Session & Speaker Details
SESSION & SPEAKER DETAILS
Panel A: The World of Publishing
May 16th 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Baltimore Unity Hall (Open to All)
This panel explores the many pathways poets can take to bring their work into the world. Featuring a local press, a literary journal, an editor, and an award winning published author, the conversation will offer a practical look at today’s publishing landscape. Panelists will discuss traditional publishing, independent and self-publishing options, the role of literary journals, and strategies poets can use to move their work from manuscript to audience.
Moderator: Lady Brion
Panelists: Hannah Sawyerr, Rafael Alvarez, Sarah Berger, Destinii Williams
Panel D: A Conversation with Poet Laureates
May 17th 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Baltimore Unity Hall (Open to All)
This panel explores the many pathways poets can take to bring their work into the world. Featuring a local press, a literary journal, an editor, and an award winning published author, the conversation will offer a practical look at today’s publishing landscape. Panelists will discuss traditional publishing, independent and self-publishing options, the role of literary journals, and strategies poets can use to move their work from manuscript to audience.
Moderator: Lady Brion-Maryland
Panelists: Truth Thomas-Howard County, David Alberto Fernánde-Takoma Park
Lady Brion is an international spoken word artist, activist, organizer and educator. Lady Brion currently serves as the executive director of the Black Arts District, an organization she founded in 2019. In 2024 she was appointed by Governor Wes Moore as the Poet Laureate of Maryland, making her the youngest Poet Laureate in Maryland’s history and the only spoken word artist to ever hold this position. She received her B.A. in Communication and Culture from Howard University and her MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Design from the University of Baltimore. During her slam career she has won the 2016 and 2021 National Poetry Slam, the 2017 and 2019 Southern Fried Regional Slam, and the 2019 Rustbelt Regional Slam. In 2021 she became the Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion making her the number one ranked woman slam poet in the world.
