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.

For decades, Red Bull has been billed as the energy drink that “gives you wings.” And recently, the company has brought new meaning to its famed slogan, with a social justice initiative meant to elevate the ideas of change-makers across the globe.

Launched in South Africa in 2014, Red Bull Amaphiko—the Zulu term for “wings”—is a program that supports social entrepreneurs inspiring change in their communities. The organization periodically selects an academy of 15 fellows, and brings them together for a 10-day immersion of lectures, entertainment, innovation workshops, and creative collaboration.

To date, the conference has taken place five times, three times in South Africa and twice in Brazil. But it just so happens that, this time around, six of the 15 social justice leaders selected to participate in the cohort hail from Charm City—which is why organizers chose Baltimore as the first U.S. hub to host the Red Bull Amaphiko events August 11-20.

“We look for people using creativity to better their communities on a grassroots level,” says program manager AJ White. “That’s pretty prominent in Baltimore, and it shows. Six of our actual participants are from here as a direct result.”

Among the academy of national innovators (who have spearheaded everything from STEM programs to sustainable bike repair shops) are local leaders including Walker Marsh of urban farm Tha Flower Factory, Changa Bell of The Black Male Yoga Initiative, microgreen farmer Dominic Nell of City Weeds, C. Harvey of Baltimore’s Gifted, Muhammad Najeeullah of educational robotic gaming system PURGG, and Brittany Young of B-360 Baltimore—a program that uses the dirt bike culture as an avenue for STEAM education.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to explain what makes Baltimore so great, and tell others about the amazing people that live here,” says Young, a West Baltimore native. “There’s great power in controlling your narrative, and the academy can help shine new light into the beauty of the city.”

In keeping with its mission, Red Bull has collaborated with area trailblazers at Impact Hub Baltimore, Brown and Healthy, and Be Free Fridays at The Eubie Blake Cultural Center to curate local programming and entertainment in conjunction with the Amiphiko residency.

The free public events will highlight everything from art and live music to yoga and rollerskating, and allow the community to learn more about each academy members’ initiative.

The festivities begin with gallery show at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center on August 14, followed by a family-friendly evening of yoga, meditation, dance, and rollerskating at the Shake & Bake Family Fun Center in West Baltimore on August 15.

Another highlight will be The Medicine Show—a storytelling project where local musicians, comedians, and spoken word artists share the stories of Baltimore startups (like Touching Young Lives and the Station North Tool Library) using their different mediums—on August 17 at Arena Players.

A culminating festival to close out the week will take place at the Station North Surface Lot on August 20, featuring interactive workshops, live performances from local musicians like Abdu Ali, Ultra Naté, and Bond Street District, appearances by writer D. Watkins and photographer Devin Allen, and a special screening of “Baltimore Stories”—Amaphiko’s documentary series that includes three short films of people making changes in the community.

White describes the 10-day program as a “kickoff” for each of the fellows, who will be paired with a mentor for 18 months following the event.

“Each coach is tailor-made for a specific participant,” he explains. “So whether they need help with funding, branding, or storytelling, it’s never a one-size-fits-all type of thing. But the coaches help to identify their needs and support them as best they can.”

He says that the goal of Amaphiko is twofold: to give the social pioneers a platform, and to also educate the community using the arts.

“Amiphiko isn’t the right fit for someone who has lived in Baltimore, but wants to solve global hunger in Budapest,” White says. “It’s about helping early-stage social entrepreneurs that are solving an issue in the community that they are familiar with. We see the people closest to the problem as those who are best to find solutions to it.”

Andrea Boston and Nia Johnson seem like they’ve been friends forever, but it wasn’t until 2014 that the former high school classmates reconnected and got to know each other.

Both involved in the arts, they sought an open creative space where artists could break out of their inner circles. “One day we were talking and said, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we put together an event that brought Baltimore’s creative community together?’” says Johnson.

In September 2015, they founded SunSets, a monthly meet up modeled after the salon gatherings of the Harlem Renaissance. Each pop-up event has a different theme and features guests that range from photographers to farmers, including Jenné Afiya of arts collective Balti Gurls, local author D. Watkins, and former NFL player (and painter) Aaron Maybin.

Hopping between private homes and innovative venues such as Dovecote Cafe and Impact Hub, the meet up’s goal is to create a relaxed environment based on artistic exchange and expression, where local creatives can connect and collaborate alongside live music, a variety of vendors, and—always a good incentive—free wine. Their next event will be held at the Maryland Institute College of Art on December 9.

Despite the fun atmosphere, SunSets also encourages serious social discussion.

“We try to have themes that are conscious contrasts to what’s going on in the world, as we are all processing a lot of pain [in light of recent events],” says Johnson. “We try to always provide light.”

The Balti Gurls never expected success. The women in this 2-year-old arts squad simply wanted a place to collaborate and share experiences and perspectives about the local art scene in which they felt marginalized.

“The first meeting we had, there were 12 of us sitting around a table,” says member Khadija Nia Adell. “I remember leaving and feeling so powerful, like we were really about to start something.”

Since then, the Balti Gurls—eight women of color, ages 19 to 28, whose talents range from being DJs to mixed-media artists—have packed houses at Station North’s Impact Hub and Penthouse Gallery, and won acclaim for Edge Control, their seasonal music and art show. This year, they were also the recipients of a grant from The Grit Fund, by The Contemporary—Baltimore’s nomadic art museum.

Now the Balti Gurls are on the hunt for a permanent place of their own, where they can continue their unique blend of community gatherings, film screenings, and music performances, plus have studios and special programming focused on the next generation of creatives.

“Even if we’re at different places in our lives, having the space would solidify what we’re doing in the city, and be a gift to future generations of artists and creatives,” says founder Jenné Afiya. “It would be a space where people of color can come together to create.”