Happy Birthday, Langston Hughes!

Tue, 02/01/2011 - 2:17pm by KristinL

Today is legendary African American poet, playwright, novelist and short story author Langston Hughes' birthday! Born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, Hughes is considered by many to be one of the biggest figures in the Harlem Renaissance, an influential cultural movement of black artists, writers and intellectuals in Harlem, New York during the 1920's and 30's. Hughes was also deep into the Jazz music scene and created a good bit of "Jazz Poetry", structuring his work with bebop and jazz cadences.

If you're interested in reading more about Langston Hughes, the AADL has some great collections of and about Langston Hughes' work, including:

• The Collected Poems Of Langston Hughes
• Langston Hughes Reads
• The Panther and the Lash: Poems of Our Times
• Good Morning Revolution: The Uncollected Social Protest Writing of Langston Hughes
• Not So Simple: The "Simple" Stories By Langston Hughes
• The Collected Works Of Langston Hughes, Volumes 1 - 16