- So what do Frederick Douglass, the haunting stories of Edgar Allen Poe, groundbreaking science, and some of today's most compelling storytellers have in common?

They all have a Maryland story to tell.

- [Lauren] From powerful words that changed America, to unforgettable stories of mystery, poetry, and imagination, Maryland has been punching above its weight in the literary world for centuries.

- And the stories coming out of the old line state today are just as fascinating, revealing the people, places, and experiences that make Maryland unique.

- So come with us as we explore the books, writers, and stories that have shaped Maryland and helped shape America.

This is "American Stories: A Reading Road Trip."

(inspirational music) - Well, hello and welcome.

I'm Fred Nahhat here with Lauren Smith from "PBS Books."

We're hitting the road to discover another chapter in America's literary story.

- Along the way, we'll revisit writers whose words have stood the test of time and meet contemporary voices carrying that storytelling tradition forward in new and exciting directions.

- Have we stopped in your state yet or planning a trip and want to read your way there?

Explore the full Reading Road Trip collection on the PBS Books YouTube channel and subscribe to follow the journey as we discover the books and stories that bring America to life one state at a time.

- Today, we explore Maryland, a state that packs a huge variety into a relatively small footprint.

From the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coastline, to the bustle of Baltimore, historic towns, and the mountains of Western Maryland, there's a lot to discover.

- So, you know, for such a small state, relatively speaking, you sort of get, it's almost like America in miniature.

You get all the different landscapes.

You get an incredible diversity.

And those influences are found all across literature and the arts and the music and everything that's kind of going on in the state.

- So Maryland is an interesting state.

It's a really weird raggedy shape.

And it's got almost everything.

You know, it's got mountains out in the west, not very big ones, but there are mountains, part of the Appalachians.

And then it stretches all the way to the Atlantic Ocean with this huge, amazing resource in the Chesapeake Bay.

- We're a border state, a Chesapeake state, a state of rural towns, growing suburbs, and major cities.

And the public library has to serve every single one of those.

Maryland contains so many different experiences that we find in America, often within a very small geographic range.

- The literary landscape of Maryland is as wide as its mountains and as deep as its waters.

You know, it's not always in its pages, it's in its expression, it's in its dance, it's in its movement.

We welcome it all.

And I think there's something free about that.

- So I could be biased, but I think Maryland is the most beautiful state in our country.

While I love being from Baltimore, East Baltimore to be exact, I love traveling to places like PG County Howard County, and just talking to different people who love the same kind of art that I love, but they interpret it and they celebrate it in their own way.

- The real beauty of this place might be all these pockets of water.

Maybe it's down in Saint Michaels' or down that way across the Bay Bridge.

Maybe it's Kent Island, right?

Or maybe it's in the southern part where you go down to Bretton Bay or down in Leonardtown.

There's a lot of little pockets that you can visit where you can get you some of that water and I think that that might be helpful for the writers, right?

Also, the food is good.

- I don't ever hear people talk about Maryland for its food, but Maryland has great food.

Traveling all around, amazing seafood, like crab cakes to die for.

- If people get a chance to visit Maryland, they can combine their love of literature.

and books, and reading, with great food, great scenery, and very nice people.

(soft guitar music) - Maryland's legacy includes the voices that fought for freedom, re-imagined the macabre, awakened environmental consciousness, and transformed the modern thriller, each exploring new possibilities and storytelling and leaving a lasting mark on American literature.

- Frederick Douglass is one of the historical figures I think Maryland is very proud to claim as their own.

Of course, most of us know him as an abolitionist and a civil rights leader throughout the 1800's.

- So Douglas wrote three autobiographies in his lifetime, "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave," "My Bondage and my Freedom," and "Life and Time of Frederick Douglass" by himself.

- He used the written word to expose slavery and to assert the full humanity of Black Americans.

And he also did something very important.

He told us that controlling access to reading is a way of controlling people.

And he was very rebellious in that he learned to read and to write despite efforts, all efforts to prevent him from doing so.

- In his autobiography where he talks about learning to read and his famous saying, "Once you learn to read, you'll be forever free," is inscribed in the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

- And while this remarkable orator of the times, this abolitionist is widely read, especially in Maryland, and often quoted, his work soared in the public eye when this country officially declared Juneteenth as the day of liberation for Black Americans.

- Maybe he's the most powerful out of everyone from the state because, you know, his words sparked the movement that allows me to be in this space today, for sure.

- One that consistently resonates, even though it was written so long ago, is "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?"

And I remember the first time reading it and feeling like, even though this is something that's written in the 1800's, it still felt so relevant for a person who's born in the 90's, right?

- But what I also find interesting is that he was the most photographed Black man at that time.

He's the most photographed person, you know, of that time.

And I think that that's really important because of what it means to be perceived, what it means to be seen, and sort of have documentation of his aging meaning that we had proof of life, truly.

We had proof that he was able to live a full, long, and free, right?

Majority free life.

And to have actual visual representation of that, I think is nothing short of a miracle.

- Edgar Allan Poe, a writer that we share with a couple of other states, with Virginia and Massachusetts most prominently.

But of course, I think a lot of the war and the way we remember him is tied into Maryland.

- Baltimore claims Poe, not only because he lived and died here, but because the city's atmosphere, our historic, mysterious, and a little unconventional sense of ourself feels really inseparable from his legacy.

- He's buried in Baltimore and you can visit his grave site and it's a wonderful experience because you can really get a sense of when he lived and when he was celebrated, when he was buried.

- But I think he was also unappreciated in his lifetime.

He openly declared that he was gonna make writing his career, which was unheard of at the time.

And it also goes along with the idea of a poor writer because he was also in debt.

- You know, I recognize him as one of the most singularly important people in my field.

You know, established some really important conventions.

There's a reason the most prestigious prize in American mystery writing is called The Edgar.

- I think that there's a beauty in darkness.

I think that there's something to explore in the grotesque.

I think that so many of our lives are full of grotesquery in ways that we don't even acknowledge.

And I think Edgar Allen Poe was a master of that.

- There are so many examples of folks who are building on the concept of nevermore and "The Raven", and etcetera, because they also were impacted by Edgar Allan Poe's work.

And again, being here in Baltimore, there's museums in his honor and statues, and et cetera, because he was a fantastic writer.

And so yeah, shout out to Edgar Allan Poe.

- Rachel Carson, of course, the writer of "Silent Spring," was, you know, a book so monumental in making more people aware, and alert, and knowledgeable about environmental crises.

I think Rachel Carson was so instrumental in making a kind of a regular discourse for the American public.

- And I don't think that most people realize that she wrote much of "Silent Spring" while she was living here in Maryland.

I think her writing feels especially meaningful in a state where we're defined by the Chesapeake Bay, and it shows us that science writing can do more than explain the natural world, it can persuade people to protect it.

- She had another book called "The Sea Around Us," which also was a national bestseller because she feared when she died she would be known for "Silent Spring" and not her work with the sea.

This is her quote, "The aim of science is to discover and illuminate truth.

If there is poetry in my book about the sea, it is not because I deliberately put it there, but because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out poetry."

And what's not to love?

- You know, these are all things that we are very happy and proud to claim as a Maryland writer for her impact, you know, not just in the world of books, but also for the world at large.

Lucille Clifton, of course, one of the great poets of the 20th century.

She was the state poet laureate for a number of years and I think certainly one of the most celebrated people to have hold that position.

- Lucille Clifton is actually the reason I wanted to be Poet Laureate.

One of my favorite poems, period, not just of Lucille Clifton's, but one of my favorite poems, period, is "Won't You Celebrate With Me."

It's such a short but powerful piece.

- It's a perfect phrase because what I know is that every single day, something has tried to kill me, and has failed.

So we're gonna have this drink and I'm going to do this dance and we're gonna play this music and I'm going to sing my song and I'm going to praise my Lord and I'm gonna love my family, and I'm a, yes, I'm going to do those things.

This is in response to the fact that something has been on me.

Something has been lurking around the corner my whole life and has not gotten me yet.

I am undefeated thus far.

- I think that poem just, you know, will stay with us forever as we work different ways to include it in anthologies, and tributes, and celebrations.

- So she had like poems like "Homage to My Hips" Thinking "About Homage to My Hair," right?

Like she, I think, just really embodied the identity that so much of us Black women in America can identify with.

- "Wishes for Sons," that's one, that's one of my favorites.

She was trying to tell young men how to properly identify with women and be advocates and be allies and to uplift.

It's heavy, but it's just necessary.

It's necessary for us to be the people we're supposed to be and just trying to dismantle hyper-masculinity in general, just be more understanding.

- I think the full wonder of her work is her voice when she speaks.

These hips have never been enslaved.

To know her is to love her for her humbleness, her strength, because she had that, and how often she shared the idea of mothering and poetry in the same breath.

- Tom Clancy I think is a name that's kind of synonymous with almost an entire genre of literature.

You know, we call it either the techno thriller or the military thriller.

I think we're all very familiar with that name in a number of different respects, whether you've read one of his books, or seen one of the films that have been made based on his books, or played one of the video games that has his name on it.

- Tom Clancy, thrillers and fiction, and he was such a legendary figure in the city of Baltimore.

He even was a co-owner of a baseball team.

So he was really embedded, but enjoyed being in Maryland and we are very proud of him.

- Over the course of my public library career, which spans two decades now, I have circulated a lot of Tom Clancy to Maryland readers.

I think people don't realize that he was working in the insurance business when he wrote "The Hunt for Red October," which is the book that launched his writing career.

He became known for his detailed high-stakes stories that made readers feel like they were inside that world.

(soft guitar music) - Maryland's literary story is still being written, with contemporary voices bringing new perspectives to the people, places, and experiences that shape its vibrant bookish scene.

Among them is acclaimed author, Jason Reynolds, who has become one of the most influential voices in books for young readers, tackling identity, family, and the realities of growing up with honesty and heart.

- Jason Reynolds is one of the most exciting writers for young people today.

The way that Jason has sort of taken that success on the page, but also turned it into making himself an incredible voice, an incredible platform for young people's literature and youth literacy is amazing.

- I've never been afraid of what a child's gonna say about a thing that I've made.

Never.

I've never been concerned, and the reason why is because I trust them.

I believe in their intellectual capacity, and I believe that they're able to have complicated and complex conversations.

They're able to wrestle with ideas, especially if they have a healthy adult around them to help them navigate what can sometimes be a bit of a briar patch, right?

So, you know, when I wrote all, when me and Brendan wrote "All American Boys," it was the big hullabaloo, everybody was scary at the time.

No book like that had existed, and we toured it for three, four years, and we talked very candidly to as young as sixth graders, and everybody leaned in or everybody would come to us afterwards and say, "Hey, I have some questions.

Why would police officers do this?

Or why would this happen?

Or why would that--" You know, it's like, but there was never like, "I'm scared or I don't want to talk about it," right?

It wasn't until parents got involved that all that started happening.

You know, I love them and I write like I love them.

So this isn't, you know, you talk to authors all the time and we're so arrogant and we're so self-centered.

And if you ask a writer, you know, a novelist especially, who do you write for?

They'll be like, "I write for myself."

Yeah, right?

And that's everyone's answer.

And I'm like, "Not me."

Like I'm a middle-aged man writing about 14-year-olds.

I better not be writing for myself, right?

I better be considering who I'm writing this for, so that I can write as loving and as caring as possible, not to sugarcoat, not to placate or coddle, but to make sure that at the end of this thing, when they come through the discomfort, they still feel cared for.

That's all.

- Poet and spoken word artist Lady Brion brings the power of performance to the page and stage.

Rooted in her experiences as a Black woman and Baltimore native, her poetry gives voice to personal stories, while engaging with larger issues shaping her community.

- She is a spoken word artist as well as being a kind of a literary and just broadly, an activist, an organizer, and educator.

Spoken word, performance poetry, oral storytelling, all these forms continue to be very important, very vibrant at a time when the way that we're reading is changing, the way that we're connecting is changing.

If you've ever seen her work or perform, has been such a guiding force and a guiding light in bringing those artistic forms across the state.

- You know, it's interesting.

As Poet Laureate, it has been my goal and my mission to take spoken word poetry everywhere I go, to places where I'm just so sure people have not experienced what spoken word poetry is, right?

They may be poetry lovers, but spoken word poetry is this really interesting mix of like where theater meets the literary arts, right?

So it is, you know, very performative in nature and it is entertaining.

It is, you know, heart-wrenching.

There's so many elements that people are experiencing that is very unlike your traditional poetry recitation.

And I say that to say, I mean, that's been a big, I guess, part of my work as well, just as a cultural organizer and a poet in the scene.

I've just recognized, when you look at the larger literary canon, like spoken word poetry is often like this very sort of insignificant footnote when people are talking about poetry, even though there's this huge community of us that exist, that have existed for a very long time and have been shaping what poetry is, right?

Across the world, not just in the United States.

And so it is an honor and privilege to sort of be an ambassador of spoken word poetry in that way.

I think it's very special and it's also something that's so awesome about Baltimore and Maryland is that we have such great spoken word poetry experiences here and people should come experience that more.

- For bestselling novelist, Laura Lippman, Baltimore is more than a backdrop for a great mystery.

Her crime novels draw on the city's neighborhood's, history, and complexities, creating a sense of place that has become a signature of her work.

- Laura Lippman, is you know, one of the most exciting and prominent mystery writers of today.

You know, she's won several awards, an Agatha Award, Edgar Award, many others, for her thrillers, for her mysteries.

It is sort of the quintessential Maryland writer to go for if you're interested in books with twists and plot turns and just kind of a good yarn to get stuck into.

So yeah, if you're a mystery fan, definitely check out Laura Lippman.

- I started writing, the hope was always that I would get to the point where I could support myself as a novelist, and that happened around book seven.

I started off by writing about a former reporter who was a private investigator.

The books were very Baltimore centric.

I feel like I've been so lucky because I've been successful enough that I make a living and I get to live in Baltimore, and I have a very nice life, but I also get to take chances and do things a little bit differently, so I've been able to write a PI series, I've been able to write these very dark standalones, I've been able to now write cozies, I've, you know, published essays, short stories.

I can never remember exactly how many novels I've written, but it's about 30, give or take.

I consider my whole writing career to be basically based on the idea of loving something, but being aware of its flaws, that that's worthy of investigation, that you can love something so intensely, but that should never make you unaware of the ways it could be better.

- And for writer and Baltimore native D. Watkins, the city is personal.

His essays and memoirs draw on his own experiences to examine race, inequality, community, and everyday life in Baltimore.

- D. Watkins is a writer from Baltimore City and I think in the past decade or so, since his career has really skyrocketed, has also sort of become a kind of a local literary hero for Baltimore City.

I think D. Watkins has been an incredible presence.

You'll see him supporting other writers, meeting with young people, really talking about what is the power of a pen.

His books are very much about his journey towards finding himself there, and that's a message that he keeps bringing on to others.

- My audience is forever changing.

I've written books that were created for kids in middle school like me who though they hated reading.

I wrote books for people behind walls who struggle with masculinity, which is the reason why a lot of them ended up incarcerated.

I've written books for everyday people out in the world who are affected by these big decisions that politicians make, but they don't necessarily have the language to understand what's happening to them.

The reason why I like talking about "Black Boy Smile" a lot is because that book taught me that I can change.

I can aspire to be a better person without it being for something.

My blood pressure's fine, my cholesterol's fine, but I just, I want to be more healthy and I wanna prevent those things from happening.

I felt like emotionally that's what I, that's what I was doing with that book.

I knew that the way I was raised to be a man was flawed, and that book not only documented that process, but it pushed me towards greater change.

I want readers to know that it's just, it's never too late to self-assess and to consider how you make other people feel, to consider the role that ego plays in your journey, in your relationships, in your interactions with other people.

It's never too late because we share this together, so we should be making sure we're providing a great experience for everyone here.

(soft piano music) - Across Maryland, libraries are places where stories are shared, discoveries are made, and communities come together.

Each one offers its own window into the people and places that make this state unique.

- Maryland is a pretty exciting state to be in if you're a library lover.

We have 23 counties in Baltimore City, each of which have their own library systems with multiple branches.

They're all incredibly valuable pillars of their communities, and so wherever you are in the small, but very crazy varied state of ours, your local library is probably the prime place to get connected and meet the other people that you live amongst.

- Well, the George Peabody Library in Baltimore is breathtaking.

It's often been called a cathedral of books, and when you set foot in there and look at its five tiers of cast iron and up into that skylight that's shining a light on 300,000 volumes, you can completely understand why.

- Peabody actually is a space that a lot of folks do all kind of performances actually.

Some of them are not literary in nature at all.

There have been like fashion shows and concerts.

- And so you can go and take a tour and just marvel at this really, I'd say, testament to the power of books and reading.

It's also used for weddings, so if you need a beautiful wedding setting, it's gorgeous.

- Our Howard County Public Library in Columbia, Maryland is a wonderful library.

One, because it's very, very open.

It has these rooms where you can gather with other attendees, or you can have your own space to study.

I've been a fan of that library for years.

I love the idea that there are places you can just sit for hours and explore them.

So the Howard County Library is one.

I would say Enoch Pratt Library is another.

- It was given to the city and the state by the entrepreneur and philanthropist, Enoch Pratt, and he said that his library in 1870 should be free of politics, religion, and open to all regardless of station and color.

Pratt not only gave a central library, but he gave four branches in the four corners of the city, so that made it the first library system in the United States.

- And the central library is just one of the most glorious places in the world.

- [Aditya] There's wonderful tile floors, these large marble columns, and up all across the ceiling there's these frescoes.

- You have people tucked in the corners just reading and studying and doing research, but then you have kids doing 2,000 word puzzles, and then you look that way and you have people locked in playing chess.

So it's just a beautiful space full of books and it just brings together community at a really high level.

- But I also grew up with little tiny Pratt branches near my house that were just beautiful little places.

I remember one had like a working fireplace and the other had like a window seat.

I mean, I love all libraries, but I'm particularly romantic about the Enoch Pratt.

- One of the libraries that's near and dear to my heart is the Maryland State Librarian, is the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled.

It represents one of the most powerful promises that a library can make, which is that every person deserves access to books and access to the opportunity to read.

- [Aditya] The library has a fantastic collection of braille and audio books, as well as other sort of device supported reading tools.

- [Morgan] And demonstrates that access isn't just an extra part of our library mission, it's fundamental.

(soft rock music) - And there's nothing quite like stepping into a great independent bookstore.

Across Maryland, booksellers are helping readers find their next favorite read, while creating destinations worth adding to any book lovers road trip.

- Maryland has seen a real explosion in independent bookstores in the past few years.

I think a lot of this is in line with trends we see across the country.

People really prize their local bookstore, their independent bookstore.

These places are also becoming very vibrant community centers, and we're just very excited that so many parts of the state now have a bookstore that can continue to do those for the people that live around them.

- If you come to Baltimore, you should go to all of the independent bookstores because they all have a different vibe and they all have different curations and you'll get a chance to feel the city.

Going to Charm City Books is beautiful, but Charm City Books is not like Red Emma's.

Going to Red Emma's is beautiful and it's vegan and it's a restaurant and a slash bookstore and it's just like no other place in the country.

It's nice.

- [Lady] Red Emma's has a great open mic, the Mother Earth Poetry Vibe, and they have other book signings and series as well.

So you go to Red Emma's and you're going to find the most diverse of Baltimore's population.

So it's just always a cool place to be.

- But then you can go to the Ivy Bookshop, make it a completely different vibe and feel, and they have, you know, a beautiful outdoor space where they do events.

- The Ivy is in a big old house.

It's fantastic.

It's flourished.

It's just, you know, it just thrives.

- It's painted Ivy Green and what distinguishes it for so many book lovers is that the staff members have read just about everything, and so you can get recommendations from the staff.

- Greedy Reeds is another fantastic bookstore in Baltimore City.

They have two locations, one in the Remington neighborhood and one in the Fells Point neighborhood.

- When the founder and owner of Greedy Reads first came to Baltimore, she said she didn't know if she could pull this off.

It was a neighborhood bookstore.

And my thought was, of course, who wouldn't want a neighborhood bookstore?

She has since opened a second one in Remington.

- They're small stores.

They're beautifully curated.

I mean, they have such great selections of things, really good for someone like me who's often looking for new poetry books that I haven't heard about.

They do great events.

They're just, they're warm, and friendly, and easy to use.

I just, I love them.

- [D.]

Mahogany Books is a great, great, great, great, great, great bookstore.

- [Carla] Mahogany Books, it's located in Oxon Hill, Maryland, but that's in the National Harbors.

So you get a chance to explore this bookstore that's dedicated to multicultural materials, African American in particular, and it's in a wonderful commercial section.

- Probably, you know, the bookstore that I love most of all is Fox Books in Annapolis.

Whenever I finish up with a budget hearing or a bill hearing, the first place I go is I make a fee line to Fox Books, which not only has a wonderful collection of rare and vintage books, but modern books, a fantastic coffee shop, and the thing that all great bookstores have, which is a bookstore dog, all in one place.

(soft music) - Some stories are best explored beyond the page, and in real life, Maryland is filled with places that bring its history and creative legacy to life, offering book lovers a chance to walk in the footsteps of the writers and stories connected to the state.

- If folks have an opportunity, I would say visit the Clifton House, show up for one of their readings or their series.

They're doing great work in Baltimore and are quickly becoming a real staple in the city.

- The house is now renovated and exists as a meeting space for anyone who would like to use it.

It has a kitchen, a classroom, common spaces, and to be around the words and the spirit of one of the state's most beloved poets is a great energy to bring to any gathering that you have in mind.

- But also to really get a sense of the state, and the history, and the significance of Maryland, the Maryland Center for History and Culture.

And they have special literary exhibits, but they also give you a real good sense of the special nature of the state.

- It is one of the best kept secrets in Baltimore, let me say that outright.

It is the state's oldest continuously operating nonprofit cultural institution.

It was founded in 1844.

People may know them as the Maryland Historical Society, but they're much more than a history museum.

- I was just there last week and they have a new education center for young people that's so cool.

And they're just doing some great work.

- The Edgar Allan Poe House and his grave at Westminster Hall allowed visitors to encounter, not only the writer, but the mythology that surrounded him.

You can stand in the small Baltimore house where he lived and visit the place where readers still leave tokens of admiration for him on his grave site.

I believe it's a rose and a bottle of cognac that are traditionally left each year.

- Yeah, go to the BMA, go to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, spend some time in those places, go to the Walters Art Gallery, spend some time in those places.

The Walters Art Gallery actually has one of the most beautiful rare book collections ever.

If you can book a tour to see those rare books, they're so rare and so special you have to put on little white gloves, but it's like, it's an experience, it's nice.

- One thing you want to do is understand F. Scott Fitzgerald actually has some Maryland roots.

He was descended from Francis Scott Key, who wrote the national anthem.

Fitzgerald is buried in Rockville, Maryland.

You can find his grave pretty easily there.

But one thing that I do encourage people, as a literary landmark in Maryland, is to go to Fort McHenry where, in honor of Francis Scott Key, there's a huge statue of Orpheus.

- I think also I would say probably, you know, go to a local open mic.

That's what I would say.

Like I think people should pop up at a really cool open mic, you know, in the city or there, you know, there are open mics all over.

Busboys and Poets, they have open mics literally like every day of the week all across Maryland.

But this is a space where you get all kinds of people from amateurs, to professional poets, sharing their work.

Sometimes folks who are not even doing poetry, they come with a story or something interesting.

So I would say, yeah, if you want a, you know, a good time, go to a local open mic or maybe even a slam.

(soft guitar music) - Our journey through Maryland is part of a much bigger celebration.

As America marks its 250th birthday in 2026, PBS books and the Library of Congress are hitting the road to explore the books, authors, and stories that help define communities across the country.

- And at every stop, we're getting the inside scoop from the people who know their state's literary culture the best, the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, has centers for the book in states and territories across the country, connecting people with books, writers, and the rich literary history right in their own backyard.

- So as we travel from state to state, we're discovering the stories that help tell the American story.

- I'm Lee Ann Potter, the Director of Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives at the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress is the Congressional Library and the National Library of the United States, and the largest library in the world with more than 181 million items, from photographs to maps, from motion pictures to sound recordings, from newspapers to manuscripts, and more.

Oh, and yes, there are books, millions of them.

In this series, "American Stories: A Reading Road Trip," you will hear about many books, and authors, and poems, and short stories, and more, and how together they make up our nation's literary heritage.

As you do, I hope you will keep in mind that while they are all unique and come from different parts of our vast country, they all have something very important in common.

They all live in the collections of the Library of Congress.

You will also hear about the library's affiliated centers for the book.

There is one in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

These centers promote reading, libraries and literacy, and they celebrate and share their state or territory's literary heritage through a variety of programs that you will hear about in this very special series.

- Today, we're joined by the Maryland Center for the Book, which is a program of Maryland Humanities.

- The Maryland Center for the Book is a program at the Maryland Humanities.

It is really this kind of umbrella under which we try and serve, and support, and advocate on behalf of Maryland's literary culture, whether that is readers, the writers, or the other publishers, libraries, and other spaces that help promote and bring literature across to everyone in the state.

We do a number of different programs, including the One Maryland One Book Veterans Book Groups.

We also work with the Maryland State Arts Council for Poetry Out Loud.

And in addition to that, there's numerous other projects and events that we try and support, and work on.

The Veterans Book Groups are a decade-long program that we've had at the Maryland Center for the Book.

Veterans from across the different military branches and services come together for discussions and communion to talk about, not just a book, but also their own experiences.

These are spaces where veterans have consistently said that they feel are safe, are open, are inclusive, and very often are sometimes the first spaces where they're able to open up about their experiences.

I think it just serves to show how book clubs and literature can continue to have a huge social importance and value as a way of people not just connecting, but also feeling like they can open up and be themselves.

- If you'd like to learn more about how the Maryland Center for the Book supports literacy in its community, you can visit them online at mdhumanities.org/programs/maryl.

- Well, our trip through Maryland has been one for the books.

Thank you, again, to the Library of Congress and the Maryland Center for the Book for partnering with PBS Books as we journey across the country, exploring the books, authors, and destination that define America's story.

- Maryland readers, we want your recommendations.

What's the one bookstore, library, literary landmark, or hidden gem you'd send a book lover to?

And which Maryland author should be next on our reading list?

Tell us in the comments.

- And if our reading road trip has sparked your curiosity about the landmarks, authors, and literary treasures in your own state, the Library of Congress is a great place to start.

Visit in person in Washington DC, search its vast digital collections online, or connect with your local center for the book.

- For more information on the authors, institutions, and places featured in this episode, visit us at pbsbooks.org/readingroadtrip.

- This is just one stop along the way on the PBS Books' YouTube channel.

You'll find the full journey, stories from across the country, all in one place, ready whenever you are.

And be sure to share this video with all your friends to start planning your next reading road trip.

- Until next time-- - Happy reading.

- Happy Reading.

(inspirational music)