Nov. 10-11

Langston Hughes has long shaped people’s understanding of themselves and of the United States more broadly. His powerful written works have provided insight into our painful past and hope for a future beyond the ills that have plagued our society. He was the “Bard of Harlem” and he remains America’s Bard.

This conference commemorates Hughes 50 years after his passing, exploring his art, life, and legacy as viewed by many of the top Hughes scholars, literature scholars, biographers, writers, and poets working today. The conference is organized by Wallace Best and is free and open to the public.

Friday, November 10th

1:00 – 1:30 P.M.
Welcome and Introductions
McCosh Hall, Room 50
Wallace Best – Religion and African American Studies, Princeton University

1:30 – 3:30 P.M.
He, Too, Sang America: A Roundtable Discussion by Historians and Writers on the Importance of Langston Hughes
McCosh Hall, Room 50
Randal Maurice Jelks – American Studies, The University of Kansas
John Edgar Tidwell – English, The University of Kansas
Evie Shockley – English, Rutgers University
Chair: Herman Beavers – English & Africana Studies, The University of Pennsylvania 

4:00 – 5:30 P.M.
Religion and Sexuality in the Work of Langston Hughes
McCosh Hall, Room 50
Arnold Rampersad – English, Stanford University 
Wallace Best – Religion and African American Studies, Princeton University
Chair: Imani Perry – African American Studies, Princeton University

6:00 – 7:30 P.M.
Opening Reception
Louis A. Simpson Building Atrium 171

7:30 – 9:00 P. M.
Keynote Address
McCosh Hall, Room 50
Elizabeth Alexander – English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
Introduction by Kelsey Moss – English, Princeton University 

Saturday, November 11th

9:30 – 9:50 A.M.
Welcome and Introductions
McCosh Hall, Room 50
Wallace Best – Religion and African American Studies, Princeton University 
Eddie S. Glaude Jr. – Religion and African American Studies, Princeton University

10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
The Negro Artist and His Racial Mountains
McCosh Hall, Room 50
Farah Jasmine Griffin – English and Comparative Studies, Columbia University
Josef Sorett – Religion, Columbia University 
Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper – English and African American Studies, Spelman College
Steven Tracy – African American Studies, UMass Amherst
Chair: David Roessel, Greek Language and Literature, Stockton University

1:30 – 3:30 P.M.
The Wonder of His Wanderings
McCosh Hall, Room 50
Carmaletta Williams – English and African American Studies, Johnson County Community College
David Chinitz – English, Loyola University Chicago 
Christopher C. De Santis – English, Illinois State
Vera Kutzinski – English and Comparative Literature, Vanderbilt University
Chair: Anne Anlin Cheng – American Studies and English, Princeton University

3:30 – 4:00 P. M.
Conference Comment
McCosh Hall, Room 50
James T. Campbell – History, Stanford University

4:00 – 6:45 P.M.
Reception and Book Signing  
Prospect House

7:00 – 9:00 P.M.
Remember Me to Harlem: A Night of Poetry, Song and Images
Wallace Theater, Lewis Center for the Arts

Monologue
Tatayania Robinson – “The Negro and the Racial Mountain”

Music
Steven Tracy – African American Studies, UMass Amherst

Poetry
Tracy K. Smith – Creative Writing, Princeton University 
Kevin Young – Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Video
“Langston Reads Langston”

Chairs: Jesse McCarthy, Chelsea Adewunmi, and Joshua Bennett