Literary & Media
Baltimore has famously been known as “the city that reads.” This section includes bookshops, literary organizations, libraries, writing programs, lectures, festivals, publications, podcasts, radio, and events.
Atomic Books
3620 Falls Rd. Baltimore, MD 21211
An independent bookshop in Hampden. John Waters gets his mail delivered here! Great magazines, graphic novels, and toys.
The Baltimore Beat
Baltimore Beat is a Black-led, Black-controlled nonprofit newspaper and media outlet. Our mission is to honor the tradition of the Black press and the spirit of alt-weekly journalism with reporting that focuses on community, questions power structures, and prioritizes thoughtful engagement with our readers. We aim to serve all of Baltimore City, including those with limited internet access and those who are a part of underrepresented communities. Our organization aspires toward a more equitable, accountable, and rigorous future for journalism that fully represents the stories of all our neighbors.
The Baltimore Book Festival
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. The festival’s popularity soared in the 2000s, drawing larger and larger crowds. In 2014, the festival was moved to West Shore Park and Rash Field, drawing up to 100,000 visitors. However, from 2020 to 2022 the event went on hiatus. In response merchants and other community leaders in Waverly organized the three-day Waverly Book Festival in April 2023.
Baltimore Brew
Baltimore Brew is an independent daily news website, staffed by veteran journalists committed to providing fresh, fair, insightful and reliable reporting about Baltimore.
The Baltimore Fishbowl
Baltimore Fishbowl reports the fun, factual and sometimes controversial scoop on local schools, real estate, money and power, culture, lifestyle, and community. Find daily posts Monday through Friday, longer original weekly stories, assorted columns and curated news from around the region, all accompanied by photos and video.
Baltimore Magazine
Baltimore magazine serves as a user’s guide to the region, both in print and online. Through world-class design, bold photography, and captivating writing, we point you to the best in food, drink, arts, culture, fashion, and more. We also introduce you to Baltimore’s most fascinating people and dig deep on the subjects that matter most to our readers. We passionately chronicle and celebrate this complicated, wonderful, vibrant city we all love.
Baltimore Style Magazine
Baltimore STYLE, published by Mid-Atlantic Media, is the premier lifestyle magazine of the Baltimore Metro area. Baltimore STYLE showcases fashion, food, travel, design, local personalities and more. The magazine publishes six times a year. Each issue reaches 112,000 upscale readers.
Bird in Hand Bookshop and Cafe
11 E 33rd St. Baltimore, MD 21218
Providing Baltimore’s Charles Village neighborhood the perfect blend of coffee, books, and community since 2016. All food and drinks are sourced locally.
BmoreArt
2519 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21218
BmoreArt plays a critical role in our cultural ecosystem by providing an independent, regional platform for creative communities to share their work and ideas with new audiences. BmoreArt is dedicated to highlighting emerging artists, alternative viewpoints, and unconventional forms of expression that may not receive attention in larger mainstream outlets. BmoreArt is an independent publication; this means we rely on partnerships, collaborations, grants, and membership-based subscriptions.
Book Thing
3001 Vineyard Ln, Baltimore MD 21218
The Book Thing puts unwanted books into the hands of those who want them, for free. The Book Thing is open to the public one day per month. Our monthly book giveaway event typically falls on the second full weekend of the month, and it alternates between Saturday and Sunday.
Charm City Books
426 West Franklin St. Baltimore, MD 21201
Charm City Books is an independent, family owned bookstore and community gathering space located in historic Seton Hill. We offer new books, coffee and tea, and locally made crafts as well as classes, workshops, and a wide range of events for the community and by the community. Charm City Books is a space for everyone, a place where neighbors can connect and learn about one another through literacy and the arts.
CityLit Project
CityLit Project nurtures the culture of literature in Baltimore and throughout Maryland. We create enthusiasm for the literary arts, connect a community of avid readers and writers, and design opportunities for diverse audiences to embrace the literary arts. While this mission remains a steadfast charge, how we create enthusiasm and connect communities evolves to reflect the spirit of the times.
Charm City Slam
Charm City Slam is a major spoken word poetry competition in Baltimore, featuring top national poets in dynamic head-to-head slams, tag-team events, and open mics, often held at venues like Motor House and Baltimore Unity Hall, known for intense performances and supporting local artists through monthly events leading to grand slams.
Greedy Reads Bookshop – Fells Point
1744 Aliceanna Street Baltimore, MD 21231
A local, indie bookstore in Baltimore. Now with two locations!
Greedy Reads Remington
320 West 29th Street Baltimore, MD 21211
A local, indie bookstore in Baltimore. Now with two locations!
Getting to the Truth in this Art Podcast
The Truth In This Art is an arts and culture podcast and artist interview podcast hosted by Rob Lee. Each episode features authentic, longform creative conversations with artists, creative thinkers, and cultural innovators—curators, gallerists, art historians, museum professionals, designers, filmmakers, musicians, writers, and community makers—who are shaping contemporary culture.
good neighbor bookshop and cafe
good neighbor was established on the concept of recreating the feeling of stepping into a loved one’s home. At good neighbor, every object, every stay, every sip, and every bite exists to inspire and nurture curiosity about the wider world and its shared community.
Hopkins Review
Established in 1947 and relaunched in 2007, The Hopkins Review is a journal of literature and culture from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.
Ivy Bookshop
The Ivy Bookshop is a community gathering space anchored by a vibrant bookstore in Baltimore’s historic Mt. Washington neighborhood. We believe in books as tools of connection between people, and we invite you here to gather– whether by finding a hidden gem of a book with a bookseller in the shop, strolling through our abundant outdoor spaces with your book and a picnic, or joining us at an author event where books come alive as conversations about the things that make life meaningful.
Little Patuxent Review
Little Patuxent Review (LPR) is a journal of literature and the arts, publishing poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction and artwork. LPR welcomes most US-based contributors and prides itself on supporting both up-and-coming and well-established artists and writers.
Mason Jar Press
Mason Jar Press is an independent publisher of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and literary art that mixes it up. We amplify fresh voices and promote bold work that pushes the boundaries of literary norms.
No Pix After Dark Podcast
Telling stories from Baltimore & Beyond With Host Aaron Dante. Topics of the No Pix After Dark Podcast range from Entrepreneurship to CEO wisdom, impact, struggles, and everything that connects us as humans.
Normals Books & Records
425 E 31st St, Baltimore, MD 21218
Normals was started on a tiny budget in 1990 as a collective of 9 people who wanted to work for themselves and to form a certain cultural presence in Baltimore. The stock has always been good and broad, drawing on the lure of Waverly as a “book neighborhood” (and now with Red Emma’s and Urban Reads!) and proximity to Johns Hopkins University. The collective was involved in a lot of publishing, performance, organizing, alternative thinking, politics and “strange” sensibilities. This kept things lively, sometimes resulting in concerts or openings in the store.
Off the Record Podcast
Off the Record with Dr. Akeda Pearson is a podcast featuring candid conversations on Baltimore city schools, STEM, and local community outreach. Other, unrelated, similarly named shows include DJ Akademiks’ hip-hop podcast, a Scottish music industry podcast, and WYPR’s Baltimore public affairs show, On The Record.
Press Press
Interdisciplinary Publishing
Press Press is an interdisciplinary, artist-led publishing studio and community space based in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 2014 by Kimi Hanauer. It focuses on amplifying suppressed voices, identities, and narratives through collaborative, community-focused publishing, including zines, books, and public programming, aiming to serve as a “utopian alternative” to mainstream media.
Red Emma’s Bookshop and Cafe
3128 Greenmount Avenue Baltimore, MD
Red Emma’s is the worker cooperative behind the restaurant, bookstore, and community events space at 3128 Greenmount Avenue, dedicated to putting principles of solidarity and sustainability into practice in a democratic workplace.
Sanity Lounge Podcast
Sanity Lounge is a Baltimore-based podcast and media platform that highlights local music, arts, and culture through candid interviews and live performances. Hosted by Bryan Leppo, it features musicians, artists, and creatives while exploring themes of drumming, film, and finding mental “sanity” in a hectic world.
Shine Creative
Shine Creative is an award-winning Baltimore-based video production studio located at 2010 Clipper Park Road, specializing in creating emotionally-driven, story-driven content for brands, including commercials, documentaries, and digital media. Founded by Drury Bynum and Melissa Kirby, the firm focuses on producing high-quality visual narratives to connect audiences with brands.
Smartish Pace
2221 Lake Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21213.
Smartish Pace is an independent non-profit magazine in Baltimore that was founded by Editor Stephen Reichert in 1998.
WTMD Radio: Total Music Discovery
2216 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.
WTMD is the most trusted source for music and cultural programming in the region and Baltimore’s home for Total Music Discovery. We believe a rich, vibrant, thriving and diverse music and arts scene can elevate a city and enrich the lives of its residents. With listener support, WTMD strengthens communities and provides unmatched opportunities for Baltimore musicians and artists. WTMD connects artists with audiences through significant and meaningful airplay, live concerts, art openings, film screenings and more.
WYPR Radio: News
2216 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.
The mission of WYPR is to inform, connect and even challenge the listeners we serve in the metropolitan Baltimore area and the state of Maryland by broadcasting programs of intellectual integrity and cultural merit so as to provide an unbiased perspective of the events of today and to enrich the minds and spirits of our audience.