An announcement from DC poet Kim Roberts:
In the mid-1920s, the celebrated American poet Langston Hughes lived and worked in Washington, DC, where his writing career was launched. Hughes was born on Feb. 1, 1902. And to celebrate his 107th birthday and his Washington literary roots, Holly Bass Performance Projects in collaboration with Washington Musica Viva are proud to present “Langston Days.”
Schedule of Activities
WALKING TOURS
DATE/TIME: Jan. 31 & Feb. 1, tour from 10:30am-12pm (weather permitting)
WHAT: Langston Hughes/ "Harlem" Renaissance in DC walking tour
LOCATION: tour leaves from Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW @ V St. NW
ADMISSION: Free. Limited to 20 participants.
RSVP required. Email LangstonDays@gmail.com for reservations. Please specify if reserving for walking tour on 1/31, 2/1 tour. Led by Kim Roberts, this walking tour will visit places in the U Street/Cardozo area where Hughes and other black poets of his time lived and worked. Complimentary coffee and hot chocolate will be offered by Busboys & Poets beforehand. Books of Hughes poetry can be purchased in the bookstore.
LUNCHTIME TALK
DATE/TIME: Feb. 1, guided lunchtime discussion, noon-2:00pm
WHAT: Langston Hughes/ "Harlem" Renaissance in DC post-tour discussion
LOCATION: tour leaves from Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW @ V St. NW
DMISSION: Suggested $10 food/drink minimum. Limited to 10 participants. RSVP required. Email LangstonDays@gmail.com for reservations.
After the Jan. 31 tour, participants can choose to engage in a lively lunchtime discussion facilitated by Keith D. Leonard, professor of literature at American University and author of Fettered Genius: the African-American Bardic Poet from Slavery to Civil Rights. Participants can order brunch from the Busboys & Poets menu.
DATE/TIME: Feb. 1, 2009, 7pm
WHAT: “The Weary Blues”
LOCATION: Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW @ V St. NW
ADMISSION: $15 general admission, $12 for students/seniors
Live performance of "The Weary Blues" with Holly Bass as Langston along with a six-piece jazz band, featuring bassist Pepe González, drummer Lenny Robinson, trumpeter Chris Royal, guitarist Steve Herberman, pianist Carl Banner, along with saxophonist and arranger Charley Gerard. This performance is a new adaptation of the 1958 collaboration between the poet Langston Hughes and jazz musician Charles Mingus. *This performance will have sign-language interpretation.
DATE/TIME: Feb. 3, 2009, 6:30pm pre-show discussion, 7:30pm performance
WHAT: “Langston and His Legacy”
LOCATION: Grace Church, 1041 Wisconsin Avenue NW, WDC 20007ADMISSION: FreeHolly Bass, accompanied by a six-piece jazz band, will perform excerpts of “The Weary Blues” as well as her own original poetry and the work of other black American poets, highlighting the influence of Hughes’ work on contemporary American poetry.