Ivy Bookshop

Common Tone at The Ivy Bookshop
2026-02-15 09:30 - 10:15, 2026-02-22 09:30 - 10:15, 2026-03-01 09:30 - 10:15, 2026-03-08 09:30 - 10:15 (America/New_York) | The Ivy Bookshop, 5928 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD, 21209, United States
Join us at The Ivy Bookshop where we will provide interactive moments for caregivers to sing, play instruments, dance, and connect with their child. Together, we will develop confidence and music appreciation through playful exploration!
RSVP for the full Winter Session or for individual drop-ins at this link.

Mary Helen Washington with Martha Jones: PAULE MARSHALL: A WRITER'S LIFE
2026-02-17 18:00 - 20:00 | The Ivy Bookshop, 5928 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD, 21209, United States
The works of Paule Marshall, including the beloved Brown Girl, Brownstones, are now understood as the beginning of contemporary Black feminist literature—a bridge between Harlem Renaissance writers and Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Maya Angelou. Yet Paule Marshall’s legacy is often overlooked.
In Paule Marshall: A Writer’s Life, to be published February 10, 2026, by Yale/Black Lives, Mary Helen Washington draws on exclusive access to the writer’s papers—including Marshall’s unpublished memoir—to give us the fullest account of Marshall’s life as an artist and of the depth and brilliance of her work.
Join the author, along with historian Martha Jones, at The Ivy on Tuesday, February 17th for a conversation about this exciting new volume.
RSVP here!
Preorder PAULE MARSHALL: A WRITER’S LIFE here!
Mary Helen Washington is distinguished university professor emerita in the English department at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the author of the prizewinning The Other Blacklist: The African American Literary and Cultural Left of the 1950s. She lives in Silver Spring, MD.
Martha Jones is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, professor of history, and a professor at the SNF Agora Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. A prizewinning author and editor of five books, most recently The Trouble of Color, she is past copresident of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians and has contributed to the New York Times, Atlantic, and many other publications.

Book Signing Happy Hour with Naomi Rivers: WHY NOT US
2026-02-20 17:00 - 19:00 | Bird in Hand Coffee & Books, 11 East 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
We’re having a book signing and meet-and-greet with Baltimore-based wife writing team Naomi Rivers! Following the success of their debut, THIS: A Simple, Complex Love Story, Naomi Rivers returns with a moving new book set right here in Baltimore: WHY NOT US?
WHY NOT US? follows Jasmine and her longtime girlfriend, T, as they grapple with love, loss, and the meaning of family when Jasmine’s best friend is diagnosed with cancer. With caregiving, parenting, and relationship struggles layered together, it’s a story about resilience, sacrifice, and the bonds that hold us together—even when life threatens to tear us apart.
Come on down to Bird in Hand any time between 5-7pm on Friday, February 20th to meet the authors, enjoy a drink, and have your book signed.
Books will be available for sale at the event.
RSVP here!
Naomi Rivers is the pen name of a wife writing team and retired U.S. veterans who craft heartfelt lesbian romance and women’s fiction. Their debut novel, THIS: A Simple, Complex Love Story, was twenty years in the making, originally written to stay connected during multiple military deployments. They now live on the East Coast with their two rescue dogs.
www.naomiriversbooks.com

Anna Harwell Celenza: ON THE RECORD: Music That Changed America
2026-03-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Bird in Hand Coffee & Books, 11 East 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
You’re invited to an evening conversation about the intersection of music, politics, and culture with Anna Harwell Celenza, author of the new book On the Record: Music That Changed America.
From “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Billie Holiday’s haunting “Strange Fruit” to Paul Simon’s Graceland and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking Hamilton, Celenza explores moments where music wound its way through the halls of Congress, influencing decisions and reshaping culture. Each chapter highlights an iconic musical work, tracing its backstory, uncovering its connection to political debates and legislative actions, and in the process revealing it in a new light.
This book is perfect for many kinds of readers, and we’re really looking forward to sharing it with you. We’ll see you at Bird in Hand on March 27!
RSVP here!
Order ON THE RECORD: MUSIC THAT CHANGED AMERICA here.
Anna Harwell Celenza is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, holding a joint appointment at the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and the Peabody Conservatory. She is also the author of eight children’s books. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

IvyKids Saturday: The Great Truffle Snuffle
2026-03-28 10:00 - 12:00 | The Ivy Bookshop, 5928 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD, 21209, United States
In Lindsay Cordero’s picture book The Great Truffle Snuffle, Peri (a pig) and Tubs (a dog) are best friends who live at an orchard where magnificent truffles grow. They spend their days sniffing and (very gently!) digging in the rich soil.
And now… you can join them! Come on down to the Ivy with the kids to try a truffle dig activity for yourself. Then, follow real live truffle dogs from Virginia Truffles to a truffle digging demo in the gardens behind the bookshop!
RSVP here!
Order THE GREAT TRUFFLE SNUFFLE here!
Lindsay “Bones” Cordero is a picture book author, illustrator, U.S. Air Force veteran and adventurer at heart. She uses humor and unexpected twists to introduce young readers to the fascinating world around them. When she’s not crafting fun, absurd stories, she’s likely scuba diving, making art underwater, or getting lost on a side quest—like truffle hunting. She’s passionate about marine life, her persnickety cat, and sparking curiosity about the natural world. Find her at lindsaycordero.com or on Instagram @artebybones.
Virginia Truffles is a family-owned farm in Rixeyville, Virginia, dedicated to cultivating Black Périgord truffles (Tuber melanosporum) and sharing their magic with the public. Blending science, heritage, and storytelling, we invite guests to join us and our skilled truffle dogs for immersive hunts and educational experiences that celebrate the art of truffle cultivation in the U.S. Learn more at virginiatruffles.com and follow us on Instagram @virginia_truffles.
