Like the spine of a hardcover, there’s something deeply woven into the fabric of Baltimore’s culture when it comes to books.
Back in 1987 when Mayor Kurt Schmoke dubbed us “The City that Reads,” the slogan was aspirational. But in the decades since, our community has become known for its rich literary scene—cultivating best-selling authors, innovative ways to make reading accessible to all (we’re looking at you, The Book Thing and Saint Rita), and an array of locally owned bookshops.
One of the pillars of the independent bookstore community is Greedy Reads, opened by owner Julia Fleischaker in Fells Point in 2018. A second location came to Remington in late 2019, highlighting an event space for the book community to gather. It was perfect for hosting the shop’s inaugural Lost Weekend Festival, which was dreamed up by Fleischaker and her team in 2022 out of a desire for connection, in the wake of Baltimore Book Festival and other event cancellations during the pandemic.
After taking a hiatus last year, The Lost Weekend is returning to Greedy Reads in Remington May 30-June 1. In the event’s third year, Fleischaker, general manager Santiago Nocera, and former Remington manager Emily Miller are hosting their biggest lineup of authors and conversations yet.
“Our group text is just, annoyingly enthusiastic,” Fleischaker says. “When we confirm someone, when something comes together, when we figure out a perfect conversation partner, it’s all fun for us. It’s a lot of work, but it’s the kind of work that you love to do.”
This year’s free festival will kick off on Friday, May 30 with an evening of community poetry featuring Rosa Castellano and Erica Dawson (a Baltimore local), which will offer an open mic portion encouraging attendees to share a 3-5 minute piece. “We consider Lost Weekend a community festival,” Fleischaker says, “so this felt like a really perfect way to kick it off.”
The fun continues on Saturday and Sunday with on-the-hour programming—from romance and young adult panels to comic workshops and drag story hour—from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Lost Weekend will serve as a forum for authors to feature their new works, with 70 percent of the authors on the lineup having new books this year, a slightly higher percentage than in years past.
This year, there’s no sign up, and seating is first come, first served. There will be a smaller portion of the store set up outside for patrons to browse new reads, as well as tote bags and tees for sale with official festival designs by local artist Nguyên Khôi Nguyễn. Fleischaker also hopes attendees check out Gready Reads’ new neighbor, Doppio Pasticceria, to fuel up with pizzas and pastries throughout the weekend.
“We want you to get lost in the weekend,” Fleischaker hopes, “lost in the books and lost in the conversations.”
The guiding theme for organizers is “Baltimore Love.” “We love to exist in tandem with the Baltimore Book Festival and the City Lit Festival,” Fleischaker says. “The fact that the city can support all of these is a real testament to how much support books, bookstores, culture, and community gets here.”
Having trouble narrowing down which of the 17 Lost Weekend events you want to catch? Here are a few highlights:
5/31: Yrsa Daley-Ward with Bry Reed
While there are “no duds on the schedule” per Fleischaker, it’s a huge deal for the city that poet Yrsa Daley-Ward will be coming to discuss her fictional debut novel, The Catch, a kaleidoscopic multiverse story of sisters, mothers, and daughters. Bry Reed is a local writer who also emceed Lost Weekend in 2023. The Catch will be available for sale before it officially hits stores. 4 p.m.
5/31: Jean Grae with Aaron Dante
Baltimore artist, humorist, and former rapper Jean Grae will celebrate the release of her darkly humorous, intensely personal essay collection In My Remaining Years. Grae will be in conversation with local personality Aaron Dante, for a live recording of his No Pix After Dark podcast. 5 p.m.
6/1: Tochi Onyebuchi & Stacy Nathaniel Jackson
Fantasy and science fiction fans are invited to celebrate the release of Tochi Onyebuchi’s Harmattan Season, a hard-boiled fantasy noir in postcolonial West Africa. Tochi will be in conversation with Stacy Nathaniel Jackson, a trans poet, playwright, visual artist, and author of The Ephemera Collector. 1 p.m.
6/1: Susan Choi & Rachel Khong with Andrew Limbong
Close out the weekend with famed authors Susan Choi and Rachel Khong. This talk will celebrate the release of Choi’s highly anticipated new decade-spanning novel Flashlight, as well as the paperback release of Khong’s family saga Real Americans, which made major book club lists last year including The Today Show’s Read with Jenna. The conversation will be moderated by NPR Arts Desk reporter Andrew Limbong. 5 p.m.