Laverne Cox will bring her new memoir, “Transcendent,” to the Baltimore Book Festival on September 19. The “Orange Is the New Black” star will close Saturday’s program with a conversation about identity, trauma and healing, as Baltimore Chronicle reports.
The appearance is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the 32nd Street Stage. Cox will speak with Melanie Bryant, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. The festival runs September 19–20 in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood and is free to attend.
What Laverne Cox will discuss in Baltimore
“Transcendent” was published by Gallery Books on June 9, 2026. The 256-page memoir follows Cox from her childhood in Mobile, Alabama, through years of rejection and her eventual breakthrough in Hollywood.
The book addresses several deeply personal subjects:
- childhood trauma and bullying;
- gender identity and transition;
- Cox’s years trying to establish an acting career;
- body image and romantic relationships;
- fame, self-worth and healing.
The memoir also revisits the role that changed Cox’s career. She became widely known as Sophia Burset in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.”
“Transcendent” is less a conventional celebrity memoir than an account of what happened before and after public recognition.
Baltimore Book Festival adds Cox to Saturday lineup
Cox’s appearance will close the festival’s first day. Organizers expect the 2026 event to spread across nine stages and more than 100 literary vendors and community exhibitors.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Baltimore Book Festival |
| Date | September 19, 2026 |
| Laverne Cox appearance | 7:00 p.m. |
| Stage | 32nd Street Stage |
| Conversation partner | Melanie Bryant |
| Admission | Free |
The broader festival runs through September 20. Programming includes author conversations, readings, workshops and booksellers across Waverly.
For Cox, the Baltimore appearance extends a busy period following the memoir’s publication. “Transcendent” has also been presented as an audiobook narrated by Cox herself.
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