Baltimore Branch

Website: https://baltimoredickensabout.com/
Regular meeting venue: The Hale Auditorium, on the campus of Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD  21210.
Contact: Ruth Scally (president): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Alternative: Andrea Struble (secretary): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Baltimore chapter became a branch of the Dickens Fellowship in 2014 after having been active for a number of years. Our enthusiastic group of Dickens devotees reads one novel by Dickens each year, with five or six monthly meetings beginning in September.

The Baltimore branch may be unique in that we have an official Sommelier who sends photos, descriptions and tasting notes for the wines he has selected for each meeting. The wines are provided by our Sommelier and served in stemware, adding another dimension of interest to our Dickens discussions.

The group sometimes schedules outings to a theater or other local venue—and in June we have a party, where we celebrate all things Dickens and vote on the next novel selection.

Special guests with a Dickens connection are occasionally invited to our meetings. In October 2022, we welcomed Loyola University Maryland professor Brian Murray, who joined us for a discussion of Our Mutual Friend. Professor Murray is the author of two books about Dickens: Charles Dickens (biography and literary study, 1994), and the illustrated Bedside Guide to Dickens (2009). 

Dickens visited Baltimore in 1842 and was favorably impressed with our public buildings and monuments, many of which still exist. He returned to the city during his second U.S. visit in 1867–68, when he performed a public dramatic reading.

The Baltimore branch welcomes visitors to our meetings! Meetings are on Friday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. See the schedule in our events listing. Email and let us know if you plan to join us. The Hale Auditorium is located off the E. Melrose Street parking lot behind the church. Enter the auditorium under the green awning.