Local
Gay man wins Pratt Library’s poetry contest
Baltimore resident Stephen Zerance honored by ‘Poet Lore’
Stephen Zerance won Pratt’s Poet Lore Poetry Contest. (Photo courtesy Zerance)
Baltimore resident Stephen Zerance was named the 2017 winner of the Enoch Pratt Free Library/Poet Lore Poetry Contest. The contest was judged by “Poet Lore,” billed as America’s oldest poetry journal.
There were 261 poems submitted for the 2017 Poetry Contest, representing 20 Maryland counties and Baltimore City. Zerance emerged as the winner for his poem titled “True Crime.”
Zerance, who received his MFA from American University, is the author of the chapbook “Caligula’s Playhouse” (Mason Jar Press, 2016). His poems have appeared in “West Branch,” “Prairie Schooner,” “Quarterly West,”” Assaracus,” and “Knockout” among others. He has also been featured on the websites of Lambda Literary and Split This Rock. He began writing poetry during his undergraduate days.
“With ‘True Crime’ I wanted to explore the recent surge of true crime-related programming on television and media and link it to my life, to make sense of my fascination with various cases,” Zerance told the Blade.
“The poem tackles the triple homicide home invasion that occurred in Cheshire, Conn. It’s a particularly grizzly case that received a lot of media attention and the poem explains the effect of this.”
“True Crime” will be enlarged for display in a Central Library show window in the summer, and along with the runners-up will be published in the Fall/Winter 2017 issue of “Poet Lore,” available through “Poet Lore’s” e-store and at the Central Library. The poem will be a part of his collection debuting in 2018 from Indolent Books.
To read “True Crime,” click here.
You can follow Stephen Zerance on Instagram @lvcifers_revenge.
Virginia
VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade
Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday
The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.
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Virginia
Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment
Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3
The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.
Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.
“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”
Maryland
Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated
Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs
By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.
The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.
By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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