Langston Hughes

Introduction
• Langston Hughes was born in 1902, in Joplin
Missouri.
• He was a poet, and he was renowned for his
advocacy in equality.
• He wrote 16 books of poetry, 2 novels, 3
collections of short stories, 4 volumes of
“editorial” and documentary” fiction, 20 plays,
children’s poetry, musicals and operas, 3
autobiographies, a dozen radio and television
scripts and dozens of magazine articles.
• You can say he wrote a lot of stuff.
 Hughes’s Background
• Langston Hughes was born into an abolitionist
family. His great-great uncle was John Mercer
Langston, who was the first Black American to
be elected into public office.
• Hughes went to Cleveland High School in
Cleveland Ohio where he started his writing
career.
• When he graduated, he attended Columbia
university, where he dropped out.
 More Background Info.
• Although he dropped out, he still wrote poetry
and published his first poem, which was also
one of his most famous, “The Negro Speaks of
Rivers.”
• One of his favorite past times was sitting in the
Harlem clubs listening to the “Blues.”
• During the Harlem Renaissance, his writings
flourished.
• Later, Hughes receives a scholarship to Lincoln
University; he was awarded an honorary Lit. D.
 Poems He Wrote
• Let America Be America Again

• Life is Fine

• I, Too, Sing America (which is my

favorite Hughes poem)
 Conclusion
• Yeah it’s the end! Hughes’s life reflects in
his writings. There is no doubt that he is
one of the greatest writers in the history of
writers. To truly understand his writing,
you have to look back at his life. Once
you do that, then you know where he is
coming from.
 Cites
• Redhotjazz.com. Andrew P. Jackson.
2009http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.ht
ml/

• Poets.org.Academy of American
Poets.1997. 2005
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83/