As part of our programming for the state’s largest reading and discussion program, 2026 One Maryland One Book author, Lawrence Burney, will tour across Maryland to discuss his book, No Sense in Wishing: Essays on Black Music, Belonging, and Baltimore.
All events are open to the public. Please see below for information for each author event.
23rd Annual CityLit Festival
April 11, 2026
Location: Maryland Center for History and Culture (610 Park Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201)
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Maryland Humanities will be at the 23rd Annual CityLit Festival with featured author and 2026 OMOB author, Lawrence Burney! Join us in conversation with the 2026 OMOB author, Lawrence Burney and esteemed culture writer, Shamira Ibrahim for our first CityLit Festival Session: “Mining the Memory: No Sense in Wishing” from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.!
This year’s festival theme is Bearing Witness: Literature as a Revolutionary Act. Writers are necessary to document the truth, challenge dominant narratives, and create our own space to speak out.
This event is a FREE day-long celebration of literature, April 11, 2026, from 10 am to 6 pm. Join us for a full day of conversations, readings, book signings with your favorite authors, and workshops that focus on the craft of writing.
The CityLit Festival brings multiple sessions offering panels, readings, informational discussions, and craft intensives by a wide variety of writers, editors, and publishing professionals. Related books will be on sale, and a Literary Marketplace provides exhibit space to the area’s diverse community of small presses, self-published authors, literary journals, and organizations serving writers and readers alike.
UMBC BookFest
April 21, 2026
Location: University of Maryland, Baltimore County (College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences)
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Join us for “One Maryland One Book: An Evening with Lawrence Burney, author of No Sense in Wishing,” where Lawrence will reflect on his essay collection, growing up in Baltimore, and his deep relationship to music with Assistant Professor of English, Chris L. Terry.
This event is co-sponsored by Maryland Humanities and the Dresher Center for the Humanities. Refreshments will be served.
Save the date for UMBC BookFest ’26! Celebrate all things books–making them, reading them, preserving them, donating them, advocating for them–across campus during National Library Week on April 21 & 23. Events will include BookMarkIt on the Library Plaza, featuring letterpress printing, zinemaking and swaps, a book drive, giveaways, and more!
Virtual Kickoff!
September 3, 2026
Location: Zoom
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Join Lawrence Burney to inaugurate the 2026 One Maryland One Book programming season! Learn more about what inspired him to write the book, the role of cultural criticism, and some of the topics he hopes readers can keep in mind as they join in the OMOB experience this fall.
One Maryland One Book author Lawrence Burney will be in discussion with Maryland Humanities to discuss the 2026 selection, No Sense in Wishing, a collection of essays about Baltimore, music from the Black diaspora, and the traditions that raised him.
Carroll County Book Festival
September 19, 2026
Location: Carroll County Farm Museum (500 S Center St, Westminster MD, 21157)
Time: TBA
Lawrence Burney will be appearing at the first ever Carroll Book Festival! Book lovers from Carroll County and beyond are invited to this special event celebrating literacy, stories, and community. This event is free for all ages, and will include:
- 100+ national bestselling and indie authors, book signings, panel discussions, and author talks
- Children’s character breakfast
- Literary-themed vendors
- Local food trucks
Presented by Carroll County Public Library in partnership with Park Books on Main, Penguin Random House, Carroll County Economic Development, Last Word Bookstore, and Two Sides to the Story Podcast.
Baltimore Book Festival
September 20, 2026
Location: 32nd Street Stage (corner of 32nd Street & Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21218)
Time: TBA
Bringing together nationally recognized authors, acclaimed local writers, publishers, and literary organizations, the festival creates a vibrant space where readers of all ages can connect with the written word. Through author talks, panel discussions, book signings, youth programming, and community activations, the festival highlights the power of stories to inspire, educate, and bring people together.
Building African American Minds
October 3, 2026
Location: BAAM Athletic Center (21 Jowite Street, Easton MD, 21601)
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 PM
As a journalist and critic, Lawrence Burney has been writing about music and culture in and around his hometown of Baltimore for more than a decade. His debut book, the essay collection No Sense in Wishing (Simon & Schuster, 2025), takes us from the streets of Baltimore to the concert halls of Lagos, a Gil Scott-Heron show, and a Maryland crab feast, as he considers the music, art, people, and places that have transformed him. Along the way, Burney assesses how the Black people in his home state have historically improvised paths for their liberation.
On Saturday, October 3, he will be discussing No Sense in Wishing—this year’s One Maryland One Book selection—with broadcast journalist and video producer Alana Yzola-Daly, whose recent projects include an assistant producer role for The Ebony Canal, a documentary exploring Black infant health that won 2025 Mid-Atlantic regional Emmy Awards for “societal concerns” and “outstanding PSA.” The event will open with a musical performance by Friends in Faith Gospel Group at 5:15, and a book signing will follow the talk. Books will be available for sale on site courtesy of Book Hounds. This is event is free and open to the public.
This program is presented in partnership with BAAM, Maryland Humanities, Shore Lit, and Talbot County Free Library. For questions about accessibility, please contact Marcus Moon at mmoon@baaminc.org.