September 22, 2026
Baltimore Review News:
We had a great weekend—Sept. 19 and 20—at the Baltimore Book Festival! The panel of readings and discussion with BR contributors, hosted by Charm City Books went well, and we had fun chatting with festival-goers. We participated in a scavenger hunt with Mason Jar Press and Yellow Arrow Publishing. I delivered the prize bag to the winner today. She was delighted to receive her bag of books and other goodies.
Book sales were not bad at all; I’m glad when we can cover the cost of the table plus some. More than that, I’m glad to get books into the hands of people who still appreciate print books, even though they can read all the work on our website. I’m grateful for their support.
As mentioned, to honor our local roots, we’ll include a special Maryland Writers section in the fall issue. The Submittable category for that opened on September 1 and will close on September 30. Fingers crossed we’ll receive some amazing short stories, creative nonfiction, and poems from the locals. We’ve received 72 submissions in this category so far. Hoping to see many more in the week ahead. Maryland has so many great writers.
Submissions received in all categories in the past eight weeks: 2,640
We received emails lately about what AI use we’ll allow from writers. Not surprisingly, the language in the emails is similar. Basically—no. We want to read work created entirely by humans. Recently, we expanded that for our Submit page:
AI Policy: We at The Baltimore Review want to provide a space for human expression. We showcase poems, short stories, and creative nonfiction generated through the imagination, experiences, thought processes, and literary craftsmanship of humans with unique voices. We believe this work, this art, is essential for understanding human experience and creating empathy.
In short, we believe human voices and ideas are powerful and therefore The Baltimore Review does not accept work that is generated in whole or in part by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In our agreement for accepted work, authors must confirm that they are the sole author and own all rights to their work. Work generated by AI is not copyrightable and not subject to our agreement terms. We encourage writers to read more about the ethical and legal implications of AI use, including the Authors Guild guide AI Best Practices for Authors
A reminder that it’s time to register for the Baltimore Writers’ Conference. Early Bird rate until October 23.