The Life and Works of Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was born On February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Langston Hughes was a masterful African American writer who wrote passionately about his culture and race. In 1920 he published his first poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. The poem divulged in ancient African simplicity, combining sorrow with strength in the last stanza of the poem. He dedicated his time to writing and motivating the African American Community. His words blended with jazz and blues in his first two books “The Weary Blues” and “ Fine Clothes to the Jew”. Langston suffered backlash in his style of prose by the African American community but his realness and unapologetic honesty helped fuel the Harlem Renaissance. Even in his death we are left with the undeniable richness of his stories that echoed African Americans culture. People search for the type of inspiration that Langston Hughes was able to deliver when his pen touched the pad and exclaimed black America’s experiences. Here are more resources on the influential African American writer:

Biography

• Crossing Boundaries
• Poets
• My Hero
• Poetry Foundation
• Hughes

Bibliography

• The Negro Speaks Rivers
• Poets Who Tell The Truth
• Perspectives in American Literature
• "Something Very Real"

Review

• Scott's Langston Hughes Page
• "Ask Your Mama"
• An African Experience
• Let America Be America Again

E-texts

• "Salvation"
• "The Weary Blues"
• "A Dream Deferred"
• "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain"

Other Resources

Works by Langston Hughes

"When The Negro Was in Vogue"

People Search

Langston Hughes Meeting Jacques Roumain

Langston Hughes: Gay Atheist

Langston Hughes Society