
@lukejahnke

Featured work

  1. brennanbrown/enjoyment-work

    🗃️ A Digital Garden: Capturing my daily thoughts and progress, as well as curated ideas with unique synthesis—a personal zettelkasten. Built on Simply Jekyll by Raghuveer S.

    HTML 111
  2. brennanbrown/purelog

    📔 A responsive sidebar Jekyll theme, created with the Pure.css framework, designed for writers and bloggers of all kinds.

    HTML 39
  3. brennanbrown/watery

    🚰 A minimalist, bare-bones theme for Jekyll only using the Water.css framework while still following the best practices for accessibility and search-engine optimization.

    HTML 19
  4. brennanbrown/11ty-Indie-Web-Blog-Starter

    🎈 A modern, feature-complete blog template built with Eleventy and Tailwind CSS. Designed for writers who want to own their content and participate in the IndieWeb.

    Nunjucks 16
  5. brennanbrown/django-project

    A full-stack Django project, with a PostgreSQL database, using Selenium for tests, and deployed in real-time. Under construction.

    HTML 8
  6. brennanbrown/journalbar

    🐝 A personal blog for self-quantification and personal improvement via Beeminder. Powered by Jekyll. / https://beejournal.netlify.app

    HTML 8

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$ a month

You'll receive any rewards listed in the $2 monthly tier. Additionally, a Public Sponsor achievement will be added to your profile.

$2 a month

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🪙 The Toonie Club!

1. Shout-out
You'll have your name and a link of your choice on my GitHub profile README and my site.

2. The Fireweed Letters
A curated monthly newsletter containing personal updates and behind-the-scenes information.

3. Monthly Office Hours
Each month, you'll get an optional 20-minute video call with me, whether you want consultation, advice, an open Q&A, etc.

4. Community Access
You'll get an exclusive role in my Discord server (I know, I need to switch platforms!) which will give access to member-only channels.

5. Digital Archive Access
Finally, you'll receive full access to my over two-hundred Medium posts spanning over ten years