Spring Forward!
Naomi typically writes this blog and hands it off to Rivers to post here on the website and send it out. Since that handoff, the temperature in the Baltimore area feels more like fall rather than spring—frost warning and everything—making the heading a tad awkward. But we’re grateful for more daylight, the new green of the season, the WNBA season right around the corner, and National Poetry Month. To that end, we’re sharing one of Naomi’s favorite poems from celebrated poet, Lucille Clifton. Ms. Clifton was a nationally recognized literary gem. Her Baltimore home, The Clifton House, is now a museum showcasing her work and is creative space for writers and artists.
The number of events we have participated in has definitely picked up as the weather has gotten warmer. Ten days ago, the 2026 Baltimore CityLit Festival delivered a fantastic day of literary engagement featuring a diverse range of workshops and a bustling marketplace. It was a pleasure meeting readers (welcome to our new subscribers), connecting with other vendors, and celebrating everyone from emerging writers to established novelists. After being on her podcast last month, we even got a chance to meet Dr. Rhonda Lawson in real life (IRL). Naomi proudly participated in a Tribe55+ (a collective of Black women in the visual, literary, and performing arts) panel focusing on documenting personal legacies which was aligned with this event’s theme, “Literature as a Revolutionary Act.” CityLit was held at the stunning Maryland Center for History and Culture—a venue we highly recommend visiting and cannot wait to visit again.
Efforts to censor certain books and people continue. H.R. 7661, the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act introduced by U.S. Rep. Mary Miller and passed out of committee, proposes to restrict federal funding for schools and libraries offering materials deemed to be “sexually oriented.” The American Library Association (ALA) is in strong opposition and considers the bill a national book ban. Read the ALA’s statement. You can make your voice heard—urge your representative to vote “NO.”
On a lighter note, we would love to connect IRL. Come see us at an upcoming event:
MoCo Pride Center Market, How Bazaar, April 25, 12-5pm
Reisterstown Bloomin’ ArtFest, May 9, 10-5pm
DC Black Pride Writers Forum, May 23, 1-3pm
Pride LitCon, ACCA Shriner’s Center, Richmond, VA June 13, 10-4pm
Information about all events may also be found in the events section of our website.
As you either know or could have guessed, we’re readers too and members of book clubs. Here are books we’ve read and enjoyed over the past few months. Reviews for some are on Goodreads:
The Measure, Nikki Erlick
Flirting Lessons, Jasmine Guillory
The Librarians, Sherry Thomas
Finding Me, Viola Davis
The Sisterhood, Courtney Thorrson
Nightshade, Michael Connelly
Murder Takes a Vacation, Laura Lippman
Christmas in Spite of You, K.C. Mills
Uncommon Favor, Dawn Staley
Dear Black Girls, A’ja Wilson
Harlem Rhapsody, Victoria Christopher Murray
The Wife Before, Shanora Williams
Lastly, we’d love to hear from you, feel free to reach out on the socials (@naomiriversbooks) or good ole email (naomi@naomiriversbooks.com) whenever a topic strikes a chord. If you’ve purchased copies of THIS: A Simple Complex Love Story or Why Not Us? (or checked them out of the library), send us pictures of you with your books. We’ll share them in future newsletters and on social media.
Until next time,
Naomi + Rivers
Sunset in the City of Palms
