Backlash Blues II: Nina Simone and Langston Hughes

In celebration of poet Langston Hughes’s birthday, join us for an evening of scholarship and song. NCSU professor Dr. W. Jason Miller returns with new research documenting Hughes’s impact on establishing Nina Simone’s reputation and forever shaping her image as the High Priestess of Soul.

The lecture is followed by a discussion moderated by Sandra Dubose, noted motivational speaker and vocalist. Dubose caps off the evening by performing a mini concert of Nina Simone’s classics. The band accompanying Dubose features Rick Lindsey (drums), Dez Callis (guitar), Thurman Woods (bass), and former NCMA composer in residence Carolyn Colquitt (piano).