{"product_id":"blues-in-stereo-the-early-works-of-langston-hughes","title":"Blues in Stereo: The Early Works of Langston Hughes","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly's\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eTop Ten Fall 2024 Poetry Books \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, a stunning collection of early works written from 1921-1927 curated by award winning poet and National Book Award finalist, Danez Smith. Hanif Abdurraqib calls the collection of polished poems and raw, unfinished, works-in-progress, \"a gift to any poet working at any stage of their life and career.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore Langston Hughes and his literary prowess became synonymous with American poetry, he was an eighteen-year-old on a train to Mexico City, seeking funds to pursue his passion. Beloved verses like \"The Negro Speaks of Rivers,\" were written without formal training, often on the back of napkins and envelopes, and were inspired by the sights and sounds of Black working-class people he encountered in his early life. \u003ci\u003eBlues in Stereo\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of select early works, all written before the age of twenty-five, in which we see Langston Hughes with fresh eyes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the intimate pages of his handwritten journals, you will travel with Hughes outside of Harlem as he travels the world, celebrate love as a tool of liberation, and enjoy his musical verse poetry, including a play he cowrote with Duke Ellington with a full score. \u003ci\u003eBlues in Stereo\u003c\/i\u003e foreshadows a master poet that will go on to define literature for centuries to come. And by keeping his original, handwritten notations found in archival material, we get to witness a genius's earliest thought process in real time. National Book Award-nominated poet Danez Smith offers their insight and notes on themes, challenges, and obsessions contained in Hughes's early work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"This collection of Hughes's early work allows us to see the great poet he would become for the young genius he was. Some of these early poems are some of your favorite poems, proving that possibility for longevity only exists if we get started now! I am grateful for this volume and for Hughes's willingness to follow his dream and his commitment to write about dreams his entire life.\" -- \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eJericho Brown, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Tradition and editor of How We Do It\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Langston Hughes transformed the way America understood Black literature and transformed the way the world understood Black life. He wrote directly into the fullness and complexity of the Black experience. The suffering. The joy. The violence. The resilience. His poetry revels in the music of our language. His love for his people leaps from the page. What a gift that Danez Smith, one of our greatest living poets, serves as our guide through this stunning collection of Hughes' early work. What a gift that we get to see the past and present meeting in this beautiful way.\"--\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eClint Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Above Ground and How the Word is Passed\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLangston Hughes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas born in Joplin, Missouri in 1901. Often called 'The People's Poet, ' he authored and edited over thirty works poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children's books. He was a poetic innovator and a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance, and his writing promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and helped shape American literature and politics. He died on May 22, 1967, in New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDanez Smith (Curator)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the author of four poetry collections including \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBluff\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eHomie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eDon't Call Us Dead\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Danez was won the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, and has been a finalist for the NAACP Image Award in Poetry, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the National Book Award. Danez lives in Minneapolis with their people.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hachette","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45694126096570,"sku":"9781538768914","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0444\/2213\/5968\/files\/imageloader_e1039d7d-318d-48cd-9464-aada2db25501.jpg?v=1772935778","url":"https:\/\/naturenurture.shop\/products\/blues-in-stereo-the-early-works-of-langston-hughes","provider":"nature+nurture","version":"1.0","type":"link"}