Maryland Poet Laureate Lady Brion delivers annual Bothe Poetry Reading

McDaniel College hosts the annual B. Christopher Bothe Memorial Lecture with spoken word artist and Maryland Poet Laureate Lady Brion. 

Organized by McDaniel’s English department, the event takes place during National Poetry Month on Tuesday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m., in Coley Rice Lounge, McDaniel Hall.  

Lady Brion has been performing all over the world since the age of 12 and is the youngest person and first spoken word artist to be named Maryland's poet laureate.  

She is executive director of the Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District and cultural curator for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle in Baltimore. In addition, she teaches creative writing to children at the elementary and middle school level, coaching poetry teams through the “Louder than A Bomb” poetry program in over 10 institutions, as well as residencies at over 15 K-12 institutions.  

Brion has won several titles including being the 2016 National Poetry Slam Champion, the 2017 and 2019 Southern Fried Regional Slam Champion, and the 2019 Rustbelt Regional Slam. In 2018, she published a book and accompanying album titled “With My Head Unbowed.” She also became the Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion and International Poetry Slam Champion (team slam) in 2021. She has received awards, such as the Open Society Institute Fellowship and the 2017 Salzburg Fellowship for Social Innovators.  

A graduate of Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Culture, she also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Publishing Design from the University of Baltimore.  

The annual B. Christopher Bothe Memorial Lecture brings a distinguished visiting writer to McDaniel’s campus for one day to meet with student writers and to give a public reading and lecture. B. Christopher Bothe, a member of the class of 1972, was a poet, award-winning journalist, and printer who died in 1984. Bothe’s family and friends developed the lecture in his memory in 1987. 

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410-857-2530.

Additional information: 

• Requests for ASL interpreters are welcome and should be made as soon as possible (two weeks prior to the event preferred) by contacting the specific event organizer. Other accommodation requests and questions can be directed to Conference Services at 410-857-2407.
• Visitors are asked to adhere to all health and safety policies and regulations in effect at the time of the event.