The Hurston and Hughes Literary Circle

12/27/2025

We are always excited that during our off season, so many of our Circlers are sharing the books they received during the holidays. We love our connections with Independent Bookstores. Our staff members shared what they are currently:
1. The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
2. The Book of Joshua and Proverbs in The Holy Bible CEB
3. Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murphy
5. Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite
6. The Nightingale (audio book) by Kristin Hannah

What are you reading in this Christmastide?

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10/19/2025

One of the longtime friends of literary summers has been Mahogany Books in the DMV. It was a treasure to go in person and pick up a couple books for Summer 2026.

10/07/2025

We are a summer literary circle for teens and encourage them to read all year. This Banned Books Week, we are celebrating the works of Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Jason Reynolds, Amanda Gorman, and others who have had their works banned for daring to imagine that representation matters.



and hint - if they are trying to ban it, it is probably because reading it will make you more empathetic, more thoughtful, more engaging, and more critically engaging of our collective existence.

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09/01/2025

We look forward to you joining us in the 2026 season.
We always take one month off and then start curating the list for the next summer. So many options to choose!
Don't wait until next summer to read for pleasure - start now.
And audio books count!

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07/15/2025

Every year on one of the Tuesdays when the teens gather, they are invited to read a non-fiction of their choosing.
One is reading Black in Blues by Imani Perry and one is reading the newly released book, Misbehaving at the Crossroads by Honorée Fannone Jeffers. I am reading The Portable Anna Julia Cooper compiled and edited by Shirley Moody-Turner.
What non-fiction has captured your interest?

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07/01/2025

If it's Tuesday - we're reading.
One of the things we love about our interaction with teens is the way they are curious, stretch beyond genres and aren't afraid to read "banned books." one of our college students is engaging with Farenheight 911 and questioning what is happening in the world.Another is looking at Happy Land and the ways that home has been stolen from people because of their identity. What are you reading?

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06/24/2025

It's Tuesday - what are you reading?
Audiobooks on a sunny day at the beach still counts as reading!

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06/19/2025

Happy Juneteenth!

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06/03/2025

Want to know why we do what we do and have been doing since the summer of 2008? This, this is why. Reading is a core skill for all young people. From birth to grade 3, they are engaging with language, letters, and learning to read. From grade 4 throughout adulthood, one is reading to learn. It is a continuous, lifelong skill.
What are you reading this summer?

05/31/2025

If it's the end of May...
then it is the beginning of ...
a summer of reading!
Every Tuesday from June-July, we will be engaged with literary works
first up - The Unboxing of a Black Girl

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03/21/2025

We believe in storytelling.
We honor reading.
We celebrate writing.
Summer 2025, we will do all this as we have done with middle and high school students every summer since 2008.

01/21/2025

to our circle members
due to the changes on this platform
we have decided to deactivate this page
you can still find us on our website as well as on bsky.social

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