2026 One Maryland One Book
No Sense in Wishing
Maryland Humanities is pleased to announce that the selection for the 2026 One Maryland One Book is No Sense in Wishing by Lawrence Burney.
Released in 2025, the book is an essay collection from culture critic Lawrence Burney that is a personal and analytical look at his home city of Baltimore, music from throughout the global Black diaspora, and the traditions that raised him.
Photo credit: [Baltimore cityscape at night from Federal Hill], by Jack Engeman. Courtesy of the Jack Engeman photographs (Coll118), the Photography Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Reader’s Guide
Every year, we work with educators and partners to bring you relevant information to enhance your reading of the One Maryland One Book. Here are some ways you can read along with us.
Welcome Letter
Read a welcome message from Maryland Humanities staff.
About the Book and Author
See bios, statements, and learn more about the book’s themes.
MSDE Standards
See which Maryland State Department of Education curricular requirements are aligned with our activities.
Discussion Questions
Prompts to guide your conversations about the book.
Extension Activities
Use these original interdisciplinary activities, arranged by subject, to engage your book club or classroom.
Image Gallery
A curated collection of images related to this year’s book selection.
Additional Resources
Related reading and other recommended resources to augment the book’s themes and topics.
Attributions and Sponsors
The people and organizations that helped us compile the content and resources of this guide.
Praise for No Sense in Wishing
“No Sense in Wishing is a stunning, richly intimate tapestry of affections that, most importantly, does incredible work to pay close attention to the people, things, and places that might otherwise be looked over. Through this, and within these pages, dignity is afforded to an interior world-and how grateful readers should be for that.”
Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Always This Year
“A sharp, reflective mix of cultural criticism, history, and memoir- a vivid look at a life shaped by hip-hop. Burney traces how a handful of artists reshaped his world, capturing the precise way a song’s groove can shake your soul and stay with you for a lifetime. His stories move like the rhythm of a great beat.”
Clover Hope, journalist and author of The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop
Grab your copy
Find a free copy of No Sense in Wishing at your local library or bookstore, and get reading!
Maryland Humanities has partnered with libraries across the state to hold print copies of the book for giveaway, as well as supporting e-book and audio editions to their catalog.
Reach out
Each year, more than 15,000 Marylanders read the One Maryland One Book selection. How many of those people are your friends or family?
Use the book to jumpstart a meaningful conversation in person or virtually with an old friend or to make a new one.
Pull up a chair
We invite you to join Maryland Humanities and thousands of other Marylanders at one of the many book discussions and related events happening around the state and online from mid-September to mid-November, including the author tour in October.
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Sponsors
Maryland Humanities is an educational nonprofit organization. Our mission is to create and support educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities.