What if everyone read one book at the same time?
When we read a great book, we can’t wait to share the experience and talk about it with others. That’s one of the joys of reading.
In that spirit, Maryland Humanities created One Maryland One Book (OMOB) to bring together diverse people in communities across the state through the shared experience of reading the same book. We invite you to participate in book-centered discussions and related programs at public libraries, high schools, colleges, museums, bookstores, and community and senior centers around the state.
OMOB programs, including an author tour, take place each year in the fall. A calendar of free public events will be available online this summer.
2027 One Maryland One Book Selection
Suggest a Title for the 2027 One Maryland One Book!
2027 Theme
Innovation: Making Room for What’s Next
Did you know OMOB is turning twenty-years old next year? For two decades, One Maryland One Book has brought Marylanders together through the shared experience of reading—connecting people across our state through stories, ideas, and conversations.
In these twenty years, we’ve strived to innovate the program to meet the needs of our state. How we read is directly connected to how we think, connect, and react to the needs of our time. It’s not just us, though – from politics to culture to technology, we are living through a moment of extraordinary paradigm shifts.
This milestone has gotten us thinking a lot about the ways literature helps us transform, and we want you in on the conversation. As we continue to explore new ways of connecting, communicating, and creating with each other, what are the stories that will allow us to think about a transition to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead?
We need a book that will help us navigate the moment. Our 2027 theme, Innovation. invites you to consider how people and communities:
- innovate and transform with changing times;
- decide what to preserve and what to change;
- use tools, spaces, and resources to adapt;
- imagine what comes next.
Selection Criteria:
- published in 2017 or later
- up to 350 pages
- available in paperback, affordably priced
- available in print, audio, electronic format and, if possible, large print, film, or translation
- able to generate sustained discussion on the year’s theme
- of interest people in the state of Maryland
- appealing to a wide + diverse range of readers of different backgrounds and reading levels
- appropriate to high school age readers as well as adults
2026 One Maryland One Book Selection
No Sense in Wishing: Essays on Black Music, Belonging, and Baltimore
by Lawrence Burney
Maryland Humanities is pleased to announce that the selection for the 2026 One Maryland One Book (OMOB) is No Sense in Wishing by Lawrence Burney.
Released in 2025 by Simon and Schuster (Atria Books), the book is a personal and analytical essay collection taking cue from Burney’s career as a culture writer and critic through which he looks at his home city of Baltimore, music from throughout the global Black diaspora, and the traditions that raised him.
Get Your Copy
If you’d like to buy a copy of No Sense in Wishing, we recommend using the below links for Bookshop.org! Bookshop.org forwards a portion of each purchase to Maryland Humanities, and we’d greatly appreciate your support!
Sponsors and Partners
This flagship program of Maryland Humanities’ Maryland Center for the Book would not be able to reach all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City without the continued support of our partners and sponsors. Please join us in thanking them for their generosity!
We are also greatly thankful for the generous monthly support of our Humanities Heroes!