Join us for a discussion of the 2026 One Maryland One Book selection No Sense in Wishing: Essays on Black Music, Belonging, and Baltimore by Lawrence Burney.

No Sense in Wishing: Essays on Black Music, Belonging, and Baltimore by Lawrence Burney is a personal and analytical essay collection that showcases his home city of Baltimore, music from throughout the global Black diaspora, and the traditions that raised him. Each essay tells stories of his formative moments and cultural artifacts to tell the story of our region’s cultural scene through his unique point-of-view. As one of our contemporary rising cultural critics, Burney’s book aptly captures this year’s theme of Revolution, Reaction, and Reform.