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Every year, the staff at Maryland Humanities have the challenging task of choosing which book will be selected for the One Maryland One Book program.  Each fall, Maryland Humanities sends out a call for suggestions based on an annual theme (the theme for this year is HOPE) and predetermined criteria.  Then, the Maryland Humanities staff researches all suggestions to make sure each title fits within the established criteria. The selection committee then narrows the list down to the top ten choices.  In January, the committee meets to discuss the top ten and narrows the list down to three choices, later voting to establish which book will be the One Maryland One Book pick.  To learn more about the selection process and criteria, please visit the Maryland Humanities FAQ page.

The One Maryland One Book for this year is The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay.

In The Book of Delights, one of today’s most literary voices offers up a genre-defying volume of lyric essays written over one tumultuous year. The first nonfiction book from award-winning poet Ross Gay is a record of the small joys we often overlook in our busy lives. Among Gay’s funny, poetic, philosophical delights: a friend’s unabashed use of air quotes, cradling a tomato seedling aboard an airplane, the silent nod of acknowledgement between the only two black people in a room. But Gay never dismisses the complexities, even the terrors, of living in America as a black man or the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture or the loss of those he loves. More than any other subject, though, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world—his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis.

The Book of Delights is about our shared bonds, and the rewards that come from a life closely observed. These remarkable pieces serve as a powerful and necessary reminder that we can, and should, stake out a space in our lives for delight.

Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry, including his most recent, Be Holding, a love song to legendary basketball player Julius Erving.  He is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project, Gay has received fellowships from Cave Canem, the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, and the Guggenheim Foundation. He teaches at Indiana University.

Find a free copy of the The Book of Delights: 

CCPL One Maryland One Book Programs:  

Virtual Programs (Registration is required)

This year’s author tour will be a virtual event held on Monday, October 4, 2021.  Be sure to check back for more information closer to the date!