NATIONAL MEMORIAL BOOKSTORE

Headquarters
NATIONAL NEGRO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

2107 SEVENTH AVENUE
NEW YORK 27, N. Y.

LEWIS MICHAUX
Vice President

Phone - MOnument 2-6860

REV. RICHARD A. LOWE
Public Relations Counsel

November 21, 1956

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 E. 127th Street
New York 35, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:

This is a letter which I am undertaking to give
thanks to you and your very fine secretary for the
well done job supervised by you in calling together
such a wonderful group of literary minded people on the
evening of November 8, 1956, at the National Memorial
Book Store. An evening I shall never forget.

I have seen some of the very fine pictures that were
photographed on the night of the party. I have also
seen many newspaper clippings carrying the affair and
the comments were indeed very pleasing.

The sale of the books was very satisfactory but of
course your book was tops. We sold every copy in the
store on the night of the party.

I also wish to express my sincere thanks to the
members of the Literary Guild who served as hostesses.

In conclusion, I wish to give you a new name if I
maybe permitted to do so. It is " Mr. Wonderful".

Hoping to see you in the near future and wishing
you continued success, I beg to remain

LHM:FNS

If For — About or Among Negroes — See Us
World History Book Outlet on 600,000,000
Colored People. (Six Hundred Million)

President
WILLIAM R. HOOD
UAW-CIO, Detroit

Executive Secretary
COLEMAN A. YOUNG
ACWA-CIO, Detroit

National Negro Labor Council

410 E. WARREN AVE. • SUITES 314-16 • DETROIT 1, MICHIGAN • TEMple 2-1733

Director of Organization

ERNEST THOMPSON
UERMWA, N. Y. City

Treasurer

OCTAVIA HAWKINS
UAW-CIO, Chicago

Vice-Presidents at Large

MARIE BOWDEN
SMWA, AFL, Los Angeles

VICTORIA GARVIN
DPOWA, N. Y. City

ASHBURY HOWARD
MMSWA, Birmingham

JAMES HUSBAND
TWA, AFL, Durham, N. C.

BENJAMIN PHILLIPS
Railroad Workers, St. Louis

CLEVELAND ROBINSON
DPOWA, N. Y. City

MAURICE TRAVIS
MMSWA, Denver

Regional Vice-Presidents

VIOLA BROWN
DPOWA, Winston Salem

WILLIAM CHESTER
ILWU, San Francisco

EWART GUINIER
UPW, N. Y. City

SAM PARKS
UPWA-CIO, Chicago

October 25, 1952

Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York, N. Y.

Dear Brother Hughes:

It was with depest regret that I noted your
letter of October 6th in which you indicated
your inability to accept our invitation to
attend our Second Annual Convention, and to
participate as a guest speaker.

Allow me to say that we, of the National
Negro Labor Council, have long looked upon
you as a sort of poet laureate of the Negro workers. Your
character "Simple" has practically been adopted into honorary
charter membership in the Labor Council.

One of our prime desires at our Second Annual Convention is to
project the role of the Negro people's culture and of Negro artists
in our fight for full freedom. We feel that your work is most
symbolic of this role and that you are indeed the poet of the Negro
people.

We had hoped to be able to make a display of your works one of
the features of our Convention and would like to propose that
orders be taken for your books at our convention.

This letter, as you must gather by now, is an urgent request that
you reconsider your pre-stated inability to attend our convention,
and arrange to attend even if it is for only a few hours, and if
it is necessary to fly in and out of Cleveland on the same day.
We, of course, are prepared to cover transportation expenses as
well as your fee.

We would prefer your participation in the Mass Meeting scheduled
for Friday Evening. In addition to over 1500 Negro trade union
delegates from all over the country, the Cleveland public will be
invited to attend this Opening Session of the Convention.

- more -

October 29, 1952

Mr. Coleman Young
Executive Secretary
National Negro Labor Council
410 E. Warren Avenue
Detroit 1, Michigan

Dear Mr. Young,

I am in receipt of your letter to Langston
Hughes regarding the convention of the National
Negro Labor Council.

Mr. Hughes is presently on a lecture tour
and is not expected to return for several weeks.

November 8, 1952

Mr. Coleman Young,
N. Y. L. G.,
410 E. Warren Ave.,
Detroit 1, Mich.

Dear Mr. Coleman,

I'm just back from Mississippi and points South
where I've been reading my poems, to find your
recent note awaiting me.

October and November, and again Negro History Week
in February, are usually busy lecture periods for me,
booked up way ahead. The dates of your Convention
I'll be speaking in North Carolina, so regretfully
cannot come to Cleveland, these engagements having
been made way last Spring. But I am deeply appreci-
ative of having been invited, and of the high
regard which your Council members have for my work.

I do hope you will include "Simple" and my new book
of Negro history for young folks, "The First Book of
Negroes" among those in your book exhibit. I've
asked the publishers to get in touch with you.

National Opera Association, Inc.

Mrs. Thomas Martin
219 West 13th Street
New York 11, New York

SANDY H. EASYSWAY
BDOYUSS.BONDSORK
PARROLLSS.WYNNS

Mr. Langston Hughes
c/o 41st Street Theater
125 West 41st Street
New York, New York

Organized 1955 under the auspices
of the
NATIONAL MUSIC COUNCIL

PRESIDENT-

PETER PAUL FUCHS
La. State University
Baton Rouge, La.

VICE-PRESIDENT-

HOWARD GROTH
Ark. State Teachers College
Conway, Ark

VICE-PRESIDENT-

LEONARD TREASH
Eastman School of Music
Rochester, N. Y.

SECRETARY-REGISTRAR-

CONSTANCE EBERHART
Hotel Wellington,
7th Ave. at 55th St.
New York 19, N. Y.

TREASURER-

FRED L. MCKITRICK
Flint Civic Opera
2226 Nolen Drive,
Flint 4, Mich.

PAST PRESIDENT-

DANIEL HARRIS
Oberlin Conservatory
Oberlin, Ohio

PUBLICITY DIRECTOR-

MARIANNE HUNN
343 W. 87th St.
New York 24, N. Y.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MARIA L. BALLING
College of the Sacred Heart
Newton, Mass.

JUDY BOUNDS COLEMAN
Kansas St. Teachers Coll.
Pittsburg, Kansas

MELVIN DACUS
Casa Manana
Fort Worth, Texas

WALTER DUCLOUX
University of S. Calif.
Los Angeles, California

EDWARD L. GALLAGHER
Bloomington, Indiana

HUBERT KOCKRITZ
Cin. College-Conservatory
Cincinnati, Ohio

HELEN RUFFIN MARSHALL
Centenary College
Shreveport, La.

GLADYS MATHEW
Community Opera Inc.
40 E. 81st St.,
New York 28, N. Y.

JOHN McCRAE
Converse College
Spartanburg, S. C.

JOHN MARLOWE NIELSON
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

SPENCER H. NORTON
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma

MELVIN LEOPOLD SIPE
College of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington

219 West 13th Street,
New York 11, New York,
February 12, 1960.

Mr. Langston Hughes,
c/o 41st Street Theater,
125 West 41st Street,
New York, New York.

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I am taking the liberty of writing you
to ask a very great favor. This year the National
Opera Association is having its annual conference, in
conjunction with the National Council of the Metropol-
itan, from Thursday, March 24th through Saturday,
March 26th, at the Hotel Astor.

On Friday, March 25th, the National
Opera Association is presenting a panel, "The
Lyricist--His Place in the Lyric Drama", scheduled
from 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., and as chairman of
this session, I wanted to ask you if you would
take part in it. This would entail your speaking
to the members of the Joint Conference from twenty
minutes to half an hour on the above subject.

It would be difficult to express to
you just how much your acceptance would mean to us
all. And to those of us who have been fighting the
"opera-is-music, not-words" school of thought, the
presence of a lyricist of your stature to say a good
word for the word would be of inestimable value to
the "cause" of American Opera.

May I say, for my own part, that I am
a devoted admirer of all your work, for the theatre
and otherwise, and I am particularly glad that this
occasion arose to give me a legitimate excuse to tell
you so. I had the honor of meeting you many years
ago at City Center when "The Troubled Island" was
produced. At that time, my husband, Thomas Martin,
was one of the conductors at City Center, and also
Chorus Master. We are very happy that "Street Scene"
is now such a "standard" opera in the repertory, and
hope that "The Barrier" will be revived soon.

Thanking you for your consideration and
hoping very much that you will accept,

Telephone: WAtkins 9-0232

April 1, 1960

Dear Mr. Martin:

Your letter to me at the 41st Street Theatre
came while I was in the Midwest on a lecture
tour. (I only saw the show once, being out
of town during most of the run). Almost all
winter I've been travelling and tomorrow
leave for programs at Southern colleges.
On March the 25th, the date of your panel, I
was reading my poems in Philadelphia, so
could not have been there, anyway. But I
regret being so long in answering your note.
Mail has piled up like a mountain this win-
ter—and gotten quite beyond me.

But I do thank you for the kind words you
say about my work, and certainly I agree with
you concerning lyricists. Maybe next time
there is such a panel, I can contribute. I
hope so.

Jan Meyerowitz and I have a new little opera
coming up at Tanglewood in August, PORT TOWN.
And just last week a quite good concert
version of THE BARRIER was done in Harlem,
with Jan at the piano. So things go along.

Again with my apologies,

PHONE 332-1865
AREA CODE 312

THE NATIONAL RESEARCH BUREAU, INC.

LASALLE-WACKER BUILDING • 221 NORTH LASALLE STREET
CHICAGO, ILL.
60601

February 4, 1966

Mr. Langston Hughes
Ebony Magazine
1820 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60616

Dear Mr. Hughes:

As one of the leading magazine writers in the nation, you are invited to enjoy a free listing in the All New Edition of the BLUE BOOK OF MAGAZINE WRITERS . . . which will now be published annually.

Your name will be listed among the other top writers and completely cross-referenced by your specialties as well as the publications for which you write. It is the policy of the Blue Book of Magazine Writers to list only the leading active writers who qualify under the rigid standards of literary excellence. Therefore, you can point with great pride to your free listing in this "Who's Who" among feature writers.

The directory is used by top-drawer Public Relations Executives to contact writers directly concerning stories they have to tell that are worth telling . . . and backed by powerful new ideas, facts and statistics.

Thus, by having YOUR FREE LISTING in the Blue Book of Magazine Writers, the best of writing opportunities can be laid before you for consideration. Public Relations Directors of the largest corporations in the world are primarily interested in contacting only the cream of the free lance writers with proven talents. And you have been recommended as one of the nation's leading feature writers.

Therefore, if you will simply complete the enclosed questionnaire and return it to us in the postage-paid Airmail reply envelope (enclosed for your convenience) you will assure yourself of your free listing.

Take advantage of this opportunity by returning your questionnaire today!

LL/jb
Enc.

December 12, 1959

Mr. Lewis Freedman,
N. T. A. Productions,
10 Columbus Circle,
New York 19, N. Y.

Dear Lewis Freedman:

I have gotten a dozen or so wonderful letters, and am
still getting complimentary phone calls about our TV SIMPLY
HEAVENLY---which is, of course, most gratifying.

LITTLE HAM, which I mentioned to you on the phone, is
of the same genre---an urban folk comedy, but laid in the
"roaring twenties" when the Savoy Dance Hall was at its DE-
lightful best, the Lindy Hop was being born, and Truckin'
was popular. There's music, but no songs, although perhaps
a few could be inserted. The lead role of Little Ham would
be ideal for Melvin Stewart; and the lady a stoutish commed-
ienne like Bertice Bedding.

I've asked the Harold Ober office to send you a script.
But if it hasn't arrived, you might phone Anne Louis Davis
there and request it. Enclosed are some of the reviews of
the first Karamu production. Since twice revived, they are
thinking of doing it again this Spring.

I'm lending you a set of pictures of the production
to glance at, but kindly post them back to me.

110 photos
sent
12-14-59

May 28, 1960

Dear Lewis:

Thanks for your note of May 12. The LITTLE HAM photos were sent you on December 12, along with a letter of the same date--- according to my files. So I reckon they are around your office somewhere. If and when they turn up, send them on back.

I hope you had a chance to glance at them. They are rather amusing pictures, and the play as done by Cleveland's Karamu Theatre was really very funny. It would be a period piece now---of the Charleston or Lindy Hop era.

The Theatre Guild is still trying to find a "box office name" for my TAMBOURINES TO GLORY---which isn't easy, there being so few Negro female stars. But they think they have one in the offing, and have tentatively set rehearsals for late August.

Having just finished by travelling lecture season, I'm off for a couple of weeks of nothing but rest and, while away, hope to catch the Atlanta University Players production of SIMPLY HEAVENLY at mid-June.

NATIONAL THEATRE CONFERENCE

A CORPORATION NOT FOR PROFIT. FOUNDED IN 1925

An Honorary and Collaborative Organization of Directors
of Community and University Theatres

Central Office

TUFTS UNIVERSITY, MEDFORD 55, MASSACHUSETTS

Treasurer's Office, Denison University, Granville, Ohio

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

President
THEODORE VIEHMAN
101 FORD ROAD
CARMEL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

Assistant to the President
LEE NORVELLE
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

Executive Secretary
Co-Chairman
National Theatre Appraisal Committee
MARSTON BALCH

TUFTS UNIVERSITY THEATER
MEDFORD 55, MASSACHUSETTS

Treasurer
EDWARD A. WRIGHT
DENISON UNIVERSITY
GRANVILLE, OHIO

WALTER BOUGHTON
AMHERST COLLEGE
AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

ART COLE
MIDLAND COMMUNITY THEATRE
MIDLAND, TEXAS

JOHN GASSNER
YALE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

HAROLD I. HANSEN
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
PROVO, UTAH

TED KEHOE
DES MOINES COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE
DES MOINES, IOWA

GEORGE E. WARREN
ROCHESTER COMMUNITY PLAYERS
820 CLINTON AVENUE S.
ROCHESTER 20, NEW YORK

Retiring President
PAUL BAKER
TRINITY UNIVERSITY
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
DALLAS THEATER CENTER
DALLAS, TEXAS

Chairman, Membership Committee
ARNOLD GILLETTE
STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
IOWA CITY, IOWA

Chairman
National Theatre Appraisal Committee
ROBERT E. GARD

WISCONSIN IDEA THEATRE
MADISON 6, WISCONSIN

President-Elect
F. CURTIS CANFIELD
YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DRAMA
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

4 June 1963

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:

In thanking you for your very full and thoughtful replies to our Questionnaire for Playwrights, I am not really saying enough. Nor have I, perhaps, really asked you enough of the right questions to yield for our Appraisal of the American Theater a full picture of the present situation. May I ask one more favor?

Do you feel that the Negro in the American theater -- and I mean here Broadway and Off-Broadway in particular -- has a fair chance to prove his own artistic worth, or are there certain segments of the profession or types of employment that are closed to him because of his race? My own guess is that acting jobs, difficult for anyone to obtain, must be many times scarcer for a Negro; but this may not be anyone's fault, but rather lie in the nature of the plays that are available. Leaving the actor aside, what about other types of work: stage managing, directing, designing, producing, and the rest? Do you know, and can you cite cases, of positive obstructions to the advancement of Negroes in these domains, whether by theatrical unions or just plain prejudice? And can you direct me to other sources from which I could explore this question of discrimination in any branch of the theater?

We want this national survey and evaluation of the American theater to be complete. It cannot be, and especially in this year in which our nation is being tested to its very soul, without a consideration of this serious matter. No one, I believe, can express more authoritative views or report on more experience concerning this than yourself. Please let me hear from you again, Mr. Hughes.

MB:jr

June 6, 1963

Dear Mr. Balch:

Langston Hughes regrets very much that he cannot answer now in adequate detail the additional questions you ask and subjects you raise regarding the Negro in the American theatre, since he is on the verge of going to Europe for the summer (his show BLACK NATIVITY is touring over there) and he has not a free moment left before leaving New York. He is flying to Washington in an hour or so to receive an honorary degree at Howard University, so has asked me to tell you he is sorry he cannot write you himself. But that the Negro vice-president of Equity, and well known actor:

Mr. Frederick O'Neal
41 Convent Avenue
New York 27, N. Y.

could surely furnish you the information you request, and give you the names of other Negroes associated with the theatre and who are active in working for further integration.

January 19, 1967

Dear Virgil:

Is it you, the Virgil Watkins I know and
like, and haven't seen for Lord knows when???
How are you, and where've you been? I have
been every-which-a-where lately---twice to
Africa last year, including a long poetry-
reading tour all across the Continent, from
the Dakar Festival to Dar-es-Salaam---and even
ZANZIBAR. But I stayed away from home too long,
now I can't take any more engagements at all,
being so far behind on urgent literary deadlines
that I must stick to my typewriter for the
rest of the winter and spring---except for 3
out-of-town speaking dates hanging over from
last season---one in California Negro History
time, where I don't mind going for a few days,
seeing how COLD it is here.

I very much wish that I could come to
High School, and it would certainly be good to
see you. Thanks to all for the invitation.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

P.S. Tried twice today to catch you on the phone.
Last time just now, midnight.

July 17, 1952

Rev. Robert Ross Johnson
Nazarene Congregational Church
506 McDonough Street
Brooklyn 33, New York

Dear Reverend Johnson,

Thank you very much indeed for your kind letter
and the check which you enclosed.

I very much enjoyed coming to Nazarene Congrega-
tional Church and I greatly appreciated the friendly
audience which gathered in spite of the rain.

With all good wishes to you,

THE
CHURCH POINTS THE WAY.

Attend Regularly!

506 McDONOUGH STREET BROOKLYN 33, N. Y.

TELEPHONE: HYACINTH 3-5995

REV. J. ARCHIE HARGRAVES, Minister
130 Bainbridge Street, Brooklyn 33, N. Y.

Telephone: SLocum 6-6736

April 10, 1958

Mr. Langston Hughes
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue
New York 22, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:

This year, the Young Adult Group of Nazarene Congregational Church, has chosen as its theme NEGRO CULTURE. We have selected several topics that will tell us about the anthropologic background of the Negro, his early American history, his contributions to the many fields of music, literature, medicine, etc.

At this time, we would like to ask you to be our guest speaker on May 19, 1958, 6:00 p.m. at the Nazarene Congregational Church in Brooklyn. The topic would be the Negro in literature. We would like to hear your views on Negro literature, problems of Negro writers, the trend of Negro literature, if there is one, etc. We would like to have you tell us something about your life and read some of your wonderful work.

The Young Adults would consider it indeed a pleasure to have such a distinguished guest speaker and we do hope you will be able to accept our invitation.

mlb

"The Friendly Church, Where Everybody, From Everywhere Is Always Welcome"

May 17th 1958

Dear Miss Brown,

I really appreciate your invitation to
speak to the Young Adults Group at Nazarene
Congregational Church in the fall, but I shall not
be able to participate.

My show, SIMPLY HEAVENLY, opens in
London next week and there is a possibility that
I will go to London for several months. This makes
it impossible for me to make commitments for the
fall.

Thanks again for your invitation.

To: Miss Mildred Brown
Secretary, YAG
Nazarene Congregational Church
506 Mc Donough Street
Brooklyn, New York