“This is a love letter to Baltimore,” says Du Pree, executive director of the CityLit Project, describing the annual festival, now in its 21st year.

While the atmosphere on the Water Taxi was decidedly leisurely (it was a sunset cruise, after all), the underlying excitement was unmistakable. A constant flow of folks congregated around the book display even when the initial rush had passed.

The second annual Lost Weekend was an intimate and fun event featuring something for Baltimoreans of all ilk.

“My initial hope was to bring people to Waverly, highlighting the fact that we have tons of authors, creatives, writers, and book vendors right here in the community,” Diana Emerson, the executive director of Waverly Main Street and one of the festival’s organizers, said.