About the Dickens Society of Baltimore

Our group became well-seasoned under the guidance of Menalcus Lankford, the first President and founder of the Baltimore Dickens Society, who established a scheduling pattern enjoyed by the members: a major novel is selected for the fall, with five monthly meetings from September to early January's conclusion. The year includes a mid-March meeting based on literary criticism of the fall novel. June sees a Dickens party, which includes a presentation on Dickens' life as it relates to the next session's novel. It’s also a good opportunity for the group to socialize.

Events of the last few years challenged the group. We saw the departure of Menalcus, who moved to the West Coast to join family; our meetings moved to a new location at the Church of the Redeemer on 5603 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21210, and then the pandemic put a halt to in-person meetings for a year and a half! We persevered, though, as we conducted our meetings via zoom for the reading of Great Expectations. But now we are back to in-person meetings at the Church of the Redeemer.

Check out the video below for a fun but knowledgeable romp through many of Dickens's novels.