RETURN ADDRESS

1933 Alabama Ave. S. E.

Washington 20, D. C.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 81 127th. Street
New York City, N. Y.

We are contributing
Our Christmas card
Money to the Fund of
Family and Child Services

Merry Christmas
and a
Joyous New Year

from our family to yours ~

November 4, 1956

Dear Ophelia:

It was so nice to hear from you and to be brought up to date on
the children. I contacted your Mr. Best and had an appointment
with him last week which he cancelled but we plan to get together
sometime soon when it is mutually convenient.

I have really been up to my neck in work with two books out this
month. The second volume of my autobiography, I WONDER AS I WANDER,
will be introduced first at a joint autographing party this Thursday
at Harlem's National Memorial Book Store. The other participants
whose life stories have been published this fall too are: Pauli
Murray, Eartha Kitt and Henry Armstrong. Also, A PICTORIAL HISTORY
OF THE NEGRO IN AMERICA, for which I did the text has just been
published.

Will let you know as soon as anything develops regarding Planned
Parenthood. In the meantime I send you all my good wishes.

Mrs. Ophelia S. Egypt
Planned Parenthood Association of D. C., Inc.
1109 M Street N. W.
Washington 5, D. C.

LH/g

82

PERSONAL

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

Ophelia S. Egypt

November 27, 1956

1933 Alabama Ave., S. E., Washington 20, D. C.

Dear Langston:

How on earth can you be so prolific and so good! It's good to hear from you again and to think that we might actually be working together on something for Planned Parenthood. I hope that by now you and Win Best have gotten together. He has so many irons in the fire that he appears to go off in all directions but he really is a good person and I hope the two of you can get together. I hope too that you will find time to read my report and to give me your reaction to the type of thing I'm doing. This job interested me because in a way it is similar to the work I did at Fisk.

Which reminds me of the tragedy of Charles Johnson's death. Isn't it strange how often useful people die while the old war horses who cause nothing but confusion and who make no contribution to their fellow man seem to never die or even fade away? A note from him which arrived the day after xxxxx the news of his death made the personal loss even more deeply felt.

I'm glad to hear of I WONDER AS I WANDER. The Washington Post-Times Herald had a review which I clipped for you but am not sure that I can put my hands on it tonight. I'll send it if I find it. That will be my Xmas gift to myself so put it on my list please. Also a copy of THE BIG SEA inscribed to Mrs. Thelma Barnes as a Xmas gift from me. How much is the PICTORIAL HISTORY? If it is not more than the one on Negro Musicians, I'd like a copy inscribed to Frances Best from her Godmother. Guess I'd better have another copy of I WONDER inscribed to Ruth Lewis for Xmas. I'm too broke to send a check now but will do so as soon as

February 4, 1957

Best but I haven't heard any more
of the fire that he is likely to forget
at he wants; then suddenly you'll
you can work on the pictures for they
who did them, is a real photographer
every anxious to meet you so please
when you will be at Howard. He may
in order to be here when you come.
here any chance of your having dinner
sup so; I'm still a pretty good cook
can give you a choice of a variety
or not!

LIFE HISTORY for Lester and another
is a magnificent thing and I'm glad
the price. A friend of mine here got
phed copies had been sold. Sorry the
still my favorite. Shall try to find
and will have Glenn Carrington look
again.

with ××××× piano--much better than
less though and maybe he'll do better

PLANNED PARENTHOOD NEWS use of the
means the last since he has literally
piece on the Ex-slaves which I thought
they sent if back with a nice note.
the result. I also have another story
guess I'm going to have to take your
to the book. Maybe it will be lucky.

alive, I guess, but try to take time
the date you'll be here.

PERSONAL

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

March 15, 1957

Dear Ophelia:

It was nice having your letter and the interesting enclosures, and especially seeing pictures of you in the Planned Parenthood news. At last it looks as if I might see you in person again. I am speaking at Howard on March 29th and can fly down to Washington on the 28th, the afternoon before, in time to have dinner with you if you find that agreeable. Perhaps I can also meet Robert Phillips then whom you mention and have the pleasure of seeing your son.

I see Glenn Carringto occasionally as he is now a landlord with one house in my neighborhood and another in Brooklyn, and has given up social work entirely, goes to Europe almost every summer. His address is: 375 Hancock Street, Brooklyn 16, N. Y. I am sure he would be glad to hear from you.

Drop me a note and let me know about the 28th because I hope to see you in Washington (but don't tell everybody else or too many things will come up to do and I'd much rather spend the evening with you). Meanwhile I am flying to the U. of Illinois today for the premiere of my opera, "Esther", at their Spring Music Festival and from there I go on to the Coast for a week.

With all good wishes to you, as ever,

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th. St.
New York 35, N. Y.

Ophelia Egypt
1933 Alabama Ave.
Washington 20, D.

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th. St.
NNew York 35, N. Y.

May 19, 1961

Dear Langston:

You are a living doll! The idea of your taking time out to find and read that material with the million and one other things you have to do makes me feel very special and very grateful too. I've been planning to write since that delightful 4:00 P. M. breakfast with you and your staff but everyx time I thought about that back work in your room, I decided to wait a few more days.

Thanks for the suggestions on the both stories. I have revised THE WEATHERMAN, accordingly and will try sending it out again. The other I'll get to eventually and offer it to American Heritage again. Thanks too for the AFRICAN TREASURY. I was amazed at the beauty of some of the writings. It is most interesting from cover to cover. I'm hoping for more Hughes paperbacks. I was glad that I went by the bookshop. Helen looks well and we had quite a chat between visitors. It's an exciting place. I picked up your FIRST BOOK OF THE WEST INDIES, which I had not known about, for my godson and Alice Childress' LIKE ONE OF THE FAMILY. It is as real as Simple, and I am glad to have it in my collection.

You apparently can survive at the terrific pace you maintain but I am worried about that weight. Your heart has enough to carry without that, young man, so get to a good Dr. and do something about it. That's an order because you are much too valuable to die young unnecessarily! I told your cousin

who works at Freedmen's (I can never think of her name, but she's a charming person) that I had seen you and she sends her love and promises to write. She also sends orvers about reducing.

Of course I don't promise to serve a reducing meal if you ever get down to visit again but if there is pie, I promise that it won't be barbecued. Anyway, I can still whip up a tasty meal and nothing would please me more than cooking one for you. I did have the house re-decorated and hope you'll get back before it is too dirty again.

Lester will be home the end of next week. He is hoping for a job as a camp counsellor. He was surprised and delighted to have the book. It was a big boost to his prestige too.

Much love to you and yours.

105

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 - Each 127¢ SL
New York, N.Y.

NEWS from HILL and WANG, Inc.

141 Fifth Avenue New York 10, New York Algonquin 4-6975

Vasiliki Sarant, Publicity Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 1963

SOMETHING IN COMMON and Other Stories by Langston Hughes - Publication: April 5

Langston Hughes has chosen thirty-seven stories - eleven of which appear in a book for the first time - to present a cross section of his work in the short story form. Although the stories differ widely in subject matter, they have a common theme: a deep concern for humanity.

LANGSTON HUGHES is well known as a poet and as a creator of the famous character, Jesse B. Semple, in his Simple stories. THE BEST OF SIMPLE, favorites selected by the author, were published in 1961 by Hill and Wang in their American Century Series, AC-39, $1.65. Mr. Hughes is also well known as a playwright, novelist, and biographer.

PUB DATE: April 5 - $3.95 (cloth) 237 pages - April 5 - $1.75 (paperback ORIGINAL) - AC 57 - American Century Series

WRITERS IN TRANSITION, "Old Fashioned Essays" - to Be Published April 5

H. Wayne Morgan, Professor of History at the University of Texas, has written a different kind of literary essay, "in a sense old fashioned," on American writers: Stephen Crane, Edith Wharton, Ellen Glasgow, Willa Cather, Sherwood Anderson, Hart Crane, and Thomas Wolfe. These are not academic or literary criticism but rather humanistic evaluations, warmly expressed, and "most properly called appreciations."

Several themes unite these seemingly disparate authors. Each was a spokesman of cultural transition; each had a distinctive view of his role as a writer; and each was also in his own way American.

H. WAYNE MORGAN is also the author of *Eugene V. Debs: A Socialist for President*. He has just completed a biography of President William McKinley.

PUB DATE: April 5 - $3.95 (cloth) - 170 pages - Notes - Suggestions
April 5 - $1.65 (paperback ORIGINAL) - AC58, American Century Series

Publishers of DRAMABOOKS and the AMERICAN CENTURY SERIES

ALLIANCE FOR
PROGRESS

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Mr. Langston Hughes
20 - East 127th St.
New York 35, N.Y.

1933 Alabama Avenue, S. E.
Washington 20, D. C.

September 5, 1963

Dear Langston:

Have you discovered this paper? You can erase with a pencil
eraser and just keep on typing. I've been trying to write you since
I read of your honoring Howard by accepting a degree! Had I known
you would be there I would have suffered through another Commence-
ment. (That erasure isn't a fair sample. There's some syrup or
something on this paper that I didn't know about.) Congratulations
to my Alma Mater and thanks to you for becoming a fellow alumnus.

I seem to be forming an annual major surgery habit which I
hope is now cured. I had to go back to the hospital the end of July
for an emergency operation because the stone which they couldn't get
before, moved out of the kidney and got stuck instead of keeping up
the journey to the end. After 18 days, I came back home and am now
working part time until the end of next week. Hopefully, I can go
back full time then. I haven't had much energy but am beginning to
feel like myself.

Were you here for the March? Since I couldn't go down, I
sat glued to TV all day and I must admit that they did a good
job of coverage. Twas a moving and wonderful thing. Of course
Lester got off from work and went; so the was there from beginning
to end. I hope that Martin Luther Kings address was recorded be-
cause the printed word cannot do full justice to it. All of the
speeches were good, but I felt a special appeal in his, Wilkins
and the Rabbi's. Old Wallace might as well give up now because
no matter how much pain he raises, he's a dead duck. It is just
too bad that he can do so much damage in the process of dying.

I've been trying to polish up some of the stuff I've written
and now have the ex-slave piece you read and revised for me being
typed. Will have a copy for you soon. Am also revising the story
of the little girl that you suggested I try to make into a book.
My big problem now is ending it.

Boy, I don't see how you do so much. I clipped a note
about your new play from the Washington Post but can't find it
now. Will send it when I do. Hope it is going well and will
have good reviews on Opening Night. Wish I could be there. I'll
see it though when I come back to the big city. You see I'm
betting on it to stay awhile.

Lester is fine and has developed nicely. He goes back for his
Senior year at State on the 17th. His job ended last week and he is
really relaxing. He sends love. Hope you can come this way when he
is here sometime and come by for a meal. I can still cook.. not
barbecued pie either!

Regards to the members of your staff I met and love to you.

The Egyptians

1933 Alabama Avenue, S.E., Washington, D. C. 20020

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 E. 127 St.
New York, N.Y.

Have you heard about

PLANNED PARENTHOOD?

Planned Parenthood is the name of a private health
agency which helps people if....

They plan to get married and want advice about
sex and marriage,

They want children, but want to have them a few
years apart rather than every year,

They have all the babies they want.

Planned Parenthood's trained doctors and social workers
teach patients about themselves, showing films,
answering questions.

PLANNED FARENTHOOD TEACHES PEOPLE HOW TO USE BIRTH
CONTROL ... at a price they can afford.

Do you know

WHAT BIRTH CONTROL IS?

Birth control is a way of keeping from becoming pregnant.

Some ways are used by men, some by women. You can find
out about all these methods at a Planned Parenthood
clinic. For women there are the ...

Simple methods → usually a foam or cream which
does not require a prescription. This is not
nearly as safe as the

Medical methods → requiring a doctor's examina-
tion. These include the diaphragm, the pill and
the rhythm method which is acceptable to all
religions.

Do you know

HOW TO MAKE A CLINIC APPOINTMENT?

Call DU pont 7-87 for PARKLANDS CLINIC, 1811 Alabama Ave SE T2

128

Hotel Roosevelt
~~Room 718~~

~~Mar. 6--9200~~

Langston Hughes
20 East 127th St.
New York 35, N.Y.