The stage is being set for the Baltimore Book Festival, which is scheduled for Sept. 28-30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Baltimore Inner Harbor.
Stevenson University is sending Ryan Roche, a current senior, and Hannah Humphries, a 2018 graduate, to the event this year to read from their own pieces. Anthony Moll, a business communication and English adjunct instructor at Stevenson University, will also perform on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. on the CityLit Stage.
Roche, an English major from Towson, Md., will read on Sunday, Sept. 30, at 3 p.m. on the Ivy Bookshop Stage. He will have five minutes to present an original piece of his choice.
The Ivy Bookshop, one of the numerous booksellers at this event, spotlights authors from the local Baltimore literary community.
The Baltimore Book Festival draws both local and national authors of all genres to showcase their work with performances and book signings, all while allowing their diversity to shine throughout the event. For example, D. Watkins, a writer who has read from his work in the past at Stevenson, will be appearing at the festival, which is free and open to the public.
Dr. Laura Smith, associate professor and chair of the English department, was able to add some insight into the core of Baltimore Bookfest.
“It’s not like you have to be a literature buff to enjoy the book festival,” she said, adding that because there is such a wide range of genres, there is a draw for every individual, regardless of interests and experiences.
Regarding Stevenson’s involvement in Bookfest, she explained, “If this event didn’t happen, our students wouldn’t necessarily go to the Bookfest.” If there is someone students know, there is an extra draw for them to attend the event.
Smith also suggests visiting the Food for Thought stage, as there will be cooking demonstrations performed on Friday and Sunday.
Moll will be doing a live episode of Lit!Pop!Bang! – Live! with his fellow author and co-host Cece. They are also hosting guests including Maren Wright-Kerr, the 2018 Baltimore Youth Poet Laureate, and Ailish Hopper, a poet and academic professor.
Moll said, “Knowing your fellow writers, publishers, community members face-to-face as people is really, really urgent at the moment.” Bookfest also serves as a reminder to get in touch with those in the community in which people live.
Roche, for example, hopes to be able to network extensively and use the resources there to gain more exposure.
The Inner Harbor has been a new location in recent years for Bookfest. Previously, it was held at Mount Vernon.