On the Air: Celebrating the Release of CHARM's Youth Literary Map with WYPR

Ripley Wilson | March 4, 2026

*The author, Ripley Wilson, with fellow editor Kameran Rogers | Photo by Whitney Birenbaum*

Last Friday I had the opportunity to visit WYPR, Baltimore’s NPR news station, with fellow Baltimore City College senior and CHARM student editorial board member, Kameran Rodgers. During our visit, we met Dr. Carla Hayden, former Librarian of Congress and also former CEO of Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt libraries for over twenty years, and Dr. Martha Jones, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University. CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth was featured as a part of a segment on Baltimore libraries and literacy.

In his inaugural address, former Baltimore mayor and City College alum Kurt Schmoke identified Baltimore as “The City That Reads.” Baltimore’s embodiment of this title was explored throughout the segment by guests like Chad Helton, current CEO of the Enoch Pratt libraries. The segment ended by looking to the future of Baltimore literacy with an on-air conversation between Dr. Carla Hayden, Kameran Rodgers, and Whitney Birenbaum the Executive Director of CHARM.

On-air, we all discussed CHARM’s role in creating the Baltimore Youth Literary Map and the upcoming 2026 AWP Writers’ conference which will be hosted at the Baltimore Convention Center from March 4-7th. The Baltimore Youth Literary Map was created to encourage attendees of this conference to explore Baltimore’s vibrant literary scene and to offer them a guide to places that are meaningful to Baltimore’s youth.

This visit was amazing and gave me a new appreciation of all of the work that goes into producing a radio show on NPR. I had the opportunity to explore the radio control room while the show was airing and I was surprised by the care that goes into every detail. Every small choice from deciding when to fade in the music to perfectly timing advertisement transitions is made in real time with precise care for listeners.

You can learn more about the Baltimore Youth Literary Map featured in the Baltimore Beat and the recorded radio show Midday on WYPR’s website.