Black History Month: Langston Hughes

James Mercer Langston Hughes 

Born February 1, 1901 – Died May 22, 1967)

Langston Hughes was a American poet. Social activist, novelist, playwright, and also a columnist. langston Hughes is from Joplin, Mississippi.

Langston Hughes is of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called Jazz Poetry. Have you heard of this? Because I hadn’t and I asked Charlie and he hadn’t either.

Hughes is best known for being a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes wrote about the period “the Negro was in vogue”, which later paraphrased as “when Harlem was in vogue.”

Langston Hughes grew up in a series of Midwestern towns. Hughes became a prolific writer at an early age. As a young man, he moved to New York City where he made his career.

Langston Hughes graduated high school in Cleveland, Ohio. Then Langston Hughes began his studies at Columbia University in New York City. Langston Hughes dropped out of College when he gained notice from New York publishers, first in The Crisis magazine, and then from book publishers and became known in the creative community in Harlem.

Langston Hughes eventually graduated from Lincoln University. In addition to poetry, Hughes wrote plays, and short stories. He published several non-fiction works.

From 1942 to 1962, as the Civil Rights Movement was gaining traction, he wrote an in-depth weekly column in a leading black newspaper, The Chicago Defender.

Lesson Plans/ Unit Studies

Ch 11: Lesson Plans for Langston Hughes’ Poetry

This collection of lesson plan outlines is designed to help teachers create lessons about Langston Hughes’ poetry. This convenient online chapter can also help you enhance your lessons with in-class teaching supplements.

Celebrating the Poetry of Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes Worksheets/ Lesson Plans

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates