For an overview of some of the work we do, please browse the selected scholarship, media coverage, and project highlights below. These entries are grouped and presented in reverse chronological order to show how our community-engaged humanities work in Baltimore has grown and evolved over time.
Baltimore Traces
- Brandon Walsh, “Review: Baltimore Traces,” Reviews in Digital Humanities: Special Issue: Digital Pedagogy, (January 2022).
- Daniel Fisher. “A Typology of the Publicly Engaged Humanities,” Humanities for All, (2019).
- Humanities for All. “Baltimore Traces: Communities in Transition,” (2018).
- Nicole King, Do Listen to Stranger, UMBC Grit-X, Oct. 2018.
Scholarship
- Nicole King. “A Place Called Poppleton: Investigating the Slow Violence of Redevelopment in West Baltimore,” Journal of Urban History, December 2025.
- Sarah Fouts. “How to Do Accompaniment.” Public Humanities 1 (January 2025): e45. https://doi.org/10.1017/pub.2024.58.
- Nicole King, Sarah Fouts and Tahira Mahdi. “Rethinking the Field in Crisis: The Baltimore Field School and Building Ethical Community and University Partnerships.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, Volume 28, Number 1, (2024) 63-79.
- Nicole King. “Save Our Block: Public Humanities, Zines, and the Connecting the Classroom” in DanielFisher-Livne and Michelle May-Curry, eds. The Routledge Companion to Publicly Engaged Humanities Scholarship (London: Routledge, 2024), 158-177.
- Nicole King. “Sounds of a City: Podcasts and Public Humanities in Baltimore.” The Journal of Higher Education Outreach & Engagement, Vol. 25 No. 1, May 2020.
- Nicole King & Michelle Stefano, “Community-Based Methods for Envisioning Deindustrialization: Mapping Baybrook and Mill Stories Projects of Baltimore, USA” in Onciul, B.A., Stefano, M.L., and Hawke, S., eds. Engaging Heritage: Engaging Communities (Suffolk: Boydell & Brewer, 2017), 119-137.
- Bickel, B., B. Shewbridge, R. Hübler, and A. Oskoz, 2017. Faculty reflections at the intersection of digital storytelling and community engagement. In Digital storytelling in higher education: International perspectives, ed. G. Jamissen, P. Hardy, Y. Nordkvelle and H. Pleasants, pp. 377-389. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Nicole King, “Preserving Places, Making Spaces in Baltimore: Seeing the Connections of Research, Teaching, and Service as Justice,” Journal of Urban History, May 2014, Vol. 40 (3), 425-449.
Awards
- Community Partnership Award, Organize Poppleton, Economic Action Maryland, 2023.
- Crystal Eagle Award, Owners’ Counsel of America – national group of eminent domain lawyers, (A Place Called Poppleton), 2023.
- Outstanding Work in Preservation Award (A Place Called Poppleton), Baltimore Heritage, 2022.
General Press & Media Coverage
- Nicole King. “Profiles of Poppleton Residents.” Baltimore Beat, October 9, 2024.
- Lorraine Mirabella. “Small projects on downtown Baltimore’s west side spark revitalization.” Baltimore Sun, September 13, 2024.
- Emily Gaines Buchler, “How Public Humanities Programs Break Down Barriers.” Johns Hopkins University HUB: Arts + Culture, December 19, 2023.
- Sarah Fouts. “Homegrown Foodways Film Premiere: El Camino Del Pan a Baltimore.” Folklife Today. The Library of Congress, November 7, 2023.
- Grace Hebron. “New Film Project Follows Mexican Chefs in Baltimore and New Orleans.” Baltimore Magazine, November 8, 2023.
- Giacomo Bologna, Former residents of Black neighborhood want feds to investigate displacement in Baltimore, Baltimore Sun, February 13, 2023.
- Hallie Miller and Sophie Kasakove, Former Poppleton resident, nonprofit allege Fair Housing Act violations in federal complaint, Baltimore Banner, February 13, 2023.
- Melody Simmons, Poppleton residents, activists file federal unfair housing complaint against city, Baltimore Business Journal, February 13, 2023
- Wambui Kamau, Kristen Mosbrucker, Baltimore Poppleton residents attorneys’ file Fair Housing Act complaint against city with HUD, WYPR, February 13, 2023.
- Barry Simms, Poppleton residents file complaint, citing Fair Housing Act violations, WBAL, February 13, 2023.
- Brittney Verner, Poppleton residents file complaint after their community hasn’t improved, WMAR, February 13, 2023.
- Robert Lang, Poppleton residents file complaint against city, citing Fair Housing Act violations, WBAL NewRadio, February 13, 2023.
- Jaisal Noor, The Grassroots Fight for Housing Justice in Baltimore, Yes Magazine, December 27, 2022.
- Ashley McDowell, “‘I think it’s essential’: Poppleton community receiving new renovations,” WMAR, October 13, 2022.
- Associated Press, “Baltimore’s Sonia Eaddy and Nicole King receive award for efforts to save historic Poppleton,” February 16, 2023.
- Charles Cohen, “Opinion: After her eminent domain win in Poppleton, Sonia Eaddy’s fight is just beginning,” Baltimore Banner, August 17, 2022.
- Lisa Snowden, “Black Neighborhoods Matter: Poppleton’s Sonia Eaddy Fought City Hall and a New York Developer–and Won,” Baltimore Beat, August 9, 2022.
- Brian Charles, “Land Grab: Why a Desperate City Kept Cutting Deals with a Developer Who Didn’t Deliver,” Baltimore Beat, August 9, 2022.
- Sonia Eaddy & Nicole King interviewed by Tom Hall. “Saving Poppleton: How an urban development conflict was resolved,” WYPR [local public radio, 88.1] Midday with Tom Hall – aired July 27, 2022.
- “Woman wins decades-long fight to save her home in Baltimore,” Washington Post, July 20, 2022
- Sean Streicher. “Poppleton homes spared from demolition after residents lead 18-year battle,” CBS News, July 18, 2022.
- Christ Berinato. “Deal reached to preserve Sonia Eaddy’s home in Poppleton,” Fox 45 News, July 18, 2022.
- Giacomo Bologna. “Sonia Eaddy wins decadeslong fight to save her home in Baltimore’s Poppleton neighborhood: ‘This victory is for us — all of us’,” Baltimore Sun, July 19, 2022.
- Barry Simms. “New development for Poppleton neighborhood allows woman to keep home,” WBALTV 11, July 18, 2022.
- Melody Simmons. “Center/West developer, residents strike agreement on disputed demolition,” Baltimore Business Journal, July 18, 2022.
- Marcus Dieterle. “Eaddy family can keep their Poppleton home; Black Women Build to restore Sarah Ann Street houses,” Baltimore Fishbowl, July 18, 2022.
- Hallie Miller, Sophie Kasakove and Adam Willis, “Residents win fight to save Poppleton properties from redevelopment project,” Baltimore Banner, July 18, 2022.
- Mayor’s Office, “City Announces Updates to Poppleton Redevelopment Project,” Baltimore City Hall, July 18, 2022.
- Catalina Duque-Dansberger, “Rethinking Collaborative Public Humanities Research In New Orleans And Baltimore,” UMBC Magazine, June 17, 2022.
- Giacomo Bologna, “Baltimore family wins rare — though small — victory in fight to protect Poppleton home from demolition,” Baltimore Sun, April 12, 2022.
- Ashley Rogers, “Bridging the Gap: Sarah Ann Street,” WMAR, February 17, 2022
- Stephanie García, “UMBC students archive Highlandtown’s Latino immigration history and food culture.” Baltimore Sun, December 28, 2021.
- Laura Stewart, “UMBC to host conversation with local journalists Nov. 30,” Baltimore Fishbowl. November 22, 2021.
- Hallie Miller, “As Baltimore’s Poppleton neighborhood braces for change, residents liken it to a ‘family’ being broken apart,” Baltimore Sun, July 23, 2021.
- Fern Shen, “City razes historic house in Poppleton two days after Save Our Block rally.” Baltimore Brew. July 13, 2021.
- Catalina Sofia Dansberger Duque, “Baltimore Field School: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supports UMBC’s inclusive approach to community-based research.” UMBC News, January 23, 2020.
- UMBC Shriver Center explores civil disobedience and social justice fifty years after Catonsville Nine UMBC News, April 28, 2018.
- Stephen Winick, “Industrial boom and bust: the living heritage of the Sparrows Point Steel Mill (Baltimore, MD),” Library of Congress Blogs, May 4, 2017.
- Michelle Stefano and Bill Shewbridge screen ‘Mill Stories’ documentary in Baltimore UMBC News, March 8, 2016
- ‘Mill Stories’ documentary shows history of Sparrows Point, loss felt by former workers Baltimore Sun, March 6, 2016
- Tom Hall. “Strong as Steel: “Mill Stories” Recalls Sparrows Point Steelworkers,” WYPR “Maryland Morning” March 4, 2016.
- UMBC humanities students produce radio series exploring history and culture of Baltimore’s Bromo Arts District UMBC News, Dec. 18, 2015.
- Baltimore Traces: Communities In Transition – Student Roundtable WEAA Marc Steiner Show, Dec. 11, 2015.
- Starting at Sparrows Point, humanities research amplifies voices and histories of Baltimore communities UMBC News, Dec. 1, 2015.
- Mill Stories: Deindustrialization as Public History “Cross Ties” Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities, Nov. 2015.
- UMBC Awarded Maryland Humanities Council Grant for “Mapping Dialogues” Project UMBC News, July 9, 2015.
- American Studies and Media and Communication Studies Students Produce Radio Series for The Marc Steiner Show UMBC News, May 28, 2015.
- UMBC Students Present Baltimore Traces: Station North in Transition WEAA Marc Steiner Show, May 22, 2015.
- UMBC Students Present Baltimore Traces: Greektown in Transition WEAA Marc Steiner Show, May 22, 2015.
- “The Mill Stories Project: Safeguarding the Living Cultural Heritage of the Sparrows Point Steel Mill, Maryland, USA” United Nations Development Programme Global Thematic Consultation on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, September 27, 2014.
- Baltimore Sun Features UMBC Faculty, Students in Front-Page BreakingGround Story UMBC News, Feb. 12, 2013.
- Julie Scharper, “UMBC students use new media to document a dying industrial past,” Baltimore Sun, Feb. 11, 2013.
- Sparrows Point: A year after collapse, unsettled lives This special feature from the Baltimore Sun features videos from the “Mill Stories” project, 2013.