Join us at Karamu House for a special conversation on the life, work, and lessons of Lanston Hughes with author Dr. Randal M. Jelks as we discuss his newest book, My America: Langston Hughes and Democracy.

In My America, Dr. Randal M. Jelks delivers a revelatory portrait of the celebrated poet, essayist, playwright, and American artist Langston Hughes. My America traces Hughes’s journey from a child captivated by the wonder of Kansas City to cosmopolitan witness in Paris, New York, Mexico City, and Madrid. We encounter Hughes as a young man discovering the pulse of modern life in a world on the verge of exploding metaphorically and literally. His experiences informed his work and his thinking on art, democracy, and activism.