Echoes Across Eras: Poetry Time Travel with Baltimore’s Chicory Magazine
10:00 am – 11:15 am
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Lobby Stage
PARKING
https://www.bsomusic.org/visit-joseph-meyerhoff-hall/
______________
Embark on a poetic journey through time with the Chicory Revitalization Project. Delve into Baltimore’s literary, poetic, and activist past, present, and future through the lens of Chicory, a Baltimore Black community poetry magazine published from 1966-1983 that’s being revived today. A panel discussion with Baltimore poets across generations using poetry to preserve Baltimore’s culture and amplify its distinct voice, we will celebrate the living legacy of those voices, remembering and honoring those who paved the way through poetry performances that ask: What should the future look like? Our poetic exploration extends beyond mere observation; it’s a call to action. How do we actualize the past, repeating history in positive ways? Poet, educator, editor, and lyricist, Baltimore’s Melvin E. Brown, the longest-serving editor of Chicory is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, and the author of two collections of poetry, In the First Place and Blue Notes and Blessing Songs. Rejjia Camphor, a transdisciplinary artist, educator, and organizer from Baltimore, teaches Creative Writing at Writers In Baltimore Schools and is the Founder of the environmental community project, Sister Stream Catcher. National Slam Champion Slangston Hughes is the artistic director of DewMore Baltimore, former coach of the two-time world champion Baltimore City Youth Poetry Team, and founder and member of the winningest poetry slam team, Slammageddon. Poet and performing artist, Taye Caldwell, a freshman at Patterson High School, was a finalist in the 2023 Baltimore Youth Poet Laureate Competition, showcasing an unwavering love for anything that has to do with art. Patrice Hutton, founder of Writers in Baltimore Schools, and A’niya Taylor, Baltimore Youth Poet Laureate, 2022-2023, will join the discussion. Baltimore cultural historian Mary Rizzo, author of Come and Be Shocked: Baltimore Beyond John Waters and The Wire, will moderate.
______________
MELVIN E. BROWN is the Former Editor of Chicory Magazine, author of In the First Place and Blue Notes and Blessing Songs.
REJJIA CAMPHOR is a Transdisciplinary Artist, Educator, and Organizer from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a B.A. degree in Creative Writing, Visual Culture, and Women’s Studies from Hampshire College (2020). Recognized for community service and creative contributions, Rejjia’s work has earned numerous accolades, including Scholastic Awards (2015/16), a Prudential Spirit of Community Award (2016) and a Certificate of Ethical Leadership (2020). Featured in publications like the Baltimore Beat, Brown Sugar Literary Magazine, VoyageBaltimore and showcased in curated exhibitions at Triangle Art Studios, Johns Hopkins University, and Enoch Pratt Free Libraries, she currently serves as a Creative Writing Instructor at Writers In Baltimore Schools and is the Founder of the environmental community project, Sister Stream Catcher.
www.rejjiacamphor.com
Instagram: rejjiacamphor
SLANGSTON HUGHES is a National Slam Champion based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Artistic Director of DewMore Baltimore, former coach of the 2X world champion Baltimore City Youth Poetry Team, and founder as well as team member of the 7X champion Slammageddon Baltimore adult slam team. The winniest team in poetry slam history. As well as the author of the poetry collection Slanguage Arts & Griot Glimpses and the forthcoming book God’s Favorite Breakdance Move. https://www.justdevlon.com/cowp
Twitter:@griotslang
Instagram:@artistalien777
TAYE CALDWELL is a vibrant and talented young performing artist from Baltimore, Maryland. A freshman at Patterson High School, Taye is an active member of the school’s band, choir, and drama department. Beyond their school engagements, they serve as an advocate for their former middle school, Charm City Virtual. Recognized for their artistic achievements, Taye was featured in the Chicory Magazine traveling exhibit and was a finalist in the 2023 Baltimore Youth Poet Laureate Competition. Showcasing an unwavering love for all things art.
Twitter: @DEV_TayeC
Instagram: @deaths_endlessvoid
PATRICE HUTTON is the Director of Writers in Baltimore Schools, a creative writing organization for Baltimore City youth. She received a BA and MA in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University. Patrice served on the Open Society Institute – Baltimore Fellows Advisory Board, which she recently helped transition into the OSI – Baltimore Fellows Collective. Her fiction and nonfiction appear in Tin House Flash Fridays, Ploughshares blog, Gulf Stream Magazine, and elsewhere.
patricehutton.com
Twitter: @patricey
Instagram: @patricey
A’NIYA TAYLOR is a Spoken word artist, community advocate, horse enthusiast, and author of her debut book, The Space Between: The Hurting The Healing The Loving. She is the (2022-23) Youth Poet Laureate of Baltimore and has also served as a Youth Poet Ambassador in 2020 and 2021. She graduated from Baltimore City College in 2021 and has been the captain of the Baltimore City Youth Poetry Team in both 2021 and 2023. She won 1st place in the individual poetry slam at the 2021 Brave New Voices event and was nominated for Marylander of the Year in 2020 for her activism work. She was also interviewed for Duke University’s Archive in 2021. Through her poetry, A’niya aims to highlight the intersection between art, individual healing, and community healing.
aniyataylor.com
Instagram: _aniyataylor
MARY RIZZO is Associate Professor of History at Rutgers University-Newark. She works at the intersection of inclusive public history, digital humanities, urban studies, and 20th century U.S. cultural history. She is the author of Come and Be Shocked: Baltimore Beyond John Waters and The Wire (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020) and Class Acts: Young Men and the Rise of Lifestyle (University of Nevada Press). She is a founder of the Chicory Revitalization Project, which uses the black community poetry magazine Chicory to spur dialogue on place and identity. As a Whiting Public Engagement Fellow, she led the co-creation of the touring exhibit, Soul of the Butterfly: Chicory Magazine and Baltimore’s Black Arts Activism.
maryrizzo.net
Twitter:@rizzo_pubhist
“Writing saved my life,” are words often spoken by husband, father, and native Baltimorean, DEVLON E. WADDELL. There’s no doubt that whenever Devlon speaks about the power of the written word and his passion for it, he’s being disarmingly honest—intentional in his transparency. There is a humility in his words that is all at once refreshing, persuasive, and determined. What began as a want to show his daughters that anything is possible has become a clearly purposed vision for Devlon E Waddell–tempered with humility and accompanied by authenticity. Devlon E Waddell is a storyteller first, whether it is in offering himself & his lived experience as an anecdote or acting as a docent in others’ exploration of self.
justdevlon.com
Instagram:@just.devlon
______________
CityLit Project and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in partnership with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company present CityLit Festival: Dismantling the Culture of Silence. This celebration of the arts showcases a bevy of leading poets and writers on April 20, 2024. We’re talking fiction, nonfiction, poetry galore, and ways to up the ante on your craft.
Download the CityLit Festival: Dismantling the Culture of Silence flyer.