Brian Gilmore: “No More Worlds to Conquer”

Poet Brian Gilmore joins fellow poet Kim Roberts Meikle to discuss his new nonfiction book, No More Worlds to Conquer: The Black Poet in Washington, DC.

.
Washington, DC, has long been home to a dynamic and vibrant African American literary community. In No More Worlds to Conquer, the local poet Brian Gilmore uncovers the buried legacy of Black poets in Washington. He traces the literary life and politics of Black poets in the nation's capital since Paul Laurence Dunbar, showing how well-known American poets, such as Sterling Brown and Jean Toomer, were mentored in DC by poets like May Miller and Georgia Douglas Johnson and making the case for the city as a center of American literature.
This multigenerational account will resonate with poetry enthusiasts, local DC scholars, and anyone interested in the rich traditions of African American literature.
About the Author:
Born and raised in Washington, DC, Brian Gilmore is the author of four collections of poetry including Come See about Me, Marvin (Wayne State University Press), a Michigan Notable Book for 2020, and We Didn't Know Any Gangsters (Cherry Castle Publishing), a 2014 NAACP Image Award nominee and a 2015 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award nominee. His latest book, No More Worlds to Conquer: The Black Poet in Washington, DC (Georgetown University Press, 2026), is a cultural history of the African American poetry scene in Washington, DC, since the time of Paul Laurence Dunbar. A literary and legal scholar and public interest lawyer, he taught clinical law for 16 years, practiced law for 30 years, and is now Senior Lecturer in the Law and Society Program at the University of Maryland, College Park.
About the Moderator:
Kim Roberts Meikle is the author of seven books of poems, most recently Q&A for the End of the World, a collaboration with Michael Gushue (WordTech Editions, 2025), and two guidebooks, including The District’s Departed: Walking Tours of DC-Area Cemeteries (forthcoming from Rivanna Books, 2026). Meikle co-curates DC Pride Poem-a-Day each June, and co-directs the Pride Poetry Fellowship at the Arts Club of Washington. She has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities DC, the DC Commission on the Arts, the Rose Library at Emory University, and the Jerome Foundation. Find her at http://www.kimroberts.org.

About the Program:

• Doors will open to registered attendees at 2 pm.
• The program will run approximately 70–75 minutes, including conversation, audience Q&A, and the presenters sharing a few DC poems.
• A local bookseller will be on-site and have books by both speakers available for purchase.
• Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street). Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
• This free event will be presented in-person and virtually.
• There is no registration required for virtual attendance. Simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library'sFacebook orYouTube page.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Enoch Pratt Free Library