Tomorrow, April 9, is Local News Day, and The Banner’s journalists are celebrating by hosting pop-up newsrooms across Maryland.

You’ll find our editors, reporters and photographers at libraries, coffee shops and other public spaces. We’ll be talking with readers about how we do our work, answering questions and, most importantly, listening to what you have to say. We want to hear what you’re seeing in your neighborhoods, what you’re discussing with friends, and how you think The Banner can better serve you.

Local journalism matters because it is rooted in place. We believe the best reporting comes from people who live in the communities they cover, who understand and love living in Maryland, and who are invested in it. That’s what Local News Day celebrates.

When The Banner started about four years ago, we wanted to do things differently. That meant covering stories that otherwise would have gone untold. It meant celebrating the vibrancy of our cities, and also doing the stories that hold the powerful to account. We aspire to help you navigate daily life and learn about what events and forces are shaping our collective future.

Sadly, too many local journalism outlets are dying in Maryland and across the country. We’ve seen news outlets shutter or pull back from covering local news, leaving communities without the information they need to make decisions and stay connected.

We believe Maryland deserves the opposite. That means building a newsroom designed to be responsive and accessible. That means showing up when there is breaking news and also when communities are celebrating.

At a time when our national divisions have never felt so insurmountable, we believe local journalism offers a way forward by focusing on what brings us together: our streets, our schools, our challenges, our opportunities. The stories that bring us together as neighbors.

So come talk with us. Tell us what matters to you. Help shape the journalism your community deserves.

We hope to see you Thursday. Here’s a list of where and when you can find a Banner journalist:

• 49 West Café, Annapolis

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• The Reister’s Daughter, Reisterstown

9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

• Artifact Coffee, Baltimore

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• HBCU Gospel Night at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Savage Mill, Savage

Ground Floor of the New Weave Building, between Bearing Gifts and Candles By Candy

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Lexington Market, Baltimore

Baltimore Room

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Silver Diner at Rio, Gaithersburg

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Busboys and Poets, Hyattsville

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.