1. Langston Hughes
American Poet

2. Background Born James Langston Hughes in Joplin Missouri in 1902
His mother was a school teacher who wrote poetry
His father was a storekeeper, who wanted to be a lawyer, but was denied from taking the bar exam.
His parents separated when he was young, and Hughes lived with his grandmother and other friends and relatives for several years
His parents were both of mixed-race origin.

3. Education Hughes attended high school in Cleveland ohio
While in high school he wrote for the newspaper, edited the yearbook, and began to write short stories, poetry, and plays
After high school, he lived with his father for a while in mexico. He convinced his father to send him to Columbia university in new York city, but he had to major in engineering
Hughes dropped out because of racial prejudice, but he continued to write
He worked several odd jobs, including working as a crewman on a boat, and he traveled throughout the world
He eventually enrolled at Lincoln university in chester county Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1929

4. writing
While living in new York city, hughes’s writing, in particular his poetry, was noticed and praised
He was first published in 1921 in the NAACP publication, the crisis
he became one of the leading writers of the harlem renaissance in the 1920s
He was noted for included the rhythms of jazz music in his poetry
His work highlighted the problems of racism, and he promoted young black artists
His is widely considered one of the greatest African American writers