Claudia Levy – a Celebration of  a Life Well Lived that Ended Much too Soon: 

A memorial celebration of the life of Claudia Levy, our dear friend and former colleague at the Washington Post who died suddenly last December, will be held this coming Saturday, Sept. 17, from 2-4 p.m., at the Bannockburn Community Clubhouse, 6314 Bannockburn Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, near Glen Echo. The clubhouse ballroom, where the event will be held, has a limited capacity of 115 seated plus room for  20 more standing.  As the event will be indoors and Covid-19 remains a fact of life, we ask that those attending wear a mask.  Claudia was a remarkable caring person whose quiet and persistent efforts contributed to a more just workplace for women and the betterment of society in general.  For more about her, you may read the blog I posted soon after her death by clicking here.  If you are planning to attend, and have not already done so, please RSVP.  Write to me via website message and copy Karlyn Barker, at karlynbarker@gmail.com. For more about Claudia, read Adam Bernstein’s Washington Post obit here.

Hidden Maryland: In Search of America in Miniature

After a year’s work of compiling, editing, proofreading  and production, I’m pleased to report that my newest book, a collection of columns and features I wrote (and illustrated) for the late lamented Maryland Life magazine will soon be available on Amazon.

Blurb from Washington Post columnist John Kelly: “If Maryland is for crabs, then Gene Meyer is for Maryland. He’s visited every corner of the state. That’s no easy task, given how squiggly Maryland’s border is in places. And after decades spent plumbing every nook and cranny — from seashore to mountain — Gene reveals a simple truth: Maryland’s greatest natural resource is its people.”

And this, from Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun columnist: “Back when Gene Meyer wrote for The Washington Post, I followed him closely. His stories from across Maryland popped with discovery and read-out-loud prose. His superb story-telling skills obviously continued into his Hidden Maryland days. In each tale, he makes his readers feel like fellow travelers.”

For a publication update, keep watching this space!

Upcoming Anniversary of John Brown Raid on Harpers Ferry

Om the night of Oct. 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown led 18 men down a dark country road to seize the federal arsenal and rifle works at Harpers Ferry with the intention of inciting a slave insurrection that would bring down the hated institution of slavery.  The raid failed in its immediate goal, but many historians assert that it was the spark that ignited the Civil War 18-months later, leading to the 13th amendment that emancipated the country’s 4 million enslaved persons, and to the 14th and 15th amendments that extended the franchise and other fundamental rights. With Brown were five Black men whose stories had been largely lost to history. I am proud to have given them their due in my book Five for Freedom: The African American Soldiers in John Brown’s Army.  On the 163d anniversary of the raid, the publisher – Chicago Review Press — will also be offering a special discount, and I will have more to share about that in the coming weeks.