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Before moving to Reno, Langston Hughes became deeply involved in the arts and politics of San Francisco and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He supported the Scottsboro Boys trial by organizing a celebrity auction in San Francisco and participated in the 1933 California strikes. His activism led to an unproduced play and threats that forced him to leave Carmel. Seeking safety, he went to Reno in September 1934, as described in his unpublished essay “The Vigilantes Knocked at My Door.”In Reno, Hughes developed a new artistic perspective shaped by his experiences in the American West, contrasting the region’s promise with the severe poverty he encountered. Traveling through the South and California, and experiencing homelessness firsthand, he created two of his most powerful stories, “Slice ‘Em Down” and “On the Road.” Join Alex Albright as he retraces Hughes’s steps through the Biggest Little City and beyond.
Photo by Jan Wunsch
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
160 W Liberty St, Reno, NV, United States, Nevada 89501
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