This picture of Langston Hughes (left) with photographer Carl Van Vechten is part of the Hughes' collection housed at the Beinecke Library.

Conference to celebrate
'Langston Hughes and His World'

The personal life, friendships and political views of Langston Hughes will be explored in an international scholarly conference on the poet taking place Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 21-23. Titled "Langston Hughes and His World: A Centennial Celebration," the conference will feature panels on different aspects of Hughes' life as well as film screenings, poetry readings, and jazz and theater performances. Sponsored by the Yale Department of African American Studies in collaboration with other academic departments and New Haven community organizations, the conference will open with a reception on Thursday night followed by screenings of two films: "Langston Hughes: The Dreamkeeper" by St. Clair Bourne and "Louise Alone Thompson Patterson: In Her Own Words" by Louis Massiah. Both filmmakers will be on hand to discuss their work. Elizabeth Alexander, associate professor (adjunct) of African American studies will deliver a keynote address on Friday at 9 a.m. Her talk will be followed by three panel discussions on the topics "Langston Hughes, Sexuality and Gender," "Langston Hughes and Radical Politics" and "Langston Hughes and the African Diaspora." Among the participants in these discussions is Leslie Sanders of York University, who will chair the panel on Hughes's sexuality. Arnold Rampersad of Stanford University will address the question, "Was Langston Gay?" Hazel Carby, chair of the African American studies department at Yale will be one of three presenters in the second panel on Hughes' politics. The third panel on Friday will examine Hughes in the context of Pan-Africanism. One of the presenters, David Chioni Moore of Macalaster College, will reflect on Hughes' relevance in the contemporary world in "Colored Dispatches from the Afghan-Uzbek Border." Hughes' poetic contributions will be celebrated at 8 p.m. on Friday during "An Evening of Jazz and Poetry." The Neighborhood Music School Faculty All Star Ensemble will perform, and Hughes' poetry will be read by Terrance Hayes, A. Van Jordan, Shara McCallum,Tracie Morris and Kate Rushin. Saturday's session will begin at 9 a.m. with a keynote address by Michael Harper from the Department of English at Brown University. Two panel discussions will follow on the topics "Langston Hughes and Cultural Formations" and "The Poetic Legacy of Langston Hughes." Participants include Ann duCille of Wesleyan University, Robert O'Meally of Columbia University and Bruce Kellner of Millersville University. Staged readings of Hughes' dramatic works by members of the Yale community will begin at 7:30 p.m., and there will also be a presentation of the play "Paper Armor" by Eisa Davis. The weekend's events will conclude with "Sugar Hill," an evening of soul, blues, reggae and hip-hop sponsored by the Black Resistance Group. It will begin at 10 p.m. and conclude at 1 a.m. The conference is the collaborative effort of Yale's Department of African American Studies, the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the English and theater studies departments and the New Haven arts community. It has had significant support from the Ford Foundation and the Kempf Memorial Fund at Yale. The Beinecke Library, which houses the largest collection of Hughes' papers in the world, bequeathed by Hughes, is currently holding an exhibition of manuscripts and memorabilia from their collection. It is located at 121 Wall St. Conference events will take place at the library and at the Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St.; Davies Auditorium in Becton Center, 15 Prospect St., and the African American Cultural Center, 211 Park St. Those wishing to attend the conference must register in advance. For more information about registration, times and venues for the events, call the Department of African American Studies at (203) 432-1170, send e-mail to rachel.rodewald@yale.edu, or visit the conference website at www.yale.edu/afamstudies/hughes_conference_details.html#Register. 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