Our Programs

Virtual Programming

#DewMoreInTheHouse is a celebration of youth voice and Bmore poetic artistry during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A time to keep space for creativity, connection, safety, healing and more through poetry challenges, a youth-led open mic and artist interviews, a citywide poetry club, meaningful collaborations, content and more!

maya-baraka writers institute

The Maya-Baraka Writers Institute (MBWI) is a 5-week intensive summer writing program in Baltimore, MD dedicated to honoring the rebellious spirit of Amiri Baraka and the life-changing beauty of Maya Angelou. MBWI will hire 30 student-writers to participate in a series of poetry workshops and cultural activities lead by Baltimore artists. MBWI strives to increase knowledge of contemporary and historical poets, poetic devices, social issues and art movements. MBWI focuses on providing context to art as activism that is accessible and relevant for millennials.  MBWI students are paid a stipend of $1,500 to participate in the program. MBWI is a summer program of DewMore Baltimore in partnership with Youth Works. Students should apply to Youth Works in order to get a slot in this program.

baltimore youth poetry league (bypl)

The Baltimore Youth Poetry League and Festival (Formerly Louder Than a Bomb-Baltimore) engages youth of middle school, high school and young adults up to 21 using the power of poetry. We have the opportunity to offer unique school OR community-based clubs that weave DewMore’s three tiers of development: cognitive, emotional and social and express DewMore’s mission: to use art to promote civic engagement. The clubs offer dynamic writing and performance workshops with award-winning, well-trained professional artists, many of whom are nationally ranked, with the support of the school or other partners’ staff as coaches. Exposing the young poets to literature as a way to process difficult topics, critical analysis, accurate and dynamic communication as they discuss issues for today and tomorrow impacting them, their peers, their community. The program allows youth to build relationships with others from around the region as a safe space is created for poets to explore who they are, where they are from, and affirm their identity. DewMore’s clubs that meet youth where they are make literacy and community engagement fun, rigorous, creative, and culturally relevant.

The  program:

• Creates a safe place for youth to discuss issues impacting them, their peers, their community

• Brings award winning professional artist to your school or church twice a month

• Allows students to build relationships with other students from around the region

• Makes literacy and community engagement exciting

• Provides students a year-round platform to share their story and inspire thousands!

• Provides professional development for your school coach

• Assists in organizing incredibly powerful events at your school (up to 2)

yOUTH pOET lAUREATE

The Youth Poet Laureate program appoints a youth from the age of 13-19 every year to represent Baltimore on a local and national platform. Every February, City Hall hosts 12 creative, honest and powerful youth voices to compete for the title of Baltimore's appointed Youth Poet Laureate. The Youth Poet Laureate will be responsible for being a youth ambassador of Baltimore's art and culture community as they speak, share, and build locally and nationally. The YPL will receive a cash prize, a national book deal, an opportunity to represent Baltimore internationally, and will perform on a local Enoch Pratt Library Tour that will bring this powerful experience to the community.

Baltimore citywide YOUTH POETRY TEAM (bcypt)

The DewMore Baltimore Youth Poetry Team  is a youth program that engages youth between the ages of 13-19 who live in or around Baltimore City who are passionate about writing, performing and advocating for change in their community. The team is led by published authors and award winning professional writers. The team is developed from the national best practices of Positive Youth Development and is dedicated to using poetry to develop youth’s emotional, cognitive, and social skills.

The team is selected from a youth poetry grand slam held each year with open registration beginning in the spring. The top 5 poets from this slam create the Baltimore  Youth Poetry Team. The team meets weekly upon being selected with an assigned artist mentor and coach. The program sends a group of talented youth poets to the largest international youth poetry slam festival, Brave New Voices each year. Baltimore won the 2016 Brave New Voice competition.

unmute: Social Justice Virtual Poetry Clubs

Youth will receive free regularly scheduled dynamic writing and performance workshops from acclaimed teaching artists, and local and national performance opportunities. Join us for creative self-expression, conversation, and skill-building. A new topic will be covered each week.