Baltimore's Black Arts Then & Now: Behind the Scenes of a Collaborative Public Humanities Project

Baltimore's Black Arts Then & Now brings to life the Chicory Revitalization Project, a public humanities initiative that revives Baltimore's historic Chicory magazine. From 1966 to 1983, Chicory served as a powerful voice for working-class Black communities, capturing their thoughts, struggles, and dreams through unedited poetry and street chatter. Dubbed "the most authentic microphone of black folks talking ever devised" by the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, Chicory emerged from the liberalism of the War on Poverty and the militance of the Black Arts Movement.

Since 2017, a group of former Chicory editors, scholars, librarians, poets, teachers, and young writers have collaborated to use Chicory as a catalyst for intergenerational dialogue on social justice, race, and place. Baltimore's Black Arts Then & Now documents this joint effort, offering valuable insights for public historians, educators, and humanists.

Author: Mary Rizzo
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Published: 04/21/2026
Series: Humanities and Public Life
Pages: 294
Weight: 0.96lbs
Size: 9.01h x 6.01w x 0.83d
ISBN: 9781685970598