Baltimore, from a Writer's Perspective

For many of these blog entries, we have shared our opinions on the city of Baltimore—our fears, hopes, and plans to be more involved. Last Friday in McGuire Hall, we were able to hear the thoughts of other Baltimore residents at the Year of the City’s writer’s panel. As another part of the Humanities Symposium, Gregory Kane, Elizabeth Evitts, Chezia Thompson Cager, and Jane Conly spoke about their diverse experiences in writing about this complex city.
As a columnist for The Baltimore Sun for several years, Gregory Kane has dealt with the Baltimore Police Department and been witness to various crime issues within the city. He had an excellent point when he said journalists are “supposed to tell the truth, but it doesn’t always work out that way.” He said he often has difficulty getting clear answers from city officials when working on stories, especially officers at the correction departments. “I got straighter answers from the inmates than from the people running the system!” Kane claimed that his favorite story he ever worked on was a human interest piece about a man who never received his high school diploma due to being drafted. Many years later his high school gave him a graduation ceremony especially for him. Kane felt this story finally highlighted a positive Baltimore event in the midst of countless homicides and promoted a positive image of the school systems, which don’t always have the best reputation. He expressed a pretty realistic view of Baltimore, but also expressed a true passion for journalism and desire to reveal the absolute truth to his readers. “I never accept ‘no comment’ as an answer.” Gregory Kane actually embodies exactly the type of journalist I aspire to be some day.
Urbanite magazine used to be a regional publication mostly about the Hamden and Woodbury neighborhoods, but in 2004 it became a free monthly magazine about Baltimore and city culture in general. It now has over 150,000 readers, 40% of whom live in the surrounding counties. Elizabeth Evitts was hired as editor-in-chief of this magazine just at the time of its transition and sounded very proud of the wide array of topics it covers. There is a specific topic assigned for each month to which professional journalists and regular citizens may contribute their work. Evitts also praised Jane Jacobs, author of The Life and Death of Great American Cities, for her exceptional research and observation skills when writing about the urban atmosphere. She believes it is crucial to listen to the true story, to use your voice but also be able step back. The writing in the magazine sounds very diverse, ranging from reporting to fiction to poetry, all discussing that special relationship with the city. I think this type of publication is excellent for a place such as Baltimore. It presents more truth than fabrication or insult, and it is also an incredible writing opportunity for a great deal of people. If they don’t already, Loyola should have copies of this magazine available in the same places where students can pick up an issue of The Greyhound or The Baltimore Sun.
Chezia Thompson Cager is a poet, essayist, and professor at MICA. Unlike the first two speakers, she shared a piece of her work with us, but not in a way any member of the audience expected; she read and sang her poetry about black history, racism, and womanhood. We were all rather taken aback by her performance and it took quite some time for me to follow her words, but one statement in particular jumped out at me. She said that writing is her “way of singing life,” which exactly what she was doing. She read the poem fast and loud as if it were one sentence, her tempo very much resembling the vibrancy of city life. Although I liked the bold and descriptive imagery in the poem, I don’t think I was able to get a good understanding of Cager’s work because I could not follow along.
Jane Conly is a popular children’s book author, but the two excerpts she read to us did not sound like they were appropriate reading for children. One, from Crazy Lady, was written from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy describing his poor, dangerous neighborhood (based on the Waverly area of Baltimore) and racist father. The other, from While No One Was Watching, was about a young boy who stole bikes with his cousin—who later would not help the boy find his lost littler sister—and his abusive uncle. This story was inspired by the time when Conly’s children’s rabbit and bike were stolen. She and her family caught the young thieves, one of whom was living with a brother who was a quiet honors student and a mother who was a prostitute addicted to crack. She claimed it was a “heartbreaking situation” because they got an inside look into a lifestyle so opposite from their own. Conly also said she is amazed by the city and its “culture clashes” because it is so different than what she grew up with. It is interesting to hear people’s fascination with the city when they are from an entirely different background, but I am not sure if these stories are suitable for children.
During the question and answer period of the panel, the four writers shared even more thoughts on the city culture. Evitts explained her desire to see more Baltimore areas flourish “off the spine” of North Charles Street and St. Paul Street. She said it is important for those types of places to support themselves very basically, because eventually they will thrive. One student in the audience raised a very good question about the “stoop,” an important aspect of city life. Cager put it well when she said “the stoop is a testimony of a community.” It allows neighbors to be together in a real sense and not have to be terrified of their surroundings. Conly said stoops used to be kept very clean as a symbol of pride. Kane claimed to have “grown up on the stoop,” never planning anything but always ending up there and causing mischief. Evitts expressed regret that many areas, not just cities, have lost the neighborliness that came from things like the stoop.
With the exception of one presentation, it was a good learning experience to hear from these writers. Mr. Kane was the most enjoyable of the four. His sense of humor was very refreshing, and he did not show fear of the city but pride in his background and line of work. This event was much different than any lecture from a Baltimore official of some sort because it was much more personal and interactive, and I appreciated it from a journalist’s point of a view as well as a Baltimore student’s.