Podcasts about baltimore book festival

Two weeks ago, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced that the city would terminate its contract with the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, the quasi-governmental agency serving as a local arts council, and as a producer of large city events like Artscape and the Baltimore Book Festival. Financial problems have beset the agency ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to cancel many events. The future of who organizes events like Artscape is uncertain. Is there still a role for BOPA? Rachel Graham is the CEO of BOPA, she joins Midday to share her vision for its future. Later, we speak with Nicholas Cohen, the Executive Director of Maryland Citizens for the Arts and Jeannie Howe, the Executive Director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

We celebrate this weekend's return of the Baltimore Book Festival with a talk featuring journalist Nico Lang whose book “American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era" chronicles the lives of trans kids around the country. The author spent nine months following the lives of eight trans, non-binary, and gender-fluid teens - and their families. The book explores some of the complexities of growing up trans. Lang will be speaking at 1pm on Sat. Sept. 28, as part of the Baltimore Book Festival, more info here.Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472

We begin today with a conversation about the role of city government in the arts. The quasi-public city agency known as BOPA, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, came under fire a couple of weeks ago when it announced it was canceling the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade, an event that had been canceled for the last two years because of COVID. When BOPA issued a press release announcing the parade's cancelation on January 5, 2023 — less than two weeks from MLK Day — Rep. Kweisi Mfume issued a statement calling the decision “disrespectful” and “disgraceful.” BOPA issued what it called a “clarifying statement” that seemed to put blame for the decision in the Mayor's office. Within hours, Mayor Brandon Scott was calling for the resignation of BOPA's director, Donna Drew Sawyer, threatening to withhold city funding if she didn't leave.She did leave, a few days later, and the parade did take place on Monday. There are people who know whether or not the decision to cancel the parade emanated from the Mayor's office, or from BOPA, but they're not talking about it. Today on Midday, we're not going to re-hash what happened with the parade. But we do want to talk about the role that BOPA has played, and should play, in the artistic life of our city. Should promoting the city and serving as an arts council to advocate for creative artists be functions that are combined within one organization? When it comes to events like Artscape and the Baltimore Book Festival, two of the events that BOPA has traditionally produced, how important are they to the cultural life of the city? Tom's guests today are three arts advocates who have worked to advance the cause of the arts in Baltimore for years. Jeannie Howe is the executive director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance…  Navasha Daya is an internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter, and the founder of the Youth Resiliency Institute... And Maggie Villegas is the founding director of BCAN, the Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network. They all join Tom in Studio A.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take the show on the road to the Enoch Pratt Free Library Children's stage at the Baltimore Book Festival for a conversation about Robbie Shell's novel BEES ON THE ROOF. Our group of readers have been meeting to talk about books almost since they first

Petula Caesar is a multi-talented all around artistic being. She is a writer, performer, creator, producer, recording artist and arts administrator. She got her start writing erotica when she was published in New York Times bestselling author Zane's erotica anthology “Caramel Flava” and has published two volumes of erotic ficton and an audiobook of erotic fiction. Petula has written for various publications like Baltimore's former alternative weekly City Paper, The Afro-American Newspapers, and Baltimore Magazine. Petula is also a storyteller and performance poet who has been featured at signature Baltimore events like Artscape, Stoop Storytelling, The Baltimore Book Festival, and Charm City Kitty Club. She has performed erotic poetry and suggestive storytelling with her band in tow for audiences up and down the East Coast and has performed with The Punany Poets from HBO's "Real Sex" series. After spending much time onstage in front of audiences of all kinds, Petula grew to love backstage just as much, and moved into theatrical production, event production and artist booking. She has curated, directed and produced events at most major venues in Baltimore, including The Creative Alliance, The Motor House, Arena Players, The Arch Social Club, The Reginald Lewis Museum and Metro Gallery and has worked with numerous Baltimore performers like The 5th L, Eze Jackson, Lea Gilmore, Jonathan Gilmore, Navasha Daya, and Joyce Scott. She created Caesar Productions LLC to present and elevate various aspects of African American culture, especially performance and literary arts through events ranging from live performance to workshops. Petula released her memoir entitled “She's Such A Bright Girl: An American Story” in June 2018, where she recounts an upbringing full of conflict and tension centered around colorism. The book won an Honorable Mention at the North Street Books Prize for creative non-fiction, and throughout 2018 and 2019 Petula could often be found appearing at branches of the Enoch Pratt Library and at other community events talking about her book and other themes related to race. Petula became director of Community Engagement for the Baltimore Rock Opera Society (BROS) in 2019. In her role of finding ways for BROS to become more reflective of Baltimore's demographic (majority African American), she assisted with creating programming with that audience in mind by using Black creatives both onstage and behind the scenes to execute that programming. This included serving as producer of a series of virtual concerts in 2020 called Rock Opera 101 (during the height of COVID no less). And while 2021 finds us still facing COVID, Petula continues to create, serving as Executive Producer and Co-Creative director of a theatrical presentation called “Funktopia - An Intergalactic Tribute To Funk and Hip Hop” that will feature music from Outkast, Kendrick Lamar, George Clinton, Funkadelic, and similarly funky artists.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It really makes a difference and it's always nice to read kind words.Follow us on Twitter and  InstagramBe sure to check out our other podcasts:Mastermind Team's Robcast - Mastermind Team's Robcast is an irreverent and hilarious podcast covering all things pop culture and weird news. Let's Watch It Again - Let's Watch It Again is a movie review podcast from MTR The Network.★ Support this podcast ★

I recently spoke to Marijah V. about writing, music, traveling, and a number of other topics. I think writers and non-writers alike can take away a great deal from our discussion! Marijah's bio (from Amazon): Marijah, author and musician, resides between San Diego, CA and Baltimore, MD. She has attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Performance, a Master of Management Degree specializing in Human Resources Management, and is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in General Psychology. Marijah created a small non-profit organization, 'Mjai V.'s Worldwide Reach', to educate others about the cultural, economic, educational, and agricultural differences across the globe that impact not only outside countries, but the United States as well, in order to create innovative solutions to make a positive difference. Marijah, known primarily for her wanderlust endeavors and destination adventure sharing on social media, travels worldwide and attains her inspiration from all over the globe. She is featured at one of the biggest annual events in Maryland, the Baltimore Book Festival. Web site: http://www.MarijahVWanderlust.com Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Marijah-V/e/B07MVHYHHY/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/ZeMagicalWanderlust ****************************************************************************** Email me: marisadellefarfalle@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/marisadee13 Instagram: www.instagram.com/marisadf13 Buy Me a Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I'd really appreciate it if you could rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, as it'll help a lot more people find out about this show! Also, I recently started a new podcast! You can catch the latest episode here: https://anchor.fm/marisa-d96/episodes/A-Short-Overview-of-Mesmerism-e168npc

We miss book festivals! It's the best place to meet authors, fellow book lovers, and come home with a stack of books and pages of great book suggestions. This week, we turn back the clock to 2015 for our visit to the Baltimore Book Festival for some terrific book suggestions. And if you're looking for a book festival this weekend, join host Kitty Felde at the virtual Literary Hill BookFest. She's on a panel with LBJ's granddaughter to talk about the power of children's literature to dismantle divisions. Sunday, May 2 noon eastern time Here's the link: https://www.literaryhillbookfest.org/

Megan Erickson (USA Today bestselling romance author) is my guest, and we talk prison planet romances, which can briefly be summarized as “forced proximity on steroids.” The romance worth reading is Guardian by Emmy Chandler, the first in a series of prison planet romances. Discussed: Morality, The Trolley Dilemma, Consent, Humanity.CW: in this episode we discuss consent, sex work, threat of sexual violence, and violence.--Shelf Love:Sign up for the email newsletter listWebsiteTwitterInstagramEmail: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.comSign up for the Shelf Love newsletter for bonus content!Guest Host: Megan EricksonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meggiejoknows/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganErickson_Website: https://meganerickson.orgElla Maven: https://www.ellamaven.com/We Read Guardian by Emmy ChandlerModern romance canon: Kristen Ashley: Sweet DreamsBooks/Media/Mentions:Hold by Claire Kenthttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24582265-hold?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=vHtVIw6XdD&rank=1The Gamers series by Megan EricksonThe one Andrea read and remembers fondly: Changing His Game m/f romanceTied to Trouble: m/m romanceNetflix film: 13th13th is a 2016 American documentary by director Ava DuVernay. The film explores the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States;"[3] it is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime.Sonali Dev: spoke at Baltimore Book Festival about how romance novels aren’t the journey of finding someone to love, it’s about the journey to discovering you’re worthy of being loved.https://sonalidev.com/Disney “I Want” Songs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_Want%22_songTangled is a great movie - Disney-fied version of Rapunzel Reese Witherspoon’s Glamour Speech “What do we do now!?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKKRBnpDpBYI mentioned episode 14 with Funmi B when we were discussing characters, and black heroines in particular, “not needing to be fixed.” You can listen to that full conversation here: we read Equivalent Exchange by Christina C. Jones.Listener contributions:Kini Allen: for her continual ribbing of that one time I pronounced Gif like JiffWhat are prison planet romances about? Contributors: Katrina Jackson, B. and her Books, Marisa Elaine Getas, Jess

1. Leo Brouwer’s Sonata del pensador: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1H3XzKKhXgxS8K0JlA2bZ22. Paul Lansky’s Textures: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/32lNiwD6k9M9hmZN2Qv9MU3. Mazen Kerbaj’s Walls Will Fall: The 49 Trumpets of Jericho: https://open.spotify.com/track/0jSUuU0P8gE2Kd9IqmOvzNYou can listen to these before or after the episode, or you can pause our podcast and go listen to each piece as we introduce them. Panelists:Andrew Oswinkle was born and raised in Baltimore and attends Peabody Conservatory for his masters in Classical Guitar Performance under scholarship. He has played for various events in the area such as ArtScape, the Baltimore Book Festival, the Bach in Baltimore BachFest, and has put on a number of solo recitals in the Baltimore area. Andrew is dedicated to advocacy for the classical guitar by, not only bringing his music to formal concert stages, but also by bringing high-quality music into his local community by playing for local events, schools, and informal venues. He brought Leo Brouwer’s Sonata del pensador and recommends other Brouwer works such as the Danza del Altiplano, Tres Apuntes, and the Concierto no. 2, “de Lieja.” aoguitar.comZoe Fried is a performer, administrator, and arts advocate with an aim to inspire audiences through genuine interaction and creative presentation, currently the Operations Manager with Shriver Hall Concert Series. Zoe performs and producing in venues all across Baltimore, including performing for Dan Deacon's 10th Anniversary release concert for Spiderman of the Rings, and in Deacon’s Baltimore Symphony Pulse collaboration at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. She also performs with and serves on the Board of Mind on Fire, a musical arts cooperative, collaboratively presenting contemporary music in Baltimore. She recommends that you check out this live performance of Paul Lansky’s Textures, which we talk about on the episode.Samuel Burt is a composer in Baltimore, composing for orchestra, small groups, piano, and electronic music. He improvises on clarinet, bass clarinet, and daxophone. He is a professor at Towson and Johns Hopkins. He is a member of the High Zero Foundation that runs the Red Room series, focusing on improvised and experimental music. Check out The Free Jazz Collective’s article on the piece Sam brought, Mazen Kerbaj’s Walls Will Fall, Kerbaj’s festival of experimental and contemporary music in Arab countries, and an excerpt of his “duet” with an Israeli bombardment of his town. samuelburt.comMore information at pauseandlisten.com. Pause and Listen was created by host John T.K. Scherch and co-creator/marketing manager Michele Mengel Scherch.

Gilly Segal (@really_gilly) shares I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT. This episode was recorded live at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland as part of the Baltimore Book Festival. Kimberly Jones, Gilly’s co-author, had to cancel at the last minute and was sorely missed in this conversation. I’M NOT DYING WITH YOU TONIGHT is a YA novel told in two voices about two high school students, Lena and Campbell, who are forced to flee their school football game when a fight breaks out and a student is shot. Their path home sends them downtown through a coalescing riot akin to that of the 2015 riots in Baltimore in response to the death of Freddie Gray. It’s a powerful and compelling novel that confronts racism and racial bias, all the while exploring what it looks like to be a survivor. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Highlights Foundation Storyteller Academy Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons.

My time at the Baltimore Book Festival 2019. - - - - Email: solonerdbird@gmail.com Twitter: @SoloNerdBirdPodcast IG: @solonerdbirdpodcast Tumblr: solonerdbird FB: solonerdbirdpod WordPress: solonerdbird.wordpress.com YouTube: Solo Nerd Bird

Tom's next guest today is the author of a fascinating new biography of Harriet Tubman, the famed 19th century anti-slavery activist, whose remarkable life story is also the subject of Harriet, the new film by director Kasi Lemmons that's hitting US screens today.Erica Armstrong Dunbar is a professor of history at Rutgers University. Her fascinating new Tubman biography is called She Came to Slay, and it's being published this month by Simon and Schuster.Professor Dunbar will be talking about the new book this Sunday at 1pm at the Brilliant Baltimore Festival, which combines the Baltimore Book Festival and City Lights. For details on her event, click here.Erica Dunbar joins us on the line from the studios of WHYY in Philadelphia.

The Baltimore Book Festival and Light City have combined forces to present a ten day, one-of-a-kind international event at the Inner Harbor, beginning November 1st thru the 10th. Maryland Transit Times host Ken Berger met with Baltimore Office of Promotion and Arts Festival Manager Susan Fortkiewicz, who was happy to share her view of why the festival’s showcase of books, performances, food and the art of light will make this the place to be in November. For more about the festival, visit https://brilliantbaltimore.com. #ExploreBaltimore #BrilliantBaltimore (Photo Credit – BOPA)

Kini Allen (Smexy Books) and Andrea discuss Time Served, a steamy second chance contemporary by Julianna Keyes: a lawyer who made it out of her rough neighborhood reconnects with her ex-con ex. We cover “unlikeable” heroines, social class/Otherness, steamy revenge sex, and why it’s ok to like books in which characters do problematic things.CW: Boundary-pushing, consensual intimate encounters are discussed.Guest InformationGuest Host: Kini Allen (Smexy Books)Instagram: @1KiniLeiTwitter: @kinilei1You can find Kini at the Maryland Romance Writers tent at the Baltimore Book Festival, which is coming up November 1-3, 2019.Book PickTime Served by Julianna KeyesJulianna Keyes' websiteContributorsFrom Instagram: B.andherbooks, Now_Booking, Boobiespodcast, AddictedtoRomance, Amanda_BallerFrom Twitter: Ainsley Wynter of Tarth, Lisa Donaldson, Booked and BusyLinksThe Mary Sue article by Jessica Mason: What you Ship Doesn't Make You a Bad Person...Or A Good OneKini mentioned Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn, which isn't out until 2020 but has a beautiful soft-touch finish on the print copy - Pre-order now!Trope Town: Second Chance RomanceBack To You by Priscilla Glenn (M/F Contemporary)Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan (M/F Contemporary / Romantic Suspense)The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren (M/F Contemporary / CW: School shooting)Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas (M/F Historical)Reader Recommendations:Booked and Busy - TwitterBefore We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino (M/F Contemporary)Famous by Jenny Holiday (M/F Contemporary)Kini adds: Infamous by Jenny Holiday (M/M Contemporary)Honorable Mention is Undeclared by Julianna Keyes (M/F Contemporary)The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev (M/F Contemporary)Ainsley Wynter of TarthWinterblaze by Kristen Callihan (M/F Paranormal)Lisa DonaldsonFalling Again for Her Island Fling by Ellie Darkins (M/F Contemporary)Featured Romance Book Club:Location/Host organization: One More Page BooksWhen: First Thursday of the Month at 7:00 pm 

Meet Melissa Wells, the author of the book, The Thirty Day Prayer Journaling: Building Your Prayer Life and Discovering Your True Identity. We met at the Baltimore Book Festival this past year and I knew she had to be on the show. A true Brave Girl leader, Melissa turned her pain into good by teaching what she learned during her divorce and bringing this amazing book into the world. She shares how her relationship with God and prayer got her through stormy weather when she didn’t know where to turn. She shares how therapeutic writing and prayer can be for our souls and how her book guides the reader to come back to who they have always been. Far too often, we lose our identity and allow unfinished dreams, visions and plans to slip away from us. Melissa learned to trust God during her difficult times, even though she wasn’t clear on her next steps. We talk about knowing that stormy weather will always come and test your faith so you need to be prepared. We talk about the importance of faith in your daily life and how you can come out of difficult situations. Melissa advocates for creating a prayer practice in your life to anchor your soul. We talk about the her dreams for her non-profit, Second Chance Outreach Ministry and how she helps people who have hit rock bottom by showing compassion and teaching the power of prayer. I am so grateful for Melissa sharing her story and wisdom on the show today. I invite you to listen in to our conversation and I encourage you to go grab yourself a copy of Melissa’s book, The Thirty Day Prayer Journal.  

Kamichi Jackson is the author of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finalist YA book, K My Name Is Kendra, and the upcoming sequel Starring Me As Myself. She has made numerous appearances in support of her work—among them the Baltimore Book Festival—and is represented by Cherrie Woods of Eclectic PR.  In this episode of JARO Podcast, Kamichi shares her personal experiences and the inspiration for writing the novel, “K My Name is Kendra”.

Meet Lisa Diane McCall from Explore the Dark Heart who I met at the Baltimore Book Festival. She’s a life coach and the author of The Rhythm of the Soul: A Journey of Loss and Discovery. A zoologist by training, she finds nature fascinating and she's interested in all things people and culture. A researcher in the international public health space, she loves observing people and using her skills to direct a clinical study on HIV/Hep C. She talks about her work at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and what she has learned from the patients over the past fifteen years. Lisa also talks about her vision quests in Utah and the Sahara Desert and the personal growth work that she has done in her life. She explains what is involved with the steps of vision questing to include separation, sacred (you reflecting in nature) and then incorporating  or what you take back to your community from the shifting that has occurred. She talks about the importance of the process you use when you re-enter the world after your energy has shifted within you. Lisa’s mystical realism book showcases the Tuareg culture, the history of the war in Algeria, and life in the desert. Always a researcher, she undertook deep study of the people, their stories and the land in order to write the book and bring greater awareness of these people to the world. We talk about self-sabotage and how the inner critic influences us. She talks about voice dialogue coaching to build your awareness around our behaviors such as people pleasing and the impact it has on your results. As a trained life coach, Lisa works with her clients to shift their awareness and behaviors from default actions. You can learn more of the shadow work she does with her clients. I hope you enjoy hearing Lisa’s wisdom as much as I did when we chatted.

Brigid Kemmerer (@BrigidKemmerer) is the author of MORE THAN WE CAN TELL, a book centering on the separate but soon-intertwining lives of two teens, one growing up in a foster home and the other the creator of an MMO first person shooter. The story calls into question what it means to be family, how well we think we know one another online, and how we perceive what we mean to those who raise us. Nisha Sharma (@Nishawrites) is the author of MY SO-CALLED BOLLYWOOD LIFE, a story in which the protagonist wrestles with futures, both the ones that are predicted, the ones we plan out for ourselves, and also the ones that just happen to us when we allow life to follow its course. We recorded this episode live on the Enoch Pratt Free Library stage at the Baltimore Book Festival. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast.

Tony Medina (@PoetTonyMedina) is the author of I AM ALFONSO JONES, a graphic novel inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement about a teen who is shot and killed by police while shopping for a suit in a clothing store. The novel retraces the events leading to that day while also following the timeline forward as both life itself a the ghost of Alfonso Jones struggle against a nation's history of violence toward people of color. It is a powerful and timely story and one that will remain with readers long after hearing Alfonso's story. We recorded this episode live on the Enoch Pratt Free Library stage at the Baltimore Book Festival. You can access even more information about this book and its author illustrator by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast.

Scientists believe Tangier Island, in the Virginia waters of the Chesapeake Bay, could vanish within the next 25 years. Two-thirds of Tangier's land mass has disappeared since the time of the Civil War, and in recent years sea-level rise caused by global warming took more acres from the island. Fewer than 500 people remain there. Many of them voted for Donald J. Trump, share his rejection of climate change as the reason for their existential challenge and insist that a seawall around the island would save it from further ----wave erosion.---- The deeply religious islanders have frequently been in the media spotlight, often the subject of derision and ridicule for their climate change denials and support of Trump. Journalist and author Earl Swift spent more than a year on Tangier, learning about the island way of life and the work of the watermen who've harvested blue crabs and oysters for generations. Swift has written an elegiac book about the place and the people who could well become the Chesapeake's first climate change refugees. The book is, ----Chesapeake Requiem: A Year with the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island,---- published by Harper Collins.In this episode: A talk with Swift following his appearance at the 2018 Baltimore Book Festival; excerpts of a CBS News report, a Stephen Colbert monologue and ----Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.----

Interview with Director of the City Lit Project Carla DuPree and author and screenwriter Evan Balkan.

Today, Tom's guest is veteran White House Reporter, April Ryan. She has been a fixture in the White House press corps for more than two decades. In addition to her superb reporting for the American Urban Radio Networks on the administrations of Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump, she is also the author of three books, the latest of which explores the chaotic inner workings of the Trump administration. It’s called Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House.April Ryan will talk about her book at the Baltimore Book Festival at the end of this month, on Sunday, the 30th.

bibliomania: noun: passionate enthusiasm for collecting and posessing books.Do you have bibliomania? So do we. On this episode of The Noir and Bizarre, Katie visits Earle Havens, Curator of Rare Books at the famous George Peabody Library. Earle introduces us to some bizarre and beautiful books in the library, and also gives us some of the history behind this stunning cathedral of books. Make sure you check out the Baltimore Book Festival, September 28th - September 30th: www.baltimorebookfestival.com

Artscape is underway in the Mt. Royal, Bolton Hill, Charles Street and Station North neighborhoods of Baltimore. It’s billed as the largest free arts festival in the United States. It’s produced by the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, lovingly known as BOPA. BOPA has a new boss. Joining us in the studio today is Donna Drew Sawyer, who took the reins of BOPA a couple of weeks ago, after serving as its chief of external affairs for about a year. She succeeds Bill Gilmore, who served in various leadership positions at BOPA for more than 37 years. As the CEO of BOPA, Donna Drew Sawyer will oversee some of Baltimore’s biggest events, including Artscape, the Baltimore Book Festival and Light City. Donna Drew Sawyer joins Tom in Studio A. The conversation was live-streamed on WYPRs Facebook page, and you can see that video here.

Here’s a Stoop Story told by Lauren Francis Sharma at the Baltimore Book Festival in 2016. She was unhappily working as a corporate lawyer in 1998 when she decided to take a chance on becoming an author. You can hear her story and many others at stoopstorytelling.com, as well as the Stoop podcast.

Live onstage at the Baltimore Book Festival with Ronald L. Smith (@RonSmithbooks), Renee Watson (@reneewauthor), and Carole Boston Weatherford.

President Trump this week praised Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey for taking in refugees from the six-year-old Syrian civil war while his administration considers lowering further the number of refugees accepted in the United States. As a candidate and as president, Trump has taken a hard line on refugees while other nations have accepted hundreds of thousands of them. For instance, by the time Germany had accepted 600,000 last fall, the U.S. had welcomed only 16,000. On the show today, a look at the crisis with Alia Malek, Baltimore-raised journalist and civil rights attorney who traveled with Syrian refugees and profiled some of them for Foreign Policy. And Dan speaks with the leader of an Arabic music ensemble that will perform a concert at Towson University on Sept. 29 to keep attention on the refugee crisis.Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, offers a strong recommendation for, "Sing, Unburied, Sing," the new novel from National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.Alia Malek, attorney, journalist and author of "The Home That Was Our Country, A Memoir of Syria," talks about the civil war, the refugee crisis and her Syrian ancestors. Malek is a featured speaker at the Baltimore Book Festival. She appears on the Ivy Bookshop Stage Friday at 5 pm.Michel Moushabeck is the leader of Layaali Arabic Music Ensemble, which comes to Maryland Sept. 29 to perform an evening concert for Syrian refugee awareness at Towson University. He offers a tutorial in Arab music ahead of the free concert.

The acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes novels, inspires feminists and pitches beauty products. She’s been sampled by Beyonce, and her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, is this year’s MD Humanities One MD, One Book selection. She’s going to be at the Baltimore Book Festival this weekend

At the 22nd Baltimore Book Festival this coming weekend at the Inner Harbor writers will have a chance to get a professional critique of their work, readers a chance to meet and interact with hundreds of published authors and everyone a chance to enjoy some live music. We speak with Kathy Hornig, festivals directors for the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, novelist Jen Michalski of the “Starts Here” writers’ readings and Carla Du Pree executive director of City Lit Project to hear about festival history and highlights.

Baltimore Book Festival by MTA Maryland

Norma L. Jarrett is the author of the novels Sunday Brunch (Best Girlfriend Book – Upscale Magazine), Sweet Magnolia (Essence magazine national book club selection) and The Sunday Brunch Diaries (Essence Bestseller) all published under Randomhouse/Harlem Moon, Bridal Brunch, Love on a Budget, Chrismas Beau, Valentine's Day Again, Brunchspiration  and other titles. Her work has gained attention in Ebony, Essence, Gospel Today, Jewel, Publisher’s Weekly, Rolling Out, Southern Living, Upscale, and USA Today. Norma has been a featured guest on ABC 13’s Crossroads and the Yolanda Adams Morning Show, and other media outlets. Among other honors, Ms. Jarrett has received a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for her literary work. She travels the country as a sought after panelist and speaker for events such as the Baltimore Book Festival, Faith & Fiction Retreat, Harlem Book Fair, Miami Book Fair, and other venues. She recently launched The Book Besties for aspiring and new authors. Ms. Jarrett is a graduate of North Carolina A & T State University and Thurgood Marshall School of Law.  Norma is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.,  and a founding member of The Anointed Authors on Tour.  She is married and resides in Houston, Texas, where she attends Lakewood Church.  

MTA's Joanna Campbell interviews officials from the Baltimore Book Festival to discuss this weekends festivities.

Author and literary agent Bill Clegg talks to Gary Almeter at the Baltimore Book Festival about his serendipitous path into the literary world and the inspiration behind his debut novel Did You Ever Have a Family.