Constructive Interventions: Cory McCray, Kevin Shird, and Alanah Nichole Davis at The Baltimore Book Festival

We’re so excited to see you at the Baltimore Book Festival, where you can visit us at our booth on Sept. 13-14! On Sunday, September 14th, we are thrilled to be hosting the 31st St. Stage.

At 1PM, join us for a conversation between Cory McCray, Kevin Shird, and Alanah Nichole Davis. Award-winning journalist and cultural worker Alanah Nichole Davis will facilitate this conversation, which will pair Cory McCray’s new book, The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life, with Kevin Shird’s new book A Life for a Life: Poor Choices and Unresolved Trauma Is Killing America— both of which are candid, personal stories about the impact of health-based and educational interventions on the lives of young people in Baltimore.

RSVP here!

Cory V. McCray is a journeyman electrician, member of the Maryland General Assembly, and author of The Apprenticeship That Saved My Life. Raised in Baltimore, Cory’s life was transformed by a union apprenticeship—an experience that shifted his trajectory from the job site to public leadership.

His debut book blends personal storytelling with practical insight, offering a blueprint for young people and working families to reclaim the power of “earn while you learn” career paths. A father of four and a proud son of Baltimore, Cory is committed to expanding opportunity and breaking cycles in communities too often overlooked.

To learn more, visit www.apprenticeshipcheatcode.com

Kevin Shird is a four-time published author, activist, and screenwriter. He has become an expert on using the past to build a better future. Shird began his very unorthodox journey at the tender age of sixteen when he started dealing drugs on the streets of Baltimore. This lead to him serving a total of almost twelve years in prison. Since leaving prison, Shird monetized his life’s lesson by authoring books on social issues. He lectures at colleges and universities across America on issues like education, public health policy, and mass incarceration. During the Obama Administration, he collaborated with the White House and President Obama’s Clemency Initiative. In 2018, he became an associate at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Medical Humanities and Social Medicine, where he co-teaches a class on public health. Today, he serves as a professor at Coppin State University.

One of Baltimore’s favorite literary and media personalities, Alanah Nichole Davis, returns to the Baltimore Book Festival as a moderator. An award-winning journalist and cultural worker, Davis is known for bringing heart, humor, and human-centered insight to conversations on technology, design, and civic life. Affectionately called Baltimore’s Godmother, she’s back to guide another round of engaging, thought-provoking dialogue.