On August 7, 2020 we had planned to host the 2nd annual Literary Night, a celebration of Baltimore area authors, writers, small presses, and literary organizations as part of the Highlandtown First Friday Art Walk in partnership with Highlandtown Main Street, Highlandtown Arts District, and Southeast CDC. Check out highlights from 2019 here and here and here.
This year, since we are unable to gather in person, we’ve opted to share information on each of the literary organizations and authors who had planned to join us below. Please take a moment to learn about the vibrant literary scene right here in Baltimore and support them by reading their publications or spreading the word about what they do.
We’ve also organized a virtual reading with a wonderful group of local writers, which you can watch here: A Celebration of Local Authors.
Thank you for supporting our mission and the voices all around Baltimore!
Literary Organizations
Zora’s Den
Zora's Den Writers' Group is a sisterhood of Black women writers.
Roots & Raíces
Roots and Raíces is a platform for artists, musicians, and activists to highlight, support, and celebrate immigrants in Baltimore through the arts and civic engagement. We also curate a rotating selection of artwork from local artists on our website in our online market and at our bi-annual EL MERCADO in Baltimore, MD.
Attracting over 2,000 visitors in our events, Roots & Raíces is becoming a recognizable platform in Baltimore. Although our events are diverse in programming, at the core of our work we embed civic action opportunities for the community to support immigrant communities both in Baltimore and nationwide. In addition to our events, we also have worked on a regular basis with over 58 students from 5 different high schools in developing their skills in art, design, event production, and advocacy.
Through our media platforms we collectively have over 3,000 impressions with our posts, stories, and promotions on a weekly basis.The success of work is best seen and heard from our community members who participate and attend our events and programming. We have received an abundance of positive feedback from the community. This work would not be possible without the generous support of our past funders.
Revolutionary Summer
A Revolutionary Summer is an intensive critical reading and writing program dedicated to shifting harmful narratives about Black women and girls through both the meaningful study and creation of art and the deliberate application of self-inquiry. We exist to keep Black girls whole, to balance the scales, to offer up a Nobel Laureate, radical painter, love song, and afro picked to perfection for every stupid, shallow representation of her. A Revolutionary Summer validates Black girl language and Black girl thought, Black girl hair and Black girl thighs. It traces, analyzes, justifies, and celebrates Black girl herstory. It contributes forcefully, unapologetically to a sound and solid Black girl future.
Mason Jar Press
Mason Jar Press has been publishing handmade, limited-run chapbooks and full-length books since 2014. The Press is dedicated to finding new and exciting work by writers that push the bounds of literary norms. While the work Mason Jar seeks to publish is meant to challenge status quos, both literary and culturally, it must also have significant merit in both those realms.
Lines + Stars
Lines + Stars is a Baltimore-based literary journal and small press. We publish seasonal online issues, annual poetry chapbooks, broadsides, and other projects.
Ligeia Magazine
Ligeia is a literary magazine based out of Baltimore. Ligeia publishes poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, artwork, and interviews in quarterly issues. We support and contribute to a global writing community—but we also plan to build a local network of lit lovers.
The Inner Loop
The Inner Loop is a literary reading series and network for writers in Washington, D.C. that aims to create a space for both emerging and established writers to connect with their community and to transform the written word into a shared experience through the act of reading aloud.
Enoch Pratt
Public Library
Dewmore Baltimore
Dew More seeks to foster civic engagement with historically marginalized peoples through innovative art-focused programming and community organizing via purposeful partnerships with community organizations, schools, and governmental agencies that foster empowerment, capacity for change, and community development.
Our Vision: Dew More aims to leave individuals and communities in a more actualized, engaged, and connected condition.
Baltimore Stories
Baltimore Stories is the creative collaboration of local literary and visual artists. Writer Kerry Graham will read vignettes about her experiences teaching high school English. Each short but impactful story is accompanied by either the artwork of painter Joann Dewwealth-O'Brien or photographer Rachel Shifreen. The visual art, inspired by the vignettes, reveals glimpses of each artist's individual impression of Baltimore. Follow them at: www.facebook.com/artistswithadayjob/
An Evening of
Vintage Smut
