Calling All Maryland Poets!

The Pratt Library’s Free Poetry Contest

Put poetry, the Pratt, and free opportunity for artists together, and what do you get? The Pratt Library’s Poetry Contest, now accepting entries through March 1.

Word POETRY formed by wood alphabet blocks. On old wooden table.

The Pratt has offered this free contest, open to Maryland residents age 18 and older, for eight years. At least 250 entries usually flow in from at least 18 counties. A local journal judges the entries anonymously and publishes the winning poem. This year we’re collaborating with Little Patuxent Review.

The 2019 winner will also enjoy the spotlight at Baltimore’s CityLit Festival, on Saturday, April 27, and at a special library celebration of the finalists one evening this summer.

Poems are like windows—ways of seeing new things—so how great is it that a window sparked the idea for the Poetry Contest? The Poetry Programming Work Group, a team of Central Library staff who coordinate the Poetry & Conversation series and other events, were looking for ways to showcase poetry. “We should have a contest and put the winning poem in the window!” someone said, referring to the Central Library’s huge show windows. The contest that developed makes waves through Maryland and beyond.

To learn the rules for the contest and read winning poems from earlier years, please visit our Poetry Contest page. The person who wins the 2019 contest could be you!

Grow with Google

Looking to expand your digital literacy? Google is coming to the Pratt’s Southeast Anchor Library on Wednesday, February 27th for FREE workshops.

Learn how to:

  • Get Found on Google Search and Maps
  • Reach Customers Online with Google
  • Get Started with Email, Spreadsheets, and Presentations

Google will also offer one-on-one coaching on a number of subject including:

  • Google AdWords
  • Google Analytics
  • Google My Business
  • GSuite (Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations and Forms)
  • Gmail and Google Calendar

Just drop by the reservation desk to book a time slot.

Space is limited for these free workshops. Register here.

Remembering Ethel Ennis: 1932-2019

For seven decades, Baltimore’s “First Lady of Jazz” delighted audiences with her singing. Ethel Ennis died in her Baltimore home on Sunday at age 86. The Pratt Library has a number of sources where you can hear and learn more about this legendary singer. From an illustrated biography about her life, to the music she was known for, you can learn more Ethel Ennis and her impact on jazz music in America.

Presidential Papers and Obscure Writings

by Tyler Williams, Social Science and History Department

The stacks at Enoch Pratt Free Library/State Library Resource Center are packed with resources for researchers, dating back decades or even centuries into the collection’s history.

President’s Day was originally enacted by Congress in 1879 to celebrate the birthday of George Washington. Officially referred to in federal calendars as “Washington’s Birthday”, “President’s Day” became the common usage during the 1980s and is referred to as such in many state calendars, due to the holiday’s proximity to both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays (February 22 1732 and February 12 1809, respectively).  In light of President’s Day, the Social Science and History Department would like to shine a spotlight on some of our valuable primary resources.

George Washington

First, there is the Writings of George Washington  by George Washington. This set comprises the complete writings, speeches, correspondence, and other personal papers of the first president of the United States- from his early years as a land speculator in colonial Virginia and an officer during the French and Indian War through his leadership of the early American army and presidency and thereafter- in 39 volumes. These volumes would be valuable to any students or academics hoping to gain insight into George Washington’s state of mind at critical points in his career, how his career in turn shaped the American Presidency, or simply to humanize a figure often treated as a semi-divine figure in American civil discourse. All 39 of these volumes can be requested from the Social Science and History department at Central Library. Washington’s collected writings can be found in two sets- one published by the Government Publishing Office in 1976, and one slightly condensed edition published by the University of Virginia in the 1990s.

Washington Irving

Named for the first president, Washington Irving was one of the early great American writers. The author of classics such as “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, in his final years Irving compiled a biography of his namesake. Completed shortly before Irving’s death in 1859, Life of George Washington was compiled using Washington’s personal archives at Mount Vernon and extensively covers the life of the first US president in five volumes.

Abraham Lincoln

The Social Science and History Department also holds several copies and editions of the seven-volume Writings of Abraham Lincoln. Stretching from his earliest letters and orations in 1832 through the tragic end of his presidency in 1865, Writings of Abraham Lincoln provides valuable insight into the evolution of Abraham Lincoln’s oratorical talents, views on slavery, and conduct of the Civil War. The Writings of Lincoln is held in several editions–the Constitutional Edition, for example, includes an introduction by President Theodore Roosevelt. This work would be valuable as a primary source in a student’s National History Day project or as a resource for professional researchers.

Magazine of the Month: Sight & Sound (and a few others)

The Periodicals Department is sharing in the excitement of the Oscar season by highlighting some of our film periodicals. The Magazine of the Month is Sight & Sound. This monthly magazine is a cinephile’s best friend. Known as “the international film magazine” and published by the British Film Institute (or BFI) since 1932, the publication contains in-depth features, reviews, interviews, columns, previews, and more.


If you want to delve deeper into “the art and politics of film,” check out Cinéaste. Peruse more on the subject with Film Comment and Film Quarterly.
Or for maximum fun, of course we subscribe to Entertainment Weekly.
All these titles are available in both print and digital formats.