Poetry has been a lifelong calling for Brion Gill, aka Lady Brion. Growing up near Whitelock Avenue, then in Northwood, her childhood was marked by intergenerational gatherings and creative exchange, sparking an early passion for poetry and deliberation.

From organizing youth slam events to excelling as a competitive debater in high school, Brion carved her own career path, drawing inspiration from Black community staples like AFRAM and the former Warm Wednesdays open-mics along the way. In recent years, the 34-year-old has performed internationally, won multiple competitions, and taught creative writing for local students.

Now, as Maryland’s 11th poet laureate under Gov. Wes Moore—as well as the director of the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts District, the first of its kind in Maryland, dedicated to celebrating and promoting African-American culture—she hopes to inspire other artists to go after their own lifelong dreams.

What are some of your plans for this role?
I intend to travel across Maryland for performances and workshops. It’d be great to publish new works, but I also want to use this platform to help amplify and bring to fruition other literary arts initiatives. For example, working to create a Baltimore City poet laureate. I am also interested in [creating] a literary arts festival for Maryland, pulling folks from all corners of the state to be a part of it. My hope is that it can take place in Baltimore City

Growing up in Baltimore, what drew you to poetry?
I used to watch Def Poetry Jam on HBO. I was enamored with that show. I fell in love with poets like Sunni Patterson and Black Ice. There’s a whole group of spoken-word poets, particularly Black spoken-word poets, that just drew me in. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be able to share my story. I remember being in middle school, going into the corner of my father’s apartment, and writing my first little poem. So many people encouraged me, and affirmed me, and gave me spaces to write poems and share poems, and that really launched my career. I’ve been performing on stages [ever since].

In 2019, you founded the Pennsylvania Black Arts District. How does it continue to shape your work?
We’re just here to connect people and illuminate the amazing work that they’re doing. This is an organization that was built and run by Black artists who want to see Black arts thrive in this city, and so it’s just all about making a space for the community to continue to be great. I’ve really become connected to the arts and cultural community in Baltimore, and that fuels me. It’s the reason I wake up and do this every day.

Pennsylvania Avenue, better known as The Avenue to many Baltimoreans, has an illustrious history. Decades before the downtown and the Inner Harbor became nationally recognized tourist destinations, this diagonal stretch of city block fostered both thriving local businesses and nationally renowned arts and entertainment venues. Jazz legends like Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington performed at The Royal Theatre, Bamboo Lounge, Club Casino, and Club Tijuana. Meanwhile, Union Baptist and Bethel AME, African American churches built here in the 18th century, stood as critical community gathering spaces for political and spiritual counsel.

Today, few of these sites have been designated for historic preservation, and most of the institutions have been demolished. But in an effort to preserve what remains of The Avenue, and to revitalize the region at large, local community leaders have teamed up to found the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District Coalition—which includes organizations such as Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, the Arch Social Club, the Arch Social Community Network, Upton Planning Committee, Druid Heights Community Development Corporation, University of Baltimore Community Development Fellows Program, and more.

Earlier this month, all of the coalition’s hard work paid off when the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) designated The Avenue as one of the state’s official Arts and Entertainment Districts. The area includes 149 acres and nearly 15 blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue from Fulton Avenue to Dolphin Street, as well as two or three blocks east and west—making it the largest Arts and Entertainment District in the state and the fourth existing in Baltimore City. Among those in the state, it’s the only district dedicated to showcasing African-American arts and culture.

“We intentionally looked at the anchored institutions and the creative enterprises in the area,” says Lady Brion Gill, cultural curator for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle. “We tried to make sure that we created a map that included all of those.”

The state’s recognition of the Pennsylvania Avenue District has the potential to ignite major revitalization initiatives in a neighborhood that has long been left to the wayside as other parts of Baltimore rapidly develop. “We know that people are interested in sit-down restaurants, galleries, and larger theaters in that area because all of the theaters have closed,” Gill says, mentioning The Royal Theatre and others. “Our hope is that we can curate a specific experience and identity in that area that will create the kind of arts and entertainment district that we all imagine.”

According to a 2018 Arts and Entertainment District Economic Impact Report conducted by MSAC, new businesses and events in designated Arts and Entertainment Districts supported over $1 billion in state GDP, and $72.1 million in state and local tax revenues.

The district’s constituents, including businesses, residents, and artists, will be able to take advantage of three tax incentives. The first pertains to property expansion, which will allow residential and commercial entities to expand or build new structures within the district. There’s also a personal benefit tax for artists who offer services or produce artistic works in the district, as well as a Personal Benefit Tax for district residents and those who work in an Arts and Entertainment district. In addition, an amusement tax incentive—which allows tickets to events in the district to be sold with no sales tax.

For the first time since MSAC launched the Arts and Entertainment District designation program in 2001, both Baltimore City and the state will provide funds that not only aid revitalization efforts in those districts, but also dedicate staff to help manage and facilitate future funding initiatives.

“We are really fortunate to be designated in a time when both the city and the state are willing to invest in the arts and entertainment districts in Baltimore,” Gill says. “We will also be seeking support from our local arts and philanthropic communities because we recognize that they are a part of making Baltimore City a destination.”

In partnership with community development corporations throughout the region—including the Westside, Druid Heights, and Upton CDCs—the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District is working to create an application process and oversight committees that will vet new development ventures in the district. The groups will work together with developers to ensure that their ideas and interests align with the needs of current residents.

Details are still in the works, but this fall, the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District is planning an event at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum to celebrate the designation and recognize all those who helped to bring the initiative to fruition.

“We want to protect the area to ensure that the demographics remain as they are now,” Gill says. “We want to make sure we are not gentrifying out the folks who currently live in the community.”