Langston Hughes Symposium

portrait of Langston Hughes Photograph of Langston Hughes by James Allen

Langston Hughes, Let America Be America Again, An International Symposium on the Art, Life and Legacy of Langston Hughes, held Feb. 7-10, 2002 at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Langston Hughes' boyhood hometown, Lawrence, Kansas, celebrated the life, art, and legacy of America's premier public poet in February 2002. This centennial celebration of his birth included a three-day symposium of scholars, poets, and performance artists who explored themes relating to Hughes' life, work, and broad influence. The program was designed for scholars, community members, college and high school students, educators, poets, and anyone interested in learning more about Langston Hughes and the power of poetry. Symposium sessions and panel discussions are recreated here in streaming audio and print formats. Audio files require the Real Player 8 Basic available from Real Networks .
Symposium Agenda
Keynote Address	The Life and Times of Langston Hughes—Arnold Rampersad Intoduction—Bryan Vescio
Panel Discussion	Remembering Langston Ishmael Reed, Mari Evans, Roy DeCarava, and Sherry Turner Moderator—Dolan Hubbard
Sessions	"Caged in the Circus of Civilization": The Life and Times of Langston Hughes From Boys to Men: The Challenge of Black Male (Auto)Biography John Edgar Tidwell, Hazel Rowley, and Amritjit Singh Moderator—Nellie McKay Revisiting the Harlem Renaissance Emily Bernard and Cary D. Wintz Moderator—Robert Hemenway back to top "That Tune that Laughs and Cries": Modernist Inventions and Interventions in the Writings of Langston Hughes Plain and Simple Folk Akiba Sullivan Harper, John Lowe, and Trudier Harris-Lopez Moderator—Barbara Ryan Negro Mothers, Midnight Dancers, and Madame Alberta K. Johnson: Hughes Womenfolk Valerie Boyd, Thadious Davis, and Sandra Govan Moderator—Denise Low Hughes from Blues to Bop to Hip-Hop Steven Tracy, Guenter Lenz, Amiri Baraka, and Kevin Powell Moderator—Eugene Redmond Hughes on Stage Leslie Sanders, Olga Barrios, and Val Gray Ward Moderator—Carmaletta Williams Teaching Langston Hughes: A Workshop William Cook and Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper Moderator—Frank Farmer The Collected Works of Langston Hughes Editorial Collective Chris De Santis, Dolan Hubbard, Dellita Martin-Ogunsola, Joseph McLaren, R. Baxter Miller, Leslie Sanders, and Arnold Rampersad Moderator—Beverly Jarrett back to top In the Company of Langston: An Appreciation and Critical Reassessment Performing the Word: The Hughes Legacy Fahamisha Patricia Brown, Jerry Ward, and Joan Stone Moderator—Richard Yarborough Hughes Criticism and the Critics Onwuchekwa Jemie, Nikolay Anastasyev, and R. Baxter Miller Moderator—Hans Ostrom
	back to top "I've Known Rivers": Hughes and the Geographies of Place A World of Words: From the Midwest to Moscow Katie Armitage, Elizabeth Schultz, and Alexei Zverev Moderator—Tom Averill Hughes in Asia and Africa Hiroko Sato, Mamadou Kandji, and Chiekh Amadou Dieng Moderator—Kimberly Banks Searching for Color Everywhere Lorenzo Thomas, Edward Mullen, and Ugo Rubeo Moderator—Peter Ukpokodu Multiple Passings James Stevens, George Hutchinson and Juda Bennett Moderator—Arnold Rampersad Some presenters appeared via videotape.