More Information For a Radio News Line feed with quotes from Maryemma Graham click here. For more about Hughes' works published by Knopf see the Web site at http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/hughes/poem.html. Related topics Langston Hughes centennial celebration at KU to draw noted actors, writers Search KU News releases Subscribe now to receive KU News by email

Contact: Maryemma Graham, (785) 864-2557, Bill Tuttle, or Barbara Watkins, (785) 864-7881.

Knopf gives grant to Langston Hughes symposium

LAWRENCE -- Alfred A. Knopf/Vintage book publishers have granted $7,500 for a conference at the University of Kansas to celebrate Langston Hughes' 100th birthday anniversary Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 to 10.

"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.

"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.

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 attracting acclaimed writers and artists who have been influenced by Hughes work.

Those artists include: Pulitzer-prize winning author Alice Walker; acclaimed actors Danny Glover, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis; and Hughes' biographer Arnold Rampersad.

In addition to major artists and writers, Graham and others are working to bring a number of scholars to present fresh perspectives on Hughes and his work. "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.

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.

Knopf is one of the country's foremost publishers of poetry, including "The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes." Knopf currently offers eight books of Hughes' works including "The Ways of White Folks," "The Dream Keeper" and "The Panther and the Lash," the last book published before his death in 1967. For more about Hughes' works published by Knopf see the Web site at http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/hughes/poem.html.

In addition to tributes planned at KU and in Lawrence, other events celebrating Hughes' 100th birthday will be observed in Topeka and Joplin, at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Mo., and at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Details about KU's conference and related events in Lawrence are available online at http://www.kuce.org/hughes.

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, Student Senate and Student Union Activities. Arrangements for the appearance of Danny Glover were made through Greater Talent Network Inc., New York.