Maryland's Top 10 Literary Locales
Maryland has been home to many beloved literary icons, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Rachel Carson and Edgar Allan Poe -- and they've each left their mark in the Free State. So, with the help of our readers, we've compiled a list of the best places to relive a bit of bookish history. So here are our picks, and if you have a few of your own, let us know! (Here are more Top 10 lists from Sun bloggers.)
1. Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that would become "The Star-Spangled Banner." By the time you reach the "and the land of the free," even the most hard-hearted cynic feels a stirring their chest. "The Defence of Fort McHenry" was inspired by the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, though it would take more than 100 years for it to be officially recognized as our national anthem.
2. Maryland's favorite gothic son, Edgar Allan Poe, stayed in Baltimore only a short time, but left a lasting mark -- as any Ravens fan can tell you. So don't miss the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum at 203 N. Amity St, where you can learn everything about his life, and death, in Baltimore. Afterward, you can stop by the Westminster Burying Grounds and Catacombs, where tours are conducted the first and third Fridays, April through November.
3. Rachel Carson, the celebrated author and biologist, was born in Pennsylvania, but by the time she'd started work on "Silent Spring," she had moved to Silver Spring, in a one-story rancher she designed and lived in until her death in 1964. The Rachel Carson Conservation Park in Brookeville is a great place to commune with nature, just as the former Johns Hopkins student and sometimes Sun writer would have intended.
4. It's no secret that Baltimore Sun luminary H.L. Mencken and Jazz Age author F. Scott Fitzgerald loved to party. So while you can stop by the Mencken House at 1524 Hollins St., or the rowhouse at 1307 Park Ave. where Fitzgerald wrote "Tender is the Night," it'd be much more fitting to enjoy a drink or two at The Owl Bar, at 1. E. Chase St., where they threw back quite a few martinis.
5. Anyone who's read Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Anne Tyler's books can tell you about the beauty (and lovable oddballs) of Roland Park. Tyler made the upscale neighborhood famous in her critically acclaimed books, including "The Accidental Tourist" and "Ladder of Years." Check out Eddie's at 5113 Roland Ave., and if you're in the mood for French food, you can't go wrong with Petit Louis at 4800 Roland Ave.






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Towson University English professor Diane Scharper recently reviewed three books whose authors have a Maryland connection: "A Question of Freedom" by R. Dwayne Betts,
Catch
H.L. Mencken loved beer, wordplay and music -- not necessarily in that order. He and a small group of friends met regularly in Baltimore to play together -- H.L. on the piano -- and the group eventually became known as The Saturday Night Club.
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Fans of the
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Ever had brain freeze at a bookstore or library, totally blanking on the name of the book you were looking for? Well, a couple of days ago, my wife asked me to get her book club pick from the Towson library but as soon as I hit the door, my mind went blank. I tried jogging my memory with the best seller list -- nope.
Now that the City Council has approved Mayor Sheila Dixon's 2009-10 budget, get ready for
Good news for folks who are hungry for good food -- and a good read.
Sunday in The Baltimore Sun, frequent Read Street poster Mary McCauley will take a look at Steve Luxenberg and his new book, Annie’s Ghosts.
One of the duties of being a book blogger is bracing each day for the avalanche of pitches from publicists touting the next Da Vinci Code, Twilight or other runaway best-seller. Not that all publicists are a pain. On the contrary, I’ve found them to be very helpful arranging author interviews and guest posts, or financing my beach house. But every so often, an annoying letter or e-mail pitch surfaces, such as the recent one that noted — almost apologetically — that the first-time novelist was “a well-known author of statistics textbooks.”
If you missed William Ayers and Bernadette Dohrn at the Pratt last night,
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Today, Nancy and I celebrate our first blogiversary, so the cake's on us.
Diane Scharper, an author and English professor at Towson University, gives us capsule reviews of three books with a local flavor.
Congratulations to Charles W. Mitchell of Lutherville,
Thanks to all who tried our
The
Sunday on Read Street, we'll take a look at a slice of our literary city: the reporters and editors of The Baltimore Sun who have written books. Their works span a range from mysteries to examinations of Maryland's government.
This end is coming near for 
Not many folks would consider
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The
Recently on Read Street, we’ve discussed a topic dear to my heart (and stomach):
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Congratulations to Ariel Sabar, a former Baltimore Sun reporter who has won the 2008 autobiography prize from the
This week, Baltimore mystery writer Laura Lippman releases her new book Life Sentences. Among the new books:
Buy books and do good -- not a bad deal. At Saturday's
March will be an exciting month for Baltimore-area book lovers.
On the Same Page,
Fellow blogger Jen Vido, from Harford County, has an
The pick for this fall's
Turning Points, the new issue of the

With Barack Obama scheduled to ride a train to Baltimore for a pre-inauguration stop tomorrow afternoon, history buffs are recounting a similar trip by another famous Illinois politician: Abe Lincoln.
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In The 21st Century Cowboy, Maryland-based photographer
This
Thanks to all who played our latest quiz on Baltimore-area authors. For those who were stumped, here are the answers:
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Last week, I noted that King biographer
After our last
For a bit of fun and nostalgia today, watch this
The wait is nearly over for Michael Phelps fans who want an inside look at
We all know my love of haikus. But of course, there's more to the world of poetry than counting syllables.
Last Sunday’s
This 
Here are the answers to Sunday's
Last week, we posted a short quiz on Baltimore’s literary heritage; today we’re expanding it. Answer in a comment and you'll be entered in a book drawing (you don’t need a perfect score to win). Thanks to the University of Baltimore’s Literary Heritage Project, which provided information for some questions. We'll post the answers here on Tuesday.
Kathleen Waters Sander's new book,
Earlier this week, I visited the
I was impressed by the answers posted to 

Sunday in
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Forbes.com has published a
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jmww, the Baltimore-based online literary journal, has just released its
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Here's a look at several new books with a Maryland connection -- either from local authors or with a local theme.