Urban Discoveries Baltimore

I heard somewhere that around half of adult Americans fail to complete even a single book each year. I was going to look it up, but… I don’t know. I’m just not much of a reader. Anyway, this seemed as good a week as any to check out ways that Baltimore, erstwhile City that Reads, provides cheap ways for you to continue your education.

Go to the library. In addition to being a really convenient place to borrow books and a slab of history in its own right, the Central Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Mount Vernon (400 Cathedral Street) continually offers free classes and exhibits. One of them right now is a daily presentation of methods for preserving all of those information-storing devices you cherish so much: books, photographs, and those scratched-to-hell CDs and DVDs.

Let activists teach you a lesson. Red Emma’s in Mount Vernon (800 St. Paul Street), the worker-owned coffeehouse, bookstore, and community meeting locus of note, is working on a free school that would offer courses and workshops in a broad variety of subjects. Contact them to sign up for teaching, learning, or, if you’re feeling philanthropic, donating to the cause.

Get lectured by a bohemian. Drop by the Zodiac in Station North (1726 N. Charles Street) every other Wednesday for a pair of almost-free ($2 for both!) lectures from friends, enemies, and members of local artist collective Wham City. This Wednesday, June 17th, is an on-week. Previous topics include Feral Children, Orgasmic Birth, and Creative Spelling.

You should have been doing this all along. The Book Thing in Waverly (3001 Vineyard Lane) is a small building full of free books. It’s open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekends. There is a limit of 150,000 books per person per day. The books cannot be resold. If you’ve got books you’re not reading, you can also make drop-offs. There is no catch.

What have you been learning lately?

Posted in: Frugal Tuesday, Mount Vernon, Waverly1 Comment