This insightful book is one of the few books to connect the resistance of the Harlem Renaissance with the 1960s fight for civil rights. From Library Journal ★ Miller (English, North Carolina State Univ.; Origins of the Dream) studies the mutually beneficial connection between pianist, songwriter, and singer Nina Simone (1933–2003) and poet Langston Hughes (1901–67). Miller maintains that Hughes was Simone’s closest confidant, a relationship that formed an intergenerational bo

By Allison Escoto From Booklist "Miller’s writing is vivid and transporting. . . . A must-read for American history, music, and literature buffs." The fascinating lives, enduring influence, and deep friendship of two of America’s most prominent artists, Langston Hughes and Nina Simone, are given long-overdue attention. As Miller writes in his prologue, “From their first encounter to the last time they met, the two were bound by chords that still resonate in the ears of those

From Publishers Weekly An eye-opening portrait of two civil rights crusaders. The author scrupulously details how Hughes’s political poetry influenced Simone to speak out on social justice issues with songs like “Mississippi Goddam,” and the narrative is bolstered by ample photographs, handwritten notes, album covers, and promotional materials. It adds up to an eye-opening portrait of two civil rights crusaders.

From Literary Hub In something like a biography of a friendship, Miller takes a deep, historical look at the relationship between two heavyweights of American culture, Langston Hughes and Nina Simone, and how their virtuosic moral and artistic talents were foundational to the mass-cultural power of the Civil Rights movement. Read more ...

Distinguished Professor of English Jason Miller screens his film, Origin of the Dream. From NC State Magazine by Chris Saunders In 2013, Distinguished Professor of English Jason Miller discovered an audio reel with a hidden history. Long forgotten in a Rocky Mount, N.C., library was a recording of a November 1962 speech Martin Luther King Jr. delivered at Rocky Mount’s Booker T. Washington High School. Read more ...

Source: PBS Documentary on Vimeo This hour-long documentary was researched by Jason Miller, and produced by Rebecca Cerese and Emmy Award-winner Neal Hutcheson. It traces King's first use of "I Have a Dream" in Rocky Mount, NC (November 27, 1962) and documents how Langston Hughes's poetry inspired King's dream metaphor. The documentary features Danny Glover, Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. William Barber II, David Garrow, and the final on-camera interview with Julian Bond. Surv

From The Learning Curve Podcast (Pioneer Institute) In this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day episode of The Learning Curve , co-hosts U-Ark Prof. Albert Cheng and Alisha Searcy of the Center for Public Schools speak with Dr. Lerone Martin , Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor at Stanford University, and Dr. Jason Miller , Distinguished Professor of English at North Carolina State University. They explore the religious, literary, and historical foundations of MLK’s thoug

From WKNC 88.1 Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Dr. Jason Miller is renowned for his research on, and discoveries about, Langston Hughes, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Nina Simone. Of particular note is his discovery of the first ever recording of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In this episode, Dr. Miller discusses his unconventional path to becoming a professor, his research, and his research process. I really enjoyed this conversation and gettin

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By Thomas Calder From Mountain XPress When a Raleigh-based audience gasped inside Quail Ridge Books, author W. Jason Miller realized he’d unintentionally discovered his next research topic, ultimately leading him to Western North Carolina. At the time, Miller, a professor of literature at N.C. State University, was celebrating the February 2020 release of his latest work, Langston Hughes , a biography written for the University of Chicago Press’ Critical Lives series. Read M