Talbot Family Network will launch the January installment of its Conversations on Race series with a new community partnership and an interactive program focused on language, power, and equity.

The event will take place on Monday, January 26, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Fello’s Port Street Commons, located at 480 Port Street in Easton. A light dinner and refreshments will be provided.

For January, Talbot Family Network is partnering with Shore Lit to present a 90-minute facilitated program centered on Critical Language Awareness and Linguistic Justice. The session will explore how language shapes perceptions, reinforces bias, and influences a sense of belonging, with an emphasis on listening, reflection, and dialogue.

The program is being designed and facilitated by Shore Lit Founder and Director Kerry Folan, who will incorporate audio storytelling and guided discussion to examine how oral prejudice and assumptions about language affect individuals and communities. The format is intended to encourage shared learning in an accessible, welcoming environment.

“Conversations on Race creates space for our community to engage with complex issues in thoughtful and meaningful ways,” said Nancy Andrew, executive director of Talbot Family Network. “This partnership with Shore Lit allows us to explore race through the lens of language, which is central to how we connect, include, and understand one another.”

“Our conversations about race often focus on visual signifiers and perceptions. But there are also relationships among race, language, and power,” said Folan. “This conversation draws on my training as a professor of writing and literature and invites people to reflect on their own experiences with language, considering the often invisible power structures inherent within and the impact of linguistic hierarchies on our perceptions of race.”

The event is free and open to the public, with advanced registration required and seating limited. Registration is available at bit.ly/jan26convo.

The Conversations on Race series is held monthly from September through May, typically on the last Monday of each month. Each session stands on its own while contributing to a broader community dialogue on race, equity, and inclusion. Partners for the 2025–26 series include Shore Lit, the Water’s Edge Museum, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and others.

Shore Lit is a nonprofit literary organization based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that promotes reading, creative writing, and literary engagement across the region. Through free author talks, youth writing workshops, and literacy programs, Shore Lit amplifies diverse voices and creates experiences of joy and connection around storytelling. Its programs serve readers and writers across ages and backgrounds throughout the Mid-Shore, with more at www.shorelit.org.

Talbot Family Network serves as Talbot County’s Local Management Board, established by the state of Maryland to improve coordination of services for children and families. TFN identifies local priorities, targets resources, and fosters collaboration across agencies and communities. More information is available at www.healthytalbot.org/about/talbot-family-network/.

Talbot County residents are invited to the Community Resource Expo on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Easton Elementary School, where more than 50 resource partners will be on hand to connect community members with a wide range of services designed to help support families, individuals, and older adults.

Hosted by the Neighborhood Service Center and its community partners, the free event will feature $50 gift card giveaways every half hour, a $100 gift card Golden Ticket, children’s activities, a rolling bicycle rodeo, a provided meal, and more.

A free technology drawing takes place at noon, with an iPad and a laptop awarded to the lucky winners. The packages also come with complimentary setup support provided by the Apollo’s Dream Foundation.

Event attendees will have access to numerous resources for free dental and health screenings, as well as mental and behavioral health resources, including peer support; housing support; utility assistance; a legal aid clinic including expungement services; budgeting and money management; and other services for children and youth, seniors, and veterans.

Limited transportation is available and must be reserved by calling 410-763-6745 by Oct. 10.

“Events like the Community Resource Expo make a real difference for families who may not know where to turn,” said Andy Hollis, executive director of the Neighborhood Service Center. “Our partners will fill Easton Elementary’s gymnasium, media center, cafeteria, hallways, and more to ensure resources are accessible, coordinated, and responsive to the needs of our community.”

Hollis also emphasized the importance of collaboration in strengthening local support systems.

“The Expo brings together organizations that are dedicated to helping residents thrive,” Hollis said. “By working side by side, we can meet people where they are and connect them with the tools and services they need.”

The Neighborhood Service Center, Inc. is a nonprofit Community Action Agency that provides services and assistance to low-income families and advanced-aged residents in Talbot County. More is at www.nsctalbotmd.org.

EVENT PHOTOS

Talbot Family Network’s Conversations on Race series will begin its 2025-26 season with an evening at Spiralis Gallery exploring the “Cryin’ Out Loud” exhibition, followed by a facilitated discussion and a shared meal at the Talbot County Free Library on Monday, Sept. 29, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“Cryin’ Out Loud” celebrates the legacy, emotion, and cultural power of the Blues, and showcases the work of artists Dane Tilghman, Don O’Bannon, and Emery Franklin. A special feature of the exhibition will be “Blues Chapel” by Susan Lenz, an installation honoring female Blues legends. “Cryin’ Out Loud” opened on September 5 and continues through November 2.

Conversations on Race registered participants will gather at Spiralis Gallery, located at 35 W. Dover St. in Easton, at 5:30 p.m. to view the exhibit and hear a short gallery talk by owner Gail Patterson. Following the tour, the group will move to the library’s Easton meeting room for a light dinner, refreshments, and a facilitated dialogue.

The event is free, with limited participation and advanced registration currently closed.

“This partnership with Spiralis gives us the chance to enter this conversation through the richness of story-based art,” said Talbot Family Network Executive Director Nancy Andrew. “Hearing each other’s interpretations will make this a meaningful opportunity to make connections across the community.”

Spiralis Gallery focuses on emerging and mid-career artists to amplify the visual narratives of Afro-Caribbean artists while presenting bold pieces, vibrant fiber art, bricolage, and sculpture. More about the gallery and its artists is at www.spiralisgallery.com.

“Art is a necessary and vital part of our human experience; it can inform, challenge, inspire, and comfort us,” said Patterson. “The mission of Spiralis is to use art as a vehicle to spark human conversation, which can lead to deeper connections. I hope that art can be used in this case to lead us to more authentic conversations about race.”

The Spiralis Gallery program will conclude with a facilitated discussion at the library, where participants will reflect on the artwork and explore their personal narratives and mental models around race.

Upcoming Sessions

The fall schedule continues with a partnership with the Talbot County Historical Society around its “USCT Exhibit: With Valor and Honor.” Participants in the October 24 Conversation on Race will be invited to tour the exhibition before gathering at the Talbot County Free Library for dialogue.

The Conversations on Race Series is free and open to the public, taking place each month from September through May, generally on the last Monday of the month. Other 2025-26 Conversations on Race partners will include the Water’s Edge Museum, Shore Lit, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and more.

About Talbot Family Network

The Talbot Family Network serves as Talbot County’s Local Management Board and was established by the state of Maryland to change the way services are provided to children and families. TFN identifies priorities and targets resources for the jurisdiction’s communities while coordinating child and family services and administering state resources. Local Management Boards improve coordination across state agencies and empower local stakeholders to help drive local priorities.

The mission of the Talbot Family Network is to identify and develop support systems for a healthy, safe, caring, and equitable community for all Talbot County children and families through collaboration with public and private entities. For more information, visit www.talbotfamilynetwork.org.