EAT

Jan. 18: Waffie’s Brunch for Dessert

Waffie, 839 W. 36th St. 5-10 p.m. Free.

Last week, Yelp confirmed what Baltimoreans have known since Waffie opened last January: the waffle-crazed dessert shop is one of the top 100 places to eat in the U.S. This Friday, the Hampden staple known for its creative confections will serve up a dessert edition of its signature French toast waffles topped with locally-made Taharka Brothers Ice Cream and homemade whipped cream. Start your weekend off with a sugar buzz and raise your waffle to one of the city’s not-so-hidden gems.

DRINK

Jan. 20: Zay Day

Union Craft Brewing, 1700 W. 41st St. 12-6 p.m. Free.

Henry “Zadie” Benesch, who has been a Union Craft Brewing volunteer employee since his grandson, Adam, opened the popular spot in 2012, may very well be the world’s oldest brewery worker. In honor of his landmark 99th birthday, Union is throwing an all-out bash featuring a few of Zadie’s favorite things for only 99 cents—Blackwing Lager, coffee from Vent Coffee Roasters, and ice cream scoops from The Charmery. Stop by to wish him a cigar-filled birthday and honor his likeness by creating a Zadie mask and participating in a box-folding competition.

SEE

Jan. 17-March 10: Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letters

Maryland Art Place, 218 W. Saratoga St. Tues.-Sat. 12-4 p.m. Free.

After his daughter, Elisif, died of a heroin overdose five years ago, Baltimore artist Peter Brunn felt compelled to explore his new understanding of love and the countless ways to express it. The resulting project, Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letters, is composed of hundreds of drawings by Brunn inspired by actual love letters that embody all of the messiness and mystery of love. In conjunction with the exhibition, four programs at Maryland Art Place featuring poetry, music, and storytelling performances will take place over the next two months.

HEAR

Jan. 18: Youth Grand Slam

Impact Hub, 10 E. North Ave. 6-10 p.m. Free.

Throughout the past few years, Baltimore’s spoken word poetry teams have proven that they’re a force to be reckoned with. As defending champions of The Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, DewMore Baltimore is seeking out the best poetic talent to lead the team to victory again this summer. On Friday, pack Station North’s Impact Hub to cheer on 12 local youth poets as they perform original spoken word poetry to compete for one of the six spots on this year’s lineup and the chance to represent Charm City on the national stage.

DO

Jan. 19: Baltimore Women’s March

War Memorial Plaza, 100 Holliday St. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free.

A lot has changed since the initial Women’s March in 2017, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to the streets to protest the inauguration of President Donald Trump. But the Baltimore Women’s March stays true to its purpose of harnessing the power of local women to create transformative social change. This Saturday, craft an inspirational sign and head to the War Memorial Plaza downtown to peacefully protest nationwide issues like reproductive freedoms and equal pay, as well as topics like how to help women and families living in poverty.

While marches in January 2017 were motivated by the inauguration of President Trump, the upcoming women’s march is focused on a different election—the 2018 midterms.

This Saturday’s theme, Power to the Polls, is meant to encourage voting in the upcoming primary and general elections. The emphasis is to launch a national voter registration drive to increase voter turnout by at least 40 percent.

“Our leaders need to be aware and held accountable for what they are elected to do,” said Baltimore Women’s March organizer Sarah Mogol. “There are so many pieces of legislation this year that affect women’s rights—childcare, family sick leave, Planned Parenthood—and the leaders need to hear our voices.” 

The second annual Baltimore Women’s March-March Forward, will take place at 11 a.m. at the War Memorial Plaza downtown to promote social and political change. Following the rally, participants will march to McKeldin Square at the Inner Harbor.

The Baltimore Women’s March last year joined other marches around the country, including the Women’s March in Washington D.C., which drew about 500,000 people to the city. Mogol hopes that this year’s event will bring a similar crowd as last year, if not more.

“This is so important because it’s an opportunity for everybody to get back together,” she said. “Last year’s marches really created such a strong voice and inspired so many people. We saw that when we came to one space and we had our voices together we were able to actually make some really big changes in the world.”

During the rally, Baltimore City health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, Mayor Catherine Pugh, Senator Ben Cardin, and state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby are among the list of city leaders expected to speak. Mogol stressed that this year’s event is about participation and support for one another—including elected officials—to show that everyone can make a difference, no matter how small the gesture.

A little further south, Brittany T. Oliver, director of local nonprofit Not Without Black Women, which we featured in our January issue, will be speaking at the Women’s March on Washington 2018.

Although it is called the Women’s March, the march is striving to be more inclusive. Mogol says that this march is for “all women and their allies,” and is a safe place for everyone to share their stories in an effort to promote change.

“Democracy demands participation—from everyone,” Mogol said. “It’s about numbers, and support, and showing that we were a collective voice that needs to be heard. It’s also really about action. We need action.”