Baltimore's Black Arts Then & Now: Virtual Book Launch

Join the Chicory Revitalization Project to celebrate the publication of Baltimore’s Black Arts Then & Now: Behind the Scenes of a Collaborative Public Humanities Project.

This virtual event will feature contributors to the book in conversation about topics including:
• Nurturing the living legacy of the Black Arts Movement
• Talking back to the Western canon using the poetry of Chicory magazine in classrooms
• Resisting marginalization by activating digitized archival collections
• Ethical collaboration in public humanities projects

There will also be readings of Baltimore poetry, new and old.

Attendees will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of the book. If you can’t wait that long, pre-order Baltimore’s Black Arts Then & Now through our publisher or your favorite bookseller.

About the Book
Baltimore’s Black Arts Then & Now brings to life the Chicory Revitalization Project, a public humanities initiative that revives Baltimore’s historic Chicory magazine. From 1966 to 1983, Chicory served as a powerful voice for working-class Black communities, capturing their thoughts, struggles, and dreams through unedited poetry and street chatter. Dubbed “the most authentic microphone of black folks talking ever devised” by the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, Chicory emerged from the liberalism of the War on Poverty and the militance of the Black Arts Movement. Since 2017, a group of former Chicory editors, scholars, librarians, poets, teachers, and young writers have collaborated to use Chicory as a catalyst for intergenerational dialogue on social justice, race, and place. Baltimore’s Black Arts Then & Now documents this joint effort, offering valuable insights for public historians, educators, and humanists.