The New Mercury Readings

Ben Hellwarth grew up in Los Angeles and began reporting, writing, and editing for papers in the Bay Area after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. He won a number of notable journalism awards in the 1990s as a staff writer for the Santa Barbara News-Press, then part of The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. He currently lives with his family in western Pennsylvania. Sealab is his first book.

Rodney D. Foxworth, Jr. is a writer, independent consultant, and native Baltimorean. He writes primarily about politics, culture, and social issues, and has written on topics ranging from contemporary race relations to urban education reform to third-party participation in electoral politics. His work has appeared in Baltimore City Paper, Urbanite magazine, Baltimore Brew, and Baltimore Fishbowl, among other publications. In addition to his writing, Rodney advises nonprofit organizations and emerging businesses on strategic communication and business and fund development. He blogs frequently at rodneyfoxworth.com and lives in Hampden.

Wayne Countryman, while at six newspapers and two magazines, has
edited writers who went on to fame and fortune with books and movies.
The Baltimore Sun won a Pulitzer Prize on his first day there, and he
helped edit its last Pulitzer-winning entry. Since then he’s edited
(and done a little writing) at AmericanStyle magazine and now The
Maryland Daily Record. His last beat as a reporter, at George
Washington University’s newspaper, involved covering early mating
attempts of the National Zoo’s first pandas. Missing the odor of
black-and-white photo darkrooms, he’s writing, including for the
“Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore” zine.

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We don’t really plan things ahead that carefully, but this one involved two sharp political commentaries, sandwiched between two peeks into the shock trauma ward. First, Amy Lakis talked about her son’s close call after a car crash. Political columnist Brian Morton read two of his pieces on Supreme Court Justices, demonstrating remarkable prescience regarding Mr. Roberts, and then, as a freebie, dazzled us with a couple of  card tricks. Then Edit  Barry took the stage and reminded us that a public school isn’ t something we use; it’s a place to grow. Finally, Ramsey Flynn narrated his own near death (or, technically, death), as experienced while under the knife at Johns Hopkins during open heart surgery.

For all New Mercury fans who’ve been wondering what’s happened to us: we’ll be back on Saturday, January 28th, featuring four more Baltimore writers who also reflect the depth of diversity and talent. Brian Morton, City Paper columnist and magician; Ramsey Flynn, journalist, author, and one-time Baltimore Magazine general editor; recent journalism graduate Amy Lakis; and Edit Barry, blogger, visionary, writer/editor.  More on all of these people as soon as we can get the photographs up. Posters too!  But for the moment, save the date. This should be a good one. As usual, it’s at the Windup Space, at North Avenue and Charles Street in the Arts District. No entrance fee, and the Windup Space is doing this out of the kindness of their hearts, so bring friends and buy drinks!

Spots for readers have been filling up, so check this site soon for listings for February and March.

Brian Wendell Morton is an award-winning radio reporter and newspaper columnist. He began his career as a student journalist at the University of Maryland where he and a partner won the national spot-news award for print journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for covering the drug trial following the death of collegiate basketball star Len Bias.

He continued as a reporter at all-news radio station WTOP in Washington where, while covering everything from local politics to the inauguration of George H. W. Bush, he won awards from the Chesapeake Associated Press and the Dateline Chapter of the Washington Society of Professional Journalists. At WBAL Radio in Baltimore he distinguished himself with another AP award for his coverage of a freak tornado landing in a Baltimore suburb.

In 1994 he originated the “Political Animal” column for Baltimore’s City Paper, which he wrote until 1996 and then resumed in 2002. In 2006 he also he hosted the “Weekly News Roundup” for Baltimore’s public radio station WYPR.