2026 Langston Hughes Festival Tickets
2026 LANGSTON HUGHES FESTIVAL PROGRAM OF EVENTS
Day One
Thursday, November 19, 2026
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Panel Discussion on the History and Legacy of FIRE!! and the Literary Journals Inspired by the Quarterly Magazine
Location: Shepard Hall 95
This year's two-day festival commences Thursday, November 19, 2026 with a Panel Discussion on the History and Legacy of FIRE!! and the Literary Journals Inspired by the Quarterly Magazine at 10:00 AM in Shepard Hall 95.
Welcome:
Dr. Jervette R. Ward, Langston Hughes Festival Director
Moderator:
Dr. Kevin McGruder, FIRE!! Press President
Panelists:
Marilyn Campbell-Lowe, co-adaptor of the stage play FIRE!!; Michelle B. Taylor, Managing Editor FIRE!!! (2027); Allen L. Wright, Other Countries Black Gay Men Writing
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
FIRE!! Lunch Conversation
Location: The Lookout -- Shepard Hall 278
A lunchtime gathering centered on the legacy and impact of FIRE!!
Welcome:
Dr. Jervette R. Ward, Langston Hughes Festival Director
Moderator:
Dr. Kevin McGruder, FIRE!! Press President
12:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Student Zines and Writing Workshop Presentation inspired by FIRE!!
Location: Shepard Hall 95
Presenters:
Katherine Cheairs, Makeda School for Art, Media, and Humanities ; Luca Messarra, Stanford University; and CCNY Students
2:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Film Screening: Brother to Brother
Location: MCA Theater 291
A screening of the 2004 film followed by a conversation with the film’s director, Rodney Evans, and the actor portraying Bruce Nugent, Duane Boutte.
Moderator:
Dr. Kevin McGruder, FIRE!! Press President
Panelists:
Rodney Evans, Director; Duane Boutte, Actor
4:30 PM - 5:15 PM
Philadelphia’s Quintessence Theatre Presents: FIRE!!: A Play, by Marilyn Campbell-Lowe and Paul Oakley Stovall
Location: Shepard Hall 95
A reading of selected excerpts, including Smoke, Lilies, and Jade, by Richard Bruce Nugent, and performed by the 2026 Barrymore Award-nominated Ensemble.
5:15 PM - 5:45 PM
Refresh and Refuel
Location: The Lookout -- Shepard Hall 278
An informal gathering space for guests, participants, and invited speakers to refresh and refuel with snacks and beverages before the Langston Hughes Medal Ceremony honoring Jericho Brown.
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Langston Hughes Festival Medal Ceremony
Location: Shepard Hall 95
2026 Langston Hughes Festival Ceremony honoring Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown, followed by a conversation with Claudia Rankine and featuring the musical sounds of ELLINGTONIA: Songs of Duke Ellington featuring Tish Adams, Vocals, & Mark Kross, Piano
Moderator and Welcome:
Jervette R. Ward, Langston Hughes Festival Director
Musical Performance:
ELLINGTONIA: Songs of Duke Ellington featuring Tish Adams, Vocals, & Mark Kross, Piano
A Reading by
Jericho Brown
A Conversation between
Jericho Brown and Claudia Rankine
Langston Hughes Medal Presentation
Remarks by
Jericho Brown
Q & A
Following the Medal Ceremony
Book Signing with Jericho Brown
Presented in partnership with Sisters Uptown Bookstore
Day Two
Friday, November 20, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Film Screening: The Five Demands with a Special Never Seen Bonus Feature on Bruce Nugent from Film Director and Producer Andrea Weiss
Location: Shepard Hall 95
In April 1969, a small group of Black and Puerto Rican students shut down The City College of New York, an elite public university in the heart of Harlem. Fueled by revolutionary fervor, the strike grew into a campus-wide uprising that led to a prolonged occupation, canceled classes, student arrests, and the resignation of the college president. Through archival footage and firsthand accounts, The Five Demands documents this pivotal moment in the struggle for educational equity and the lasting impact of student activism.
Directed and Produced by: Andrea Weiss and Greta Schiller
Introduction:
Dr. Jervette R. Ward, Langston Hughes Festival Director
3:15 PM - 5:00 PM
Panel Discussion: The Five Demands, SEEK, and the Legacy of Student Activism
Location: Shepard Hall 95
Welcome:
Dr. Carey Manifold, SEEK Director
Moderator:
Dr. Jervette R. Ward, Langston Hughes Festival Director
Panelists:
Dr. Carey Manifold, SEEK Director; Dr. Michael Hodge, Dean of Special Programs; Keisha Sutton-James, Granddaughter of Percy Ellis Sutton and former Deputy Manhattan Borough President; Anthony Belli, SEEK Alumnus; Ash Joseph, Recent Graduate; Leila Pena-Giancoli, Recent Graduate; Micheal Elcock, SEEK Alumnus
5:15 PM - 6:30 PM
SEEK 60th Anniversary Archives and Oral History Project Exhibition
Location: The Lookout – Shepard Hall 278
An exhibition highlighting archival materials and oral histories documenting six decades of the Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) Program's impact.
Introduction:
Dr. Francine Almash, SEEK Faculty Counselor and Dr. Alice Shepard, SEEK Faculty Counselor
Student Archivists:
Lin Dan Zheng, SEEK Alumnus; Ash Joseph, Recent Graduate
5:15 PM - 6:30 PM
SEEK 60th Anniversary Reception
Location: The Lookout – Shepard Hall 278
A celebratory reception honoring the legacy, history, achievements, and community of the Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) Program.
7:00 PM
Philadelphia’s Quintessence Theatre Presents: FIRE!!: A Play, by Marilyn Campbell-Lowe and Paul Oakley Stovall
Location: Shepard Hall 95
A reading of selected excerpts, including Smoke, Lilies, and Jade, by Richard Bruce Nugent, and performed by the 2026 Barrymore Award-nominated Ensemble, followed by a talkback with the artists.
Last Updated: 10/19/2026 14:33