Members of the writing and literary faculty at The University of Baltimore, as well as some leading lights including the poets Paisley Rekdal and Tim Seibles, will gather on the UBalt campus on Thursday, March 5 to celebrate the art and craft of writing. The event is part of the national Association of Writers and Writing Programs' (AWP) annual conference and book fair, which is taking place in Baltimore from March 4 through March 7. This multi-genre reading and celebration will also serve as the second event in the University's Spring 2026 MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts Speaker Series. It will take place in the Wright Theater in the UBalt Student Center, 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave., beginning at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
UBalt faculty writers Steven Leyva, Jane Delury, Betsy Boyd, and Marion Winik, joined by Rekdal and Seibles, will read from their work and discuss the state of the art, from the perspective of artists, educators and advocates. After the discussion, a livestream of the AWP conference's keynote address, delivered by acclaimed director and author John Waters, will take place.
UBalt's Klein Family Center of Communications Design is sponsoring the event.
Learn more about AWP.
Learn about The University of Baltimore's MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts.