L2L Langston Hughes (ft. Carol Andrews, pt. I)

Langston Hughes

Life and Poems (pt. I)

This week, Dr. Carol Andrews, associate professor emerita of literature, joins Leigh Rich and P. T. Bridgeport — and well, Langston Hughes himself — for a discussion of the life and works of the great poet, playwright, social activist, and journalist. Hughes not only left a lasting legacy in the United States and overseas, he continues to do so posthumously (through the efforts of new scholars and organizations such as the Langston Hughes Society). Hughes left both works and commentary that resonate with current events and speak to the “dream deferred.” Through a discussion of all things Hughes, explorations of some of his poems, and learning at the feet of the “Bard of Harlem” himself, Listening to Literature only begins the scratch the surface: This week:

• Brief Bio
• Growing Up in the Midwest
• Poem: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
• Columbia Year and After
• Poem: “Theme for English B”
• Finding Work and the First Poem Sold
• Paris, D.C., and Pennsylvania

Please note that, due to copyright, the excerpts by Hughes himself cannot be including in this recording.