Day: Sunday September 20th

  • Teen-Zine Making Workshop with Hampton Boyer

    Teens, grab a seat at the art table. Led by authors and artists, this hands-on zine-making workshop invites you to tap into your inner artist and explore your creativity. RSVP at https://events.emersoncollective.com/readingisfreedom

    Hampton Boyer is an African American visual artist, working and living in Norfolk, Virginia. Self-
    taught, his works and practice are ever evolving as he investigates pivotal moments in history, as well as utilizing Afrofuturism and folklore to create stories. His exhibitions are a continuous effort to establish his voice as a place for the viewer to explore and to find an offering of inspiration. These offerings have been featured in museums and galleries across the US and abroad.

  • Stoop Reading with Mychal Threets

    A reading of Mychal’s book I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy. RSVP at https://events.emersoncollective.com/readingisfreedom

    Mychal Threets is a librarian and literacy advocate named one of Time’s 100 most influential creators. Online, he shares videos of affirmations to assure people that their mental health always matters, and he encourages everyone to know they belong at the library. A former PBS kid himself, Mychal is proud to serve as PBS resident librarian. His cats, Machine Gun Kitty and Kissin’ Kat Barlow, did not help at all, but he still appreciates them.

  • Stoop Reading with Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore

    A reading of Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore’s favorite book: Rain and the Reading Horse by Maria Gianferrari. RSVP at https://events.emersoncollective.com/readingisfreedom

    Dawn Flythe Moore is the First Lady of the State of Maryland. With more than two decades of leadership in state government, non-profit management, campaign strategy, fundraising, and community engagement, First Lady Moore brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to public service.

    She has served at the highest levels of Maryland’s state government, including roles in the administrations of Governors Parris Glendenning and Martin O’Malley, and former Maryland Lieutenant Governors Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Anthony Brown. A strategist and natural relationship builder, she was one of the architects of the historic 2022 campaign that elected her husband, Wes Moore, as Maryland’s 63rd Governor and the first African-American governor in the state.

    Throughout her career, First Lady Moore has established herself as a connector and a convener, leveraging her platform to unite public and private stakeholders around a shared vision for Maryland’s future.

  • Stoop Reading with Odette Ramos

    A reading of Odette’s favorite book Just Shine! By Justice Sonia Sotomayor. RSVP at https://events.emersoncollective.com/readingisfreedom

  • Live at the study! information sick: How Journalism’s Decline and Misinformation’s Rise Are Harming Our Health—and What We Can Do About It

    Join us on the final day of the Baltimore Book Festival for a morning conversation at our amazing Book Festival sponsor hotel, The Study at Johns Hopkins, featuring Information Sick co-authors Joanne Kenen, Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, and Lymari Morales. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press, the book explores how the decline of journalism and rise of misinformation are shaping public health and public trust.

    This event is offered in partnership with the Study Hotel and Johns Hopkins University Press and is free and open to the public.

    Limited seating is available; RSVP via Eventbrite.

    About the Authors

    Joanne Kenen is a journalist nationally known for her coverage of health policy and public health. She covered health policy on Capitol Hill for Reuters, oversaw Politico health coverage for nearly a decade, and has written for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, Undark, the Washingtonian, and other outlets. She is a regular on the KFF What the Health podcast and an assistant lecturer at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

    Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein is Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he also serves as Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement and as Director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. A pediatrician by training, he is a former health commissioner of Baltimore, Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

    Lymari Morales is a communications executive at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health whose work blends timeless journalism tactics with modern digital strategies.

  • writers in Baltimore Schools presents “Down the Hatch”

    Writers in Baltimore Schools returns to the Baltimore Book Festival to share their latest anthology of writings by students grades 3-8, and a conversation with the WBS YouthWorks editorial team.

  • Snug Books Presents Elizabeth Letts and Judith Krummeck: “FALLEN FOR FRANCE”

    A conversation… 

    Fallen for France

    An exquisite Arabian mare. A small boy leaving home in colonial North Africa. A young woman in France fighting to survive World War I. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ride of Her Life braids a sweeping novel of love, war, empire, and the power of kindness in a world descending into darkness.

  • Becca Rea-Tucker presents “The Abortion Companion” w/the Abortion Fund of Maryland

    A warm, accepting, non-judgmental, and stigma-free companion for your abortion journey.

    “Becca Rea-Tucker brings compassion, clarity, and courage to a topic that desperately needs all three.” —Jen Hamilton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Birth Vibes

    Whether you’re planning to have an abortion soon or you had one thirty years ago, whether you’re feeling relief or grief (or both!), and even if you haven’t decided yet and just want to untangle how you feel about it, this book is a safe and supportive resource. 

    With an emphasis on self-compassion, it collects reflection prompts, affirmations, conversation scripts, logistical info, self-care tips, and much more to validate and support you no matter where you fall in the full spectrum of experiences of people who have abortions. Bolstered by beautiful illustrations and the caring, confident support of author and reproductive rights advocate Becca Rea-Tucker, this book will meet you wherever you are and offer guidance for every step of your journey.

  • Sustaining Our Legacy, Building Our Future: Black Publishing in perspective 

    How have legacy Black publishers built and sustained independent publishing houses across generations? How does publishing Black books empower our community today? What will it take to preserve and grow indie publishing for generations to come? Join Stephanie M. Henderson @booksandbounty in conversation with indie publishing founders W. Paul Coates, Kassahun Checole, and Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson as they discuss the past, present, and future of Black book publishers.

    Featuring: Africa World Press (founded in 1983 by Kassahun Checole), Just US Books (founded in 1988 by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson), and Black Classic Press (founded in 1978 by W. Paul Coates)