Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri. At the age of one his parents separated and his father moved to Mexico. Hughes went to live with his maternal grandmother, Mary Leary Langston who lived in Kansas. Hughes excelled in high school. He ran track, edited the school year book, made the honor roll and wrote poetry. In 1921, he attended Columbia University in New York City, but left after his first year to write. In 1925, while working as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel, Hughes left some of his poems by Vachel Lindsay’s dinner plate. The next day Hughes read in the headlines that a Negro busboy had been “discovered.” Throughout his life Hughes traveled across the United States, Europe and Russia. He felt a strong connection to the poor people he met. These people and their lives became the material for his writing.

Hughes published a substantial amount of writing during his lifetime. He wrote books of poetry, short story collections, novels, plays, and essays. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement (in the 1920’s-1930’s) that celebrated African American talent, experiences and life. Langston Hughes work help to make America aware of black life and inspired many black writers. His poems chronicled black heritage, pride and determination.