Poetry Month - Langston Hughes Listens to America Presented by the Players of Karamu House

Langston Hughes spent some important formative years in Cleveland—and Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and New York City. But it was during his days as a Cleveland high schooler that he first began to write. Designated as the class poet against his will—because black kids were supposed to have rhythm—he trudged through banal themes of school spirit and eventually grew to become one of our country's most penetrating and insightful voices as a poet, playwright, screenwriter, short story writer and novelist. The Karamu Theatre Outreach Performance Series makes a special contribution to our poetry celebration  with a stylized ‘choreopoem’ of eleven of Langston Hughes’ most profound and moving poems set to the music of drums and brought to life with stylized movement. Writing at a time when the contributions of African Americans to our history were often minimized or disregarded, Hughes brought hidden struggles and dreams to light with humor, pathos and an unerring sense of justice.