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Langston HughesLangston Hughes was a 20th-century American writer who published poetry, short stories, novels, journalism, and plays. He is considered an architect of the Harlem Renaissance, the 1920s and 1930s arts movement that articulated the experiences of Black America. Hughes is best known for his poetry, which blended the musicality of jazz and blues, the everyday vernacular of Harlem, and social commentary. By the middle of the 20th century, Hughes was one of the most well-known poets in America, sometimes referred to as “the Poet Laureate of Harlem” or “the Great Black Bard.” Later in life, Hughes continued writing, evolving into an elder statesman, with the impact of his work felt in the words of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream.” Hughes died in 1967 due to complications from prostate cancer, but his work remains widely read today by American students.Explore Langston Hughes

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Langston Hughes scholars have debated the writer’s sexualityAfter his death, Hughes scholars discovered unpublished poems that some believe are addressed to a male lover. Hughes’ primary biographer has argued that he was likely asexual. Hughes never married or publicly commented on his sexual orientation. Smithsonian Magazine Langston Hughes wrote several children's booksLater in his career, the “Poet Laureate of Harlem” branched out into children’s literature, releasing a series of “First Book” titles (“The First Book of Rhythms,” “The First Book of Jazz”) as well as some that helped young Black children cope with racism, like 1969’s “Black Misery.” Middlebury College Langston Hughes solicited ghost stories from his readersHughes had a column in the Chicago Defender newspaper for two decades. In 1951, he asked readers to send him their ghost stories, promising that he'd reward them with autographed copies of his books. He spent the next several months dedicating the column to the stories he received. Literary Hub Writer James Baldwin once criticized Langston Hughes for squandering his talentIn 1959, Baldwin, the author of renowned works like “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “Giovanni’s Room,” reviewed Hughes’ “Selected Poems” for the New York Times. Baldwin panned the book, writing, “Every time I read Langston Hughes I am amazed all over again by his genuine gifts—and depressed that he has done so little with them.” (Some readers may experience a paywall.) The New York Times Langston Hughes performed with Muddy Waters at the Newport Jazz FestHughes became involved with the Rhode Island music festival in 1956, sensing an opportunity to introduce the predominantly white audience to Black culture. In 1960, he helped book Muddy Waters for a blues session that featured the music alongside Hughes' poetic explanation of its history. The final song of the set, "Goodbye Newport Blues," found Waters' pianist singing lyrics Hughes had written earlier that day. Muddy Waters Read a Langston Hughes poem on 'Jazz as Communication'The essay, delivered in 1956 at the Newport Jazz Festival, offers a poetic take on defining jazz, suggesting that it is the root of both literature and music. “Jazz is a great big sea,” he says. “It washes up all kinds of fish and shells and spume and waves with a steady old beat, or off-beat.” Poetry Foundation Langston Hughes poems inspired Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream'In 1959, King wrote to Hughes, saying, "I can no longer count the number of times and places … in which I have read your poems." Scholars believe that Hughes' words—particularly his poems "Harlem" and "I Dream a World"—inspired King's most famous speech, "I Have a Dream." The Conversation Read the first (and only) issue of the magazine started by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and others"Fire!!" was founded in New York in 1926 by Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, and several other artists involved in the Harlem Renaissance. The publication was intended to flout the respectability of the middle-class Black tradition and instead engage with sometimes controversial ideas in a contemporary vernacular. The magazine's offices were, ironically, burned to the ground shortly after the first issue. Issuu Langston Hughes wrote a foundational text for the Harlem RenaissanceAlthough the 1920s artistic movement lacked formal leaders, Hughes' 1926 essay "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" established him as one of its figureheads. Hughes' piece argues that Black artists should not be ashamed of their race; instead, they should embrace it, while simultaneously pursuing their own individual artistic visions. Poetry Foundation Watch Langston Hughes perform with a jazz quintetIn 1958, Hughes performed with a jazz group on a Vancouver television show before appearing at the University of British Columbia. Hughes reads "Hey!" from his 1927 collection "Fine Clothes to the Jew" before performing 1925's "The Weary Blues." vanalogue Read Langston Hughes’ most famous poemsThe writer is considered one of the most important voices in American verse, noted for his use of authentic vernacular, vivid imagery, and jazz-inspired rhythm in poems such as “Harlem,” “I, Too,” and “The Weary Blues. Poetry Foundation Langston Hughes' 'I, Too' replies to Walt WhitmanHughes was a fan of Whitman and used one of the Good Gray Poet's most famous poems, "I Hear America Singing," as the basis for his 1926 poem "I, Too." Hughes' work is both a response and a pointed commentary about the unequal treatment of Black Americans. Smithsonian Magazine Rudolph Fisher was an incisive writer—and a practicing physicianFisher was one of the luminaries Langston Hughes cited in "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" and was known as an impressive polymath, writing stories, acting in plays, and practicing medicine. In this deep dive, science writer Harriet A. Washington explores why he's often neglected in modern narratives about the Harlem Renaissance. The American Scholar Read 'The New Negro,' the influential collection edited by Alain LockeThe 1925 anthology features early works by Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, Jean Toomer, WEB DuBois, and more. You can read it in its entirety—for free—through the Internet Archive. Internet Archive Browse a collection of Harlem Renaissance poetryThis guide from the Poetry Foundation walks you through the movement's major poems, including works by writers like Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Anne Spencer, James Weldon Johnson, and more. Helpfully, it's organized them into four major eras, allowing you to analyze the movement's steady evolution. Poetry Foundation Hughes' 'Black Nativity' reworked the Christmas story through jazz improvisationAlthough he’s primarily known as a poet, Langston Hughes was also a popular playwright. One of his most inventive works is the 1961 stage show “Black Nativity,” which told the story of Christ’s birth with an all-Black cast. Hughes’ original script encourages improvisation, calling on his love of jazz, and includes 27 songs. The Conversation Hughes recorded an album with jazz legend Charles Mingus1958’s “The Weary Blues” features Hughes reciting poems over jazz. The back half of the album is accompanied by bassist Charles Mingus and his ensemble, just a year before Mingus would release his landmark record “Mingus Ah Um.” Langston Hughes

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