Day: Saturday September 19th

  • Black Folk in Strange Places: Liberated World-building in Black Speculative Fiction

    What happens when Black writers refuse the limits of this world?

    Award winning Black sci-fi and fantasy author Cerece Murphy joins Books & Bounty’s founder Stephanie Henderson for a conversation about Afrofuturism, speculative fiction, and the liberating possibilities of imagining Black people in strange places—across distant planets, alternate histories, transformed futures, and worlds that have yet to exist.

    Together, we’ll explore the themes and storytelling mechanisms that make speculative fiction particularly powerful for Black storytelling: reimagining history, disrupting systems of power, reclaiming mythology and ancestry, and building worlds where marginalized people can exist beyond the boundaries imposed upon them. We’ll also consider why these imaginative spaces hold particular possibilities for Black women—writers and characters who have long been asked to navigate worlds in which they were treated as the “other.”

    This is a conversation about worldbuilding, yes—but also about who gets to imagine, who gets to belong, and what becomes possible when Black folk build the world themselves.

  • SOUL EVOLUTION: A SOUL-STIRRING JOURNEY THROUGH TIME, SPACE, AND SOUND  featuring AMOROUS EBONY & ANTONIO EYEZ with an intro by Karenthia A. Barber

    Soul Evolution with conjure womxn Amorous Ebony and producer, composer Antonio Eyez brings a close to the festival day with an introduction by motivational speaker Karenthia Barber. Listeners can expect soulful interpretations of covers by Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Green, Prince, along with original tunes. The performance blends classic soul with experimental sound, inviting audiences to witness, to ponder, to experience a soul evolution. Through these musical renditions, this production is ancestral veneration, bridging the past and the present in a powerful celebration of identity and perseverance. Antonio Eyez is a producer, composer, arranger, musician, performer, and creative director known for his ability to transform traditional sounds into modern masterpieces. Amorous Ebony is a multifaceted musician, somatic artist, education specialist, activist, and the creative curator of Amorous Designs. She will lure you into a sultry trance like the dance of a summer’s night soiree. Motivational speaker Karenthia A. Barber will introduce the CityLit Stage musical finale. She is a Maryland Port Commissioner, leadership strategist, and author who has trained over 300,000 people nationwide. A perfect ending to a day of exploring the beating heart of literary brilliance in Baltimore and beyond —going right to the soul with a blend of beautiful music by two Baltimore creatives.  

  • Stories Begin Here: A conversation with derrick adams, D. Watkins and Lawrence Burney

    In partnership with Charm City Cultural Cultivation, the Baltimore Book Festival is proud to present a kickoff panel with four voices shaping Baltimore’s story with their words and images. Join multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams for a dialogue around contemporary Black life and culture, as it’s captured by two of our most poignant storytellers: D. Watkins and Lawrence Burney. (Note: Devin Allen will not be able to join this panel due to a last-minute conflict.)

  • Color, Craft, Create with Meghana Narayan

    Let your imagination run wild. Author-illustrator Meghana Narayan leads a read-aloud and hands-on arts-and-crafts activity where young readers turn favorite story moments into their own original artwork — no drawing experience required. Educators and parents get simple, classroom-ready ways to pair art with reading, while kids take home something they made themselves.

  • Move Your Body with Baltimore Hoop Love

    Get ready to move, laugh, and join the fun! Baltimore Hoop Love is bringing the hoops and the stilt walkers for a high-energy celebration. Experience interactive hooping sessions for all ages and the chance to learn from the pros. Whether you want to watch, dance, or jump in and hoop, hooping is all about movement and community spirit.

  • Jump, Jump and Double Dutch with JUMP Maryland

    Get ready to double dutch with JUMP Maryland! All ages are welcome to Jump In—whether you’re a seasoned skipper or just learning the ropes. Join the fun, cheer on your friends, and see if you can master a new trick or two. Laughter, music, and fast-paced jumps guaranteed!

  • DewMore Baltimore Presents marcellus vinson, baltimore’s youth poet laureate

    Marcellus Vinson, the current Baltimore City Youth Poet Laureate, showcases the activation of spoken word and its transformative properties for Baltimore’s youth. He invites the community to listen to often unheard voices through the power of wordplay, metaphor, and vivid imagery. 

  • B. Sharise Moore presents “A City Dream”

  • Urban Reads Presents the Family Power Festival

    Color Of Change, the National Education Association, and Urban Reads Bookstore invite you to join us for our Family Power Festival on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

    Where: Urban Reads Bookstore, 3008 Greenmount Ave. Baltimore, MD 21218. When: 11:00 AM- 7:00 pm Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026 – RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/colorofchange/event/1011108/

    This fall, we’re focusing on empowering our community through Black joy and education!

    Public education is one of the strongest tools we have for Black opportunity, Black history, and Black self-determination. And right now, it’s under coordinated attack by this administration, from book bans that silence stories and history to vouchers that aim to gut funding; there is a lot at stake.

    The Family Power Festival is a space where our youth can express themselves, lean in and activate their unique power, and leave with resources, school supplies, and free books. Parents will learn more about what’s at stake right now and ways you can use your voice to ensure all students have access to public education that reflects their needs and amplifies the voices and stories of our communities. It starts with leaning into our collective power and pressuring educational decision-makers to show up for our students.

    You don’t want to miss out on a fun-filled family festival with good food, great books, free resources, and a community that shows up. Join us as we dance, laugh, and celebrate together while strategizing new ways to center, uplift, and WIN for our students.

  • April Ryan presents “Notes on a Blacklash: When a Black Woman Goes Viral”

    The veteran White House correspondent follows up Black Women Will Save the World with a gripping, soul-baring, and deeply personal examination of online misogynoir—specific and relentless online bullying attacks based solely on race and gender.

    Notes on a Blacklash is veteran White House reporter April Ryan’s gripping, soul-baring look at what happens when the world suddenly turns its full attention on you. This isn’t just the story of one viral moment with President Trump. It’s about the avalanche that follows: the scrutiny, the emotional and physical toll, and the way your identity can become fuel for headlines and hashtags.

    April pulls back the curtain on what it truly costs to be seen and what it takes to survive it. With vulnerability and power, she recounts the moments that made her go viral, not because she chased attention, but because she showed up authentically. Her presence, her truth, and her refusal to shrink under pressure struck a chord and sparked cultural firestorms.

    From a high-stakes press room showdown to the history-making decision by Vice President Kamala Harris, from the public disrespect of Stevie Wonder to the slap heard around the world, April explores how race, gender, and power collide in a world addicted to outrage and instant opinions.

    At its core, this book explores visibility—its price, its power, and the fight to reclaim your story when millions are watching. What does it mean to go viral when your hair is politicized, your voice is policed, and your very existence is treated as a threat? Sometimes, this is what it feels like when the spotlight finds you: uninvited, unrelenting, and impossible to ignore.