About this Event
Please join us Thursday, November 19 - Friday, November 20 for the 2026 Langston Hughes Festival at The City College of New York (CCNY).
Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown is the 2026 Langston Hughes Festival Medalist
This year's two-day festival honors our 46th Medallion Recipient Jericho Brown while commemorating the 100th anniversary of FIRE!!: A Quarterly Devoted to the Younger Negro Artists, the landmark Harlem Renaissance publication that included works from Langston Hughes. In addition, we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) Program.
The signature evening medal ceremony will feature opening remarks from Black Studies Department Chair Dr. Jervette R. Ward, artistic performances, a reading and conversation with our honoree led by Claudia Rankine, the presentation of the Langston Hughes Festival Medal, and a celebration of the enduring legacies of FIRE!!, SEEK, and Black literary and cultural innovation.
The Festival honors Langston Hughes, Jericho Brown, FIRE!!, SEEK, and Black Studies, and includes student presentations, receptions, and more.
For the full calendar of events and more information on the honorees, please visit www.ccny.cuny.edu/lhf.
Please note that registration does not guarantee admission to the event. Admission is subject to venue capacity and applicable event/venue policies. We encourage attendees to plan accordingly and to arrive early as entry will be limited once the venue reaches capacity.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Langston Hughes Festival!
Thursday, November 19th
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Panel Discussion on the History and Legacy of FIRE!! and the Literary Journals
Host: Moderated by Dr. Kevin McGruder, Fire!! Press President
Info: The 46th Annual Langston Hughes 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!!
🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM
FIRE!! Lunch Conversation
Host: Dr. Kevin McGruder, Fire!! Press President
Info: 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
Student Zines and Writing Workshop Presentation inspired by FIRE!!
Host: Katherine Cheairs Makeda School for Art, Media & Humani
Info: Location: Shepard Hall 95
Presenters:
Katherine Cheairs, Makeda School for Art, Media, and Humanities ; Luca Messarra, Stanford University; and CCNY Students
🕑: 02:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Film Screening: Brother to Brother
Host: Dr. Kevin McGruder
Info: Film Screening: Brother to Brother
Location: MCA Theater 291
A screening of the 2004 film followed by a conversation with the film’s director, and the actor portraying Bruce Nugent.
Moderator:
Dr. Kevin McGruder, Fire!! Press President
Panelists:
Rodney Evans, Director Duane Boutte, Actor
🕑: 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM
Philadelphia’s Quintessence Theatre Presents: FIRE!!: A Play
Info: 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.
🕑: 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Refresh and Refuel
Info: Location: The Lookout -- Shepard Hall 278
An informal gathering space for Langston Hughes Festival guests, participants, and invited speakers to refresh and refuel with snacks and beverages before the Medal Ceremony honoring Jericho Brown.
🕑: 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Langston Hughes Festival Medal Ceremony
Host: Jericho Brown
Info: 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
Welcome Remarks:
Provost Tony Liss & Dean Renata K. Miller
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
Our Medal Presentation
Remarks by Jericho Brown
Q & A
Booking Signing with Jericho
Host: Jericho Brown
Info: Following the Ceremony
Book Signing with Jericho Brown
Presented in partnership with Sisters Uptown Bookstore
Friday, November 20th
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Film Screening: The Five Demands with a Special Never Seen Bonus Feature
Host: Andrea Weiss
Info: 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
🕑: 03:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Panel Discussion: The Five Demands, SEEK, and the Legacy of Student Activism
Host: Dr. Jervette R. Ward
Info: Panel Discussion: The Five Demands, SEEK, and the Legacy of Student Activism
Location: Shepard Hall 95
Welcome:
Dr. Carey Manifold, SEEK Director
Moderator:
Norka Blackman- Richards, SEEK Director, Queens College
Panelists:
Dr. Carey Manifold, SEEK Director Anthony Belli, SEEK Alumnus Dr. Michael Hodge, Dean of Special Programs Ash Joseph, Recent Graduate Leila Pena-Giancoli, Recent Graduate Micheal Elcock, SEEK Alumnus
🕑: 05:00 PM - 06:30 PM
SEEK 60th Anniversary Archives and Oral History Project Exhibition
Host: Dr. Francine Almash
Info: 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
🕑: 05:00 PM - 06:30 PM
SEEK 60th Anniversary Reception
Info: SEEK 60th Anniversary Reception
Location: The Lookout – Shepard Hall 278
A celebratory reception honoring the history, achievements, and community of the SEEK Program.
🕑: 07:00 PM
Philadelphia’s Quintessence Theatre Presents: FIRE!!: A Play
Info: 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.
Event venue & nearby stays
Shepard Hall, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.