W. Jason Miller is a Distinguished Professor and public scholar who acts as a cultural detective, unearthing the hidden connections that reshape American history. From discovering a lost recording of MLK’s first "I Have a Dream" speech to his latest revelation of the secret mentorship between Langston Hughes and Nina Simone, Miller bridges the gap between rigorous archival research and compelling public narrative.
His new book is Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, and the Birth of Black Power.
Recently I asked Miller about what he was reading. The author's reply:
Visit W. Jason Miller's website.I was delighted when author Lerone Martin extended my earlier connection between Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes and Martin Luther King, Jr. to find— through his own resourcefulness— that King began reciting Hughes’s poetry as early as ten years old when he was a 5th grade student in Miss Lemon’s class in Atlanta. For any Tina Fey | 30 Rock fans, Miss Lemon’s first name was (unbelievably) ... Elizabeth!
Young King: The Making of Martin Luther King, Jr, portrays a wide-smiling King dancing the Charleston in front of his classmates while he recites a Hughes poem about Black dancers.
As someone fascinated with birds— especially those I’ve seen all across Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Europe— The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present traces our feathered friends through fossils, feather analysis, and even time-lapse images taken through the eggshell before they even hatch.
Having spent three of the last five summers hiking in New Mexico, I picked up a copy of The Jemez Mountains: A Cultural and Natural History while buying supplies at a local roadside stop. I was traveling down Highway 4, on my way to the historic Gisewatowa Pueblo. Like the land itself, the book covers ecology,sustainable forestry, ecology, geography, myth, and history. Next time you find yourself in Sante Fe or Taos, head west to Jemez Springs (after climbing up to 13,167 ft. of Wheeler Peak of course!) and hike Valles Caldera or Cerro Grande. The information in this book ensures you won’t forget it!
The Page 99 Test: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.
My Book, The Movie: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.
--Marshal Zeringue
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