View or download the 2012
CityLit Festival brochure (PDF, 489k)
In Central Hall (1st floor):
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Literary Marketplace. Visit an array of self-published authors, literary organizations, small presses, magazines, and literary journals who make up Baltimore's diverse and talented literary arts community. Barnes & Noble, Power Plant, will be selling copies of the authors' books, and authors will sign here after their programs.
10:30 a.m. - Welcome to CityLit Festival. CityLit Project executive director Gregg Wilhelm and Pratt Library CEO Dr. Carla Hayden, with Mayoral Proclamation.
In Wheeler Auditorium (3d floor):
11 a.m. - Letters About Literature Awards Ceremony. Meet the Maryland winners in this national essay program for students grades 4-12, sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council/Maryland Center for the Book (www.mdhc.org). Featured author: Kwame Alexander, whose new children's book, Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band, was nominated for a 2012 NAACP Image Award.
12:30 p.m. - Benjamin Busch, author of the memoir, Dust to Dust, is an actor, photographer, film director, and a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer who served two tours of duty in Iraq. He played Officer Anthony Colicchio in The Wire and also appeared on Homicide, The West Wing, and Generation Kill. Ben is the son of the acclaimed late novelist Frederick Busch, and his own writing has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Conversation with Tom Hall, WYPR.
1:30 p.m. - Edward Hirsch and Thomas Lux: Two American Masters Share Their Love of Poetry. Edward Hirsch has published many books of poetry and prose, including the collection The Living Fire (2011). He is currently president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Tom Lux is the author of 18 poetry collections, including God Particles (2008). He currently teaches at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Introduction by Michael Salcman, Chair, CityLit Project.
3 p.m. - Walter Isaacson. Author of the bestselling biography of Steve Jobs, Isaacson is CEO of the Aspen Institute. He has been chairman of CNN and the managing editor of Time magazine. He is the author of Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; and Kissinger: A Biography. Introduction by Gus Sentementes, technology reporter, the Baltimore Sun.
In Office of School & Student Services (2d floor):
11:30 a.m. - Little Patuxent Review Presents ... Readings by Susan Gabrielle, Clarinda Harriss, Kathleen Hellen, Jill-Ann Stolley, and the winner of the Pratt Library's poetry contest. Hosted by Laura Shovan, editor, Little Patuxent Review.
12:30 p.m. - From Animal House to Our House: A Love Story. Ron Tanner and Jill Eicher chart their journey turning a (seriously!) dilapidated frat house into their lovely Charles Village home. Conversation with Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, writer and contributing editor, Architect magazine.
1:30 p.m. - Debut Literary Novelists: reading and discussion with Tania James (Atlas of Unknowns), Jon Michaud (When Tito Loved Clara), Nora Pierce (The Insufficiency of Maps), and Justin Sirois (Falcons on the Floor). Moderated by Jessica Anya Blau, CityLit Project board member.
In Poe Room (2d floor):
11a.m. - Bodine's City: The Photography of A. Aubrey Bodine: a slide-illustrated lecture by Jennifer Bodine. The latest book of images taken by the revered artist and Baltimore Sun photographer focuses on the city that rested at the heart of his work. Introduction by Jim Burger, writer and photographer.
Noon - Inner and Outer Space: Poets and the Importance of Place. Readings by Michael Fallon (The Great Before and After), Sam Schmidt (Suburban Myths), and Jennifer Wallace (It Can Be Solved By Walking). Moderated by Stephen Reichert, editor, Smartish Pace.
1 p.m. - Reinvigorating Historical Fiction: Louis Bayard (The School of Night) is a nationally recognized essayist, critic, and author whose articles have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Salon. People magazine has named him one of the top authors of the year. Conversation with Celeste Sollod, writer and blogger of "The Baltimore Bibliophile."
2 p.m. -The Art of Living: African-American Poetic Voices. Readings by Derrick Weston Brown (Wisdom Teeth) and Alan W. King (Drift). Introduction ty Truth Thomas, Pushcart-nominated poet.
In the Fine Arts Department (2d floor):
11 a.m. - Literary Necromancy: The Art of Writing Biography. Exploration of the art of writing biography, how subjects are chosen, and why writers delve into the lives of often not-so-well known figures. Arthur Magida (The Nazi Seance: The Strange Story of the Jewish Psychic in Hitler's Circle) and Christopher Corbett (The Poker Bride: The First Chinese in the Wild West), with moderator and biographer Evan Balkan (The Wrath of God: Lope de Aguirre, Revolutionary of the Americas).
Noon - In the Service of Short Stories. A conversation with and readings by authors dedicated to the art of the short story, featuring Rafael Alvarez (Orlo and Leini), Will Boast (Power Ballads), and Michael Downs (The Greatest Show). Moderated by Dave Rosenthal, Maryland editor and Read Street blogger, Baltimore Sun.
1 p.m. - 510 at the Festival. The traditional CityLit Festival edition of the popular 510 Reading Series with Matthew Norman, Christine Lincoln, Rachel Demme, and Sara Lippman. Hosted by 510 co-founder and JMWW editor Jen Michalski.
In the Meyerhoff Children's Garden (Lower Level):
Noon - From the Pens of Babes. Readings of original poetry by fourth grade students from Furman L. Templeton Preparatory Academy Charter School.
1 p.m. - Neela Vaswani reads from Same Sun Here, her new "novel in letters," for ages 9 and up. The story is told through correspondence between and Indian immigrant girl in New York and a Kentucky coal miner's son. Vaswani is the author of You Have Given Me A Country, winner of the American Book Award in 2011.
CityLit Festival is made possible with support from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and the Baltimore Community Foundation. CityLit Project is in residence in the School of Communications Design at the University of Baltimore.
