Dreams Deferred

a collaborative PhotoDocumentary Project inspired by Langston Hughes’ Poem ‘Harlem’
with Veronique Moses and Ariyah April Chambers

Harlem
BY LANGSTON HUGHES

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
and then run?
Does it stink like a rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Dreams Deferred

“Dreams Deferred” profiles six dreamers analyzing their own big wins and big losses. No matter the circumstances or perceived external differences between them— and the viewers— the gut-survival need for dreaming is evident. With thought on their own elusive dream, dreamers set out to answer Hughes’ poignant question and to further identify their dreams with one of the potential scenarios Hughes leave us with. Moses and April have posed their six dreamers in a dual documentary portraiture reflecting both the weight and hope of such dreams and visually inspecting Hughes’ six potential scenarios.

This project portfolio includes the photos and stories captured only by Veronique Moses as part of the collaborative ‘Dreams Deferred’ Photodocumentary Project. Read the full Project Statement here.

Want to hear their stories? Click on the individual images below.