Langston Hughes was an influential African American poet and writer born in 1902 in Missouri. He began writing poetry in the 8th grade and was inspired by blues and jazz music on his travels around the world. Hughes is best known for his poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and was a major contributor to the Harlem Renaissance through his writings based on life in Harlem in the 1920s. He wrote 16 books of poems, 2 novels, and other works before passing away from cancer in 1967 in New York.
2. GROWING UP
• BORN FEB. 1, 1902 IN JOPLIN MISSOURI
• BEGAN WRITING POETRY IN THE EIGHTH GRADE
• WAS THE BROTHER OF JOHN MERCER LANGSTON(
FIRST BLACK AMERICAN TO BE VOTED INTO PUBLIC
OFFICE).
• IN COLLEGE THE ONLY WAY HIS TUITION WOULD BE
PAYED WAS IF HE STUDIED ENGINEERING
• LANGSTON SOON DROPPED OUT OF THE DEGREE
COURSE TO PURSUE WRITING.
3. POEMS AND WRITINGS
• HIS FIRST PUBLISHED POEM WAS “THE NEGRO
SPEAKS OF RIVERS” . THIS WAS SAID TO BE HIS MOST
FAMOUS.
• LATER HIS POEMS, ESSAYS AND SHORT STORYS
WOULD APPEAR IN NAACP PUBLICATION AND MANY
OTHER BOOKS AND MAGAZINES ALL OVER THE
WORLD.
• HUGHES TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH HIS
WRITINGS, LISTENING TO BLUES AND JAZZ MUSIC
WRITING HIS STORIES.
4. Travel
• Hughes traveled to many diverse places throughout
the world. From many places such as Africa, Italy,
Spain Russia and many others.
• He spent a great deal of time sharing his stories and
experiences with many people throughout the world.
• Around 1926 He accepted a job with Dr. Carter G
Woodson, Editor of the Negro Journal of Life and
founder of Black history week, with the new job offer
he moved back to his beloved Harlem later that year.
5. THE HARLEM RENISSANCE
• Langston Hughes is
known as one of the
biggest contributors to
the Harlem Renaissance
• Many of his writings are
based on his life in
Harlem during the
Renaissance movement
in the 1920’s.
6. Life of a Legend
• Overall he wrote 16 books
of poems, 2 novels, and a
collection of short stories
and television scripts.
• Langston Hughes died of
Cancer on May 22, 1967 at
his residence in Harlem.
• Since then New York City
Preservation Commission
has renamed his street
Langston Hughes Place.
