This weekend, book it to Waverly to get lost in a three-block festival footprint filled with literary vendors, author meet-and-greets, and enlightening cultural conversations at every turn. Now in its 27th year, the Baltimore Book Festival—which was initially inspired in part by Mayor Kurt Schmoke’s “City That Reads” program—is offering an impressive two-day lineup collectively curated by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture, and Entertainment and leaders in the local literary scene.
With neighborhood collaborators like Red Emma’s, Urban Reads, Normal’s Books & Records, Charm City Cultural Cultivation, and Peabody Heights Brewery (all of which will host their own stages), it’s no wonder the schedule is so robust—offering everything from Stoop Storytelling shares and poetry slams to a comic fiction roundtable and a panel on writing remarkable young adult stories.
Of course, there will also be plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs, with Baltimore Hoop Love (hula-hooping), Jump Maryland (double dutch), and roving librarian Araba Maze on the scene, as well as a Saturday-night after-party at Peabody Heights.
To help you properly plan, we’ve narrowed down a few highlights you can’t miss—including some big names from near and far. (If it’s any indication, last weekend’s kickoff event at The Parkway featured Claudia Rankine and Naomi Klein.)
Saturday, Sept. 19
Baltimore Beat: Conversations On A Growing, Changing City
Peabody Heights Stage. 10:00 a.m.
Baltimore Beat editor-in-chief Sanya Kamidi and columnist Bry Reed will delve into Baltimore’s past, present, and future in this important discussion. Settle in to learn more about the the city’s alt-weekly and its dedication to honoring the tradition of the Black press while listening to stories of the evolving community we call home.
Stories Begin Here: A Conversation with Derrick Adams, D. Watkins, Devin Allen, and Lawrence Burney
32nd Street Stage, 11 a.m.
Four of the city’s most influential storytellers will kick off the weekend with this conversation on contemporary Black life and culture. If you’re a local, you likely know their names. Multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams is the founder of Waverly-based nonprofit Charm City Cultural Cultivation, which works to preserve and inspire local art and connection. His nephew, Lawrence Burney, is behind indie magazine True Laurels and recently published his debut book of essays, No Sense in Wishing—which was named this year’s One Maryland One Book selection by Maryland Humanities. (Burney will speak further about the collection during a 3 p.m. appearance on the 32nd Street Stage.)
Devin Allen is the city’s famed photographer (his most recent photobook should be on your list to pick up this weekend) whose image of the Baltimore Uprising made the cover of Time, and D. Watkins is our own New York Times best-selling, James Beard Media Award-winning, Gordon Parks Fellowship-earning author and scholar. We can only expect the dialogue to be nothing short of inspiring.
Ibram X. Kendi Presents: Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
32nd Street Stage. 5 p.m.
Speaking of D. Watkins, catch him in conversation with globally acclaimed activist and historian Ibram X. Kendi, the author of How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped. Kendi’s latest book, Chain of Ideas, continues his pivotal work. It centers on the influence of “great replacement theory,” the antidemocratic idea that minorities pose a threat to white populations, and how we can free ourselves from it.
April Ryan Presents: Notes On A Blacklash: When A Black Woman Goes Viral
Urban Reads Stage. 6 p.m.
Time and time again, veteran White House correspondent April Ryan—a proud Baltimorean and Morgan State University alum—put her commitment to truth-telling on full display in Trump’s pressroom. It opened her up to attacks from the president, namely when he publicly called her a “loser” after a heated exchange prompted by her question about voter suppression in 2018. Ryan’s new book explores her resilience throughout those experiences, especially as they relate to race, gender, and power. Hear her break it all down at this Saturday-evening talk.
DewMore Baltimore Presents: Marcellus Vinson, Baltimore’s Youth Poet Laureate
32nd Street Stage. 6:15 p.m.
With support from community and youth development nonprofit DewMore Baltimore, Baltimore City’s current Youth Poet Laureate Marcellus Vinson is taking center stage. Snag a seat to appreciate the young talent—the city’s official ambassador of spoken word and activism for Baltimore youth—who focuses on themes of love, hope, social injustice, and community in his celebrated work.
Laverne Cox Presents: Transcendent, In Conversation With Dr. Melanie Bryant
32nd Street Stage. 7 p.m.
Since her breakout performance in Orange is the New Black, Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox has become a iconic voice in transgender advocacy. Hear her speak about her new memoir, Transcendent, which documents her journey of confronting childhood trauma, shame, and feelings of unworthiness to become the leader she is today.
Sunday, Sept. 20
Monique Couvson Presents: Black Stats and Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
Red Emma’s Stage. 1 p.m.
National Black Women’s Justice Institute founder Monique Couvson is honoring the 10th anniversary of her groundbreaking book Pushout, which has been lauded as a pioneering probe into the confined potential of Black girls by the academic and justice systems. At Red Emma’s, Couvson will sit down with Baltimore Beat co-founder Lisa Snowden McCray to discuss her ongoing research, specifically in her newest book, Black Stats—a comprehensive guide that “illustrates the quality of life and the possibility of (and barriers to) advancement for a group at the heart of American society.”
Bruiser Mag at Normal’s
Normal’s Book Stage. 2 p.m.
In case you haven’t heard, zines are all the rage, and Baltimore’s own Bruiser Mag is representing the DIY medium with an entire lineup of its contributors set to present at Normal’s on East 31st Street on Sunday afternoon. Among them will be local talents Dean Bartoli Smith, Nat Raum, and Jameson Draper.
Additional reporting by Gabrielle Plaag