This weekend, September 12-14, indulge in your lit-love with the return of the Baltimore Book Festival.
The festival marks it’s 26th anniversary this fall— the third in the Waverly neighborhood. According to the press release, the Baltimore Book Festival was founded in 1996 by Baltimore Office of Promotions & the Arts, inspired in part by Mayor Schmoke’s “The City That Reads” initiative. Originating in Mount Vernon, it moved to West Shore Park and Rash Field in 2014, where it drew crowds of up to 100,000.
From 2020 to 2022, in the shadow of COVID, the event went on hiatus. To fill the void, Baltimore bookstores, literary arts organizations, and other business and community leaders in Waverly organized the Waverly Book Festival in April 2023. In 2024, it was official, their efforts brought the Book Festival back to life, and to Waverly. The 2025 festival was co-produced by Waverly Main Street and the City of Baltimore.
This year—expanded and reimagined through the partnership of Red Emma’s, Normal’s Books and Records, Peabody Heights Brewery, CityLit, and Waverly Main Street—the Baltimore Book Festival returns to the same footprint in Waverly as it held last year. With over 80 authors and six stages, the sheer number of events, readings, and panels on the three-day itinerary could fill a library in itself.
We’d like to offer a few recommendations from our team.
Friday, September 12
Friday’s easy. Between 6-9 pm, shake off the work week with a beer and kick off party at Peabody Heights Brewery. The evening features a poetry reading and panel with Ed Doyle-Gillespie, Nancy Murray, Tramaine Suubi, Katia Matychak, Mel Eden, Shirley J. Brewer, and Hillary Gonzalez. Join in with an open mic starting at 8.
Saturday, September 13
Don’t worry about a sitter; this festival has a lot to offer kids. 10 am-11am, start their day at the 32nd street stage (presented by Red Emma’s) for the Drag Queen Story Hour featuring Absolutely Dragulous and special guest, Tourmaline. Then move to the Children, Tween & Teen Stage presented by Baltimore Read Aloud.
Grown folks: Don’t miss the 31st Street Stage. Saturday is the only day we get the CityLit line-up. The intentionality of Executive Director Carla Du Pree’s literary curation is like poetry itself.
With presenters from 10 am-7pm, stand-out CityLit panels will include:
From the Margin to the Center: Toni Morrison, a Curator of Culture, Dana A. Williams in Conversation with V. Efua Prince
Writing Our Ghosts: What to Do With Family History That Haunts, Cathy Linh Che and Kat Chow in partnership with Kundiman
and
Song So Wild & Blue: Paul Lisicky with Rahne Alexander on the music of Joni Mitchell, with special musical guest, Kristin Putchinski.
to name just a few!
Sunday, September 14
For those who appreciate the intersection of visual and literary arts, Sunday is your day.
11:00-12 come to the Study at Johns Hopkins (3215 N. Charles St) where artist, Oletha DeVane and renowned curator and art historian Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims will present on Oletha DeVane: Spectrum of Light and Spirit, published by CADVC. The book documents over five decades of DeVane’s sculptures, paintings, and multimedia works. Plus it will be available at a special festival price of $30, with copies signed by both DeVane and Dr. Sims.
Red Emma’s rules the 32nd street stage for the second day, and that is in addition to their second, full itinerary of events on the stage inside the bookstore and cafe. If you don’t check out all they have to offer on Saturday, be sure to settle in on Sunday.
We’re especially looking forward to Carla Sosenko & Jen-White Johnson in the conversation, I’ll Look So Hot in a Coffin, and Other Thoughts I Used to Have About My Body happening 12-1 inside the cafe, as well as ReReading the News: Arianne Edmonds & Savannah Wood in conversation with SHAN Wallace, presented by Afro Charities 3-4pm on the 32nd street Stage.
Find more information about the 2025 Baltimore Book Festival including the full itinerary and map here.
You’ll also want to check out this list of the Festival’s headliners from the Baltimore Fishbowl.
