Kristi Allen will sing “Digital Boomtown,” about the rise of artificial intelligence.

Doug Segree, whose brother died of cancer in 2023, will remember him with a performance of “Brother.”

And Tavair Dominque will offer his “Lament,” inspired by life during his move from Annapolis to Baltimore:

Hello, it sure is nice to meet you

I have a few things to lament

The gas is too damn high and there could be cheaper therapy if they tried

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But that’s not the world that we live in, no

From Thursday through Sunday, music lovers, fans and fun seekers will celebrate the artists who write the music at the fourth Annapolis Songwriters Festival.

So what are they writing about? I asked more than 60 of the local and emerging songwriters performing over the next four days, and here’s some of what they shared.

You’ll hear songs about love and loss, Baltimore and Ocean City. Even Pete Best’s dog gets a mention in “For Walter’s Sake.”

Poor Walter dug a big ole hole and crawled inside of it

I know he misses you like crazy, he’s just too stubborn to say it

Presented by Rams Head, BMI and Visit Annapolis, the festival features national headliners in ticketed shows: Steep Canyon Rangers on Thursday, Dirty Heads on Friday, Al Jardine and The Pet Sounds Band on Saturday, and 10,000 Maniacs on Saturday and Sunday.

For me, it’s the not so famous who are the true highlight, performing for free on the “songwriters trail,” playing water taxi karaoke and talking about their art at workshops.

Inspiration comes from everywhere in these songs. Marilyn Hucek’s haunting remembrance of her father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s is in “Neil Young,” and Rick Hogue’s love life, complete with dirty socks, is what makes “Complicated” special.

There are younger singers, such as Callum Toner, writing about self-discovery in “The Present Past,” and veterans such as Meg Murray, singing about life as a small-town musician in “Straight Ahead.”

Straight ahead is the only way to go

It’s another night, another show

There are people and events, places such as Jess Jocoy’s cul-de-sac, and time at the beach in Luke Borchelt’s “Ocean City.”

So, if you miss me

Get on 50

Because it’s cold down here in Ocean City

Some songs will get topical, such as Ray Weaver’s “Haunted Road,” about missing and murdered indigenous women, or Dirk Schwenk’s meditation on the consequences of elections in “Dead Man’s Desk.”

And others will share stories that Annapolis will appreciate, such as Naval Academy grads Victor Voss in “Ever Really Up to Us” and Chris Nurthen in “Bay Dale.”

Nurthen’s song is an ode to the sponsor parents who helped him in his struggling midshipman days by welcoming him into their house off Bay Dale Drive.

Back to the uniforms, wake-up calls,

And ugly hearts robots whom I call “sir” or “ma’am”

There’s one thing I look forward to,

‘fore I get back to school

The show is a chance to hear the poetry of our time, played over a guitar, as in Skribe’s “Undefined.”

I am not defined by the bias in your mind

The acid in your soil that you’re now tasting in the rind

The freedoms you abuse and all the views that make you blind

Yeah that’s not me

I’m undefined

Tickets range from $70 to $500 for individual shows, multiple events and VIP passes. A full schedule is available in the Annapolis Songwriters Festival App.

Here are other great things to do in the week through Sept. 17.

Kunta Kinte returns

10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday

Named for the enslaved teenager brought to life by Alex Haley’s 1976 novel, “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” the Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival is a celebration of African American culture in Annapolis.

The festival at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium features music on two stages, food, children’s activities and cultural displays.

Haley’s story is remembered with a sculpture at the Kunta Kinte Memorial at City Dock, near the spot where “Roots” begins its journey through America.

Admission is free.

Pop up

10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday

Stronger Together, a coalition of businesses and nonprofits, will hold a market day at Annapolis Town Center.

A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Annapolis & Anne Arundel.

Seafood by the bay

11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday

The Maryland Seafood Festival returns to Sandy Point State Park this weekend, with local food and a celebration of skipjacks.

The annual Chesapeake Bay festival includes music, cooking demonstrations, a crab soup cook-off and more.

This year, it is combining with Skipjack Heritage Days, a celebration of the nation’s last working sailboats. More than a dozen historic boats will take part in tours, exhibits and a race visible from shore.

The festivals continue Sunday, 11 a.m-6 p.m. Both events are included with admission, $15–$20.

Poetry talk

2-4 p.m. Saturday

Poet Mary Jo Bang, a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, will talk about her work with former Maryland poet laureate Grace Cavalieri at St. John’s College.

Her award-winning 2007 collection, “Elegy,” chronicled the year following the death of her son. This year, she published a translation of Dante’s “Paradiso,” following earlier translations of “Inferno” and “Purgatorio.”

Bang teaches at Washington University in St. Louis. The talk is free, but registration is required.

Exhibit openings

1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday

The Friends of Quiet Waters Park will celebrate artists with two new shows with receptions.

The Annapolis Art Cooperative and “Havana Through Cuban Eyes” by artist Peter T. West are on display at the visitors center through Oct. 5.

The center is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends. Admission to the park is $6 but free for the reception.

Cat’s Meow

7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday

Classic Theatre of Maryland will perform music from the Roaring Twenties in “Speakeasy,” part of its monthly cabaret series. Tickets are $68-$75, plus fees.