An Official Employee Publication From the Office of University Relations

Alfred A. Knopf/Vintage book publishers have granted $7,500 for a conference at KU to celebrate Langston Hughes’ 100th birthday anniversary Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 to 10.

The conference is attracting nationally known artists influenced by Hughes’ work, including Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Alice Walker; acclaimed actors Danny Glover, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee; Hughes’ biographer Arnold Rampersad; and writers Kevin Powell, Paule Marshall and Ishmael Reed.

“We appreciate Knopf taking the lead in offering the first of several grants we are seeking to provide this conference in the spirit of Langston Hughes -- free to the public,” said Maryemma Graham, KU professor of English and conference co-organizer.

Graham, Bill Tuttle, KU professor of American studies, and Heather Hoy, KU Continuing Education program manager, are working with community groups in Lawrence to celebrate Hughes’ work and his life during his centennial year. Graham, Tuttle and others have organized a conference, Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 to 10, 2002, that is expected to attract about 400 people, including scholars, teachers and young writers.

Campus offices supporting the symposium include the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Hall Center for the Humanities, the chancellor’s and provost’s offices, Spencer Research Library, Spencer Museum of Art, Student Senate and Student Union Activities.

“Knopf’s generous grant will help make it possible for young scholars, aspiring writers and the general public to attend this event celebrating one of America’s premiere poets, who happens to come from the Midwest,” Graham said.

Langston Hughes, described by Knopf as the poet laureate of African America and perhaps our greatest popular poet since Walt Whitman, spent his earliest years in Lawrence, where he lived with his grandmother from 1903 to 1915. He was born Feb. 1, 1902, in Joplin, Mo.

“Knopf’s grant will help us toward our goal of raising about $50,000 to offer the entire conference free to the public,” Graham said. Knopf is one of the country’s foremost publishers of poetry, including The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes.
In 1977, KU established a rotating professorship in honor of Langston Hughes to bring to campus prominent scholars in fields compatible with Hughes’ interests. Funds for the 2002 professorship will be devoted to the symposium honoring Hughes.

The conference theme, “Let America Be America Again,” is part of the Langston Hughes National Poetry Project, a series of activities and performances designed to encourage a deeper understanding of the role of poetry in American culture and everyday life.

Details about KU’s conference and related events in Lawrence are available online at www.kuce.org/hughes or by calling KU Continuing Education at (785) 864-5823 or toll free at (877) 404-5823.