UMBC BookFest '26: One Maryland, One Book

UMBC will host the first One Maryland, One Book event for 2026, an evening with author Lawrence Burney. 

Burney’s book No Sense in Wishingwas selected as the 2026 OMOB as part of the America 250 theme, “Revolution, Reaction, Reform.” Burney will reflect on his essay collection, growing up in Baltimore, and his deep relationship to music with Assistant Professor of English, Chris L. Terry.

Join us for an evening of food, music, literature, and conversation. This event is co-sponsored by Maryland Humanities and the Dresher Center for the Humanities. 

Praise for No Sense in Wishing 

• “A frank and joyous celebration of Black art as well as a musical coming-of-age story.” —Booklist
• “Earnest and engaging.” —The New Yorker
• “Fluid yet grounded, colloquial yet exacting, suffused with wit and warmth. In other words: unmistakably human.” —Vulture (Best Books of 2025)
• “A powerful collection of essays. . . . [Burney] succeeds at crafting a work that’s as much a poignant reflection on his life as an ethnomusical study.” —Rolling Stone