Black Arts writer Ishmael Reed to read from works at Hughes symposium

LAWRENCE -- Writer Ishmael Reed, one of the principal voices of the Black Arts movement of the 1950s and 1960s, will rmake two public appearances at the University of Kansas next week as part of the Langston Hughes symposium.

The Department of English is sponsoring two events on Monday, Feb. 11:

 • "A Conversation with Ishmael Reed" at 1:30 p.m., in 4033 Wescoe Hall.

 • Reed will read from his works at 4:30 p.m. in Alderson Auditorium, Kansas Union.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Reed is in Lawrence in conjunction with "Let America Be America Again," an international symposium on the art, life and legacy of Langston Hughes, Feb. 7-10.

The author of 18 books, Reed is a novelist, poet, playwright and essayist. He is also a publisher, television producer, editor of magazines and anthologies, and radio and television commentator.

Reed's books include "New and Collected Poetry," the novels "Japanese by Spring," "Mumbo Jumbo," "The Terrible Twos," "Reckless Eyeballing" and "Flight to Canada," as well as the essay collections "Airing Dirty Laundry" and "Writin' Is Fightin'."

He is the editor of "MultiAmerica: Essays in Cultural War and Cultural Peace" (Viking 1997). "The Reed Reader" (Basic Books 2000) includes excerpts from all of his novels, selected essays, published and previously unpublished poetry, and two plays, "Hubba City" and "The Preacher and the Rapper." Reed's latest collection of essays is "Another Day at the Front" (Basic Books 2002). Konch, his online literary magazine, is located at www.ishmaelreedpub.com.

Since the 1960s, Reed has satirized American political, religious and literary repression in poetry, fiction, drama and essays. He has received numerous awards and honors, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and twice was a finalist for a National Book Award. His fiction is taught in high schools and universities across North America, and his poetry has appeared in the Norton Anthology of Poetry. Reed has taught at Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth and presently teaches at the University of California, Berkeley.