Enoch Pratt Free Library Podcast

Baltimore authors Rafael Alvarez and Dean Bartoli Smith talk about the writing life in Baltimore and their new books.

Rafael Alvarez' new collection of Baltimore stories, Tales from the Holy Land, charts the secret histories of tugboat men, junk collectors, beautiful women, short order cooks and an artist who captures it all in house paint on the sides of abandoned buildings.

In Never Easy, Never Pretty: A Fan, A City, A Championship Season, Dean Bartoli Smith writes about the Baltimore Ravens' 2012-13 season, winning Super

Recorded On: Wednesday, January 8, 2014

In a compelling tale of unsolved murder and Internet prostitution, award-winning investigative reporter Robert Kolker delivers a haunting and humanizing account of the true-life search for a serial killer still at large on Long Island. In 2010 Shannan Gilbert went missing in the oceanfront community of Oak Beach. Seven months later four bodies, all wrapped in burlap, were found alongside a nearby highway, but none of them was Shannan's. All four women, like Shannan, were petite, in their twenties, came from out of town to work as escorts, and advertised on Craigslist and Backpage. Robert Kolker presents the first detailed look at the shadow world of escorts in the Internet age where making a living is easier than ever and the dangers remain all too real.

Robert Kolker is a New York magazine contributing editor and a finalist for the National Magazine Award. He writes frequently about issues surrounding criminal justice and the unforeseen impact of extraordinary events on everyday people.

Recorded On: Wednesday, December 11, 2013

As an urban folk art, painted screens flourished in Baltimore. In her new book, Elaine Eff looks at this iconic Baltimore tradition through the words and images of dozens of self-taught artists. Many screen artists trace their creations to the capable and unlikely brush of one Bohemian immigrant, William Oktavec. In 1913, this corner grocer began a family dynasty and inspired generations of artists who continue his craft to this day.The Painted Screens of Baltimore is illustrated with 300 black and white and colored photographs.

Elaine Eff is a curator and filmmaker and the authority on painted screens. She has chronicled and conserved living culture as the folklorist for the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland.

Recorded On: Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Reginald Harris of Poets House in New York hosts this annual reading by Cave Canem poets Kyle G. Dargan and Amber Flora Thomas.

Kyle Dargan is the author of three collections of poetry, Logorrhea Dementia (2010), Bouquet of Hungers (2007) and The Listening (2003). For his work, he has received the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and grants from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Dargan has partnered with the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities to produce poetry programming at the White House and Library of Congress. He is currently an assistant professor of literature and creative writing at American University and the founder and editor of POST NO ILLS magazine.

Amber Flora Thomas is the recipient of several major poetry awards, including the Dylan Thomas American Poet Prize, Richard Peterson Prize and Ann Stanford Prize. Her published work includes Eye of Water (2005) which won the Cave Canem Prize and The Rabbits Could Sing (2012). She is assistant professor of English at East Carolina University.

Recorded On: Sunday, December 1, 2013

From sweet contemporary to sizzling paranormal romance, modern romance heroines are just as likely to save the world as heroes. Join Laura Kaye, Stephanie Draven, Christie Barth, Lea Nolan and Eliza Knight for an afternoon of chocolate and conversation with some of today's hottest romance authors.

Eliza Knight has published historical romances, won several awards, has a family and lives on a small mountain.

Stephanie Draven writes historical, paranormal, and contemporary romances, has won several awards and lives in Baltimore with her husband and cats. 

Laura Kaye writes contemporary and paranormal romances which have been bestsellers on the New York Times and USA TODAY lists. She lives in Maryland with her family and dog.  

Christi Barth, who writes contemporary romances, is the president of the Maryland Romance Writers. She began her journey with a Masters in vocal performance. 

Lea Nolan writes the smart paranormals she wanted as teen, with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance and a sprinkle of history.

Recorded On: Saturday, November 23, 2013