about us

Free Community Literary Events on Maryland's Eastern Shore

Our Mission:

Shore Lit Visiting Writers:

Shore Lit is based in Easton, Maryland, and aims to enhance local cultural offerings with free, community literary events open to the public. Our events are designed to:

Explore relevant ideas
Foster literary conversation
Build inclusive community
Create experiences of joy and connection around reading

We host visiting writers in the fall and spring seasons in partnership with other local organizations. Additionally, we have hosted a variety of community-focused events, including a summer bookclub series, a College Writers Showcase, poetry readings, a book drive supporting the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, and a PRIDE pop-up bookshop, featuring queer lit for all ages, as part of the Delmarva Pride Festival.

In 2025, we are launching our first youth and literacy focused programs, including a Volunteer Reading Mentor initiative and a paid high school internship. We love being a part of this vibrant, diverse community and hope to see you at an upcoming event!

Samuel B. Ashworth, May '25
Sara Nović, April '25
Edgar Kunz, February '25
Henry Hoke, November '24
Nicole Chung, October '24
Christopher Tilghman, September '24
Susan Muaddi Darraj, April '24
Andrew Leland, March '24
David George Haskell, February '24
College Writers Showcase, November '23
CJ Hauser, October '23
Tania James, September '23
The Shore Poetry Journal Earth Day Reading, April '23
Lawrence Weschler, March '23
Jung Yun, February '23
Christopher Tilghman, November '22
Maud Casey, October '22
Helon Habila, September '22
Rion Amilcar Scott, June '22

OUR STORY...

Founder/Director Kerry Folan:

Kerry Folan is a reader, a writer, and a professor of writing and literature at George Mason University. She was formerly the editor of Women in the Arts magazine and the fashion news website Racked.com. Her essays and journalism have appeared in popular outlets and literary journals including ARTNews, Atlas Obscura, the Baltimore Review, BOMB, The Cut, Glamour, Hippocampus, Literary Hub, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Ninth Letter, River Teeth, and the Washington Post, among others. She has been living on the Eastern Shore since 2017 and earnestly believes in the power of books to expand our experience of the world and to create a more connected community. If you see her walking her greyhound Pilot around town, stop and tell her what you're reading!

In the Press:

The Shore Lit Fund is a component fund of Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a public foundation designated as a 501(c)(3) charity. Shore Lit is funded in part by grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, Talbot Arts, and The Artistic Insights Fund of the Midshore Community Foundation, as well as donations from community members like you.