Author · United States · 1901–1967
Langston Hughes
Jazz driven poetry and prose about hope, struggle, and the American voice.
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the period that "the Negro was in vogue", which was later paraphrased as "when Harlem was in vogue."
America sings in 2026
Langston Hughes turns speech and song into a public instrument. He carries pain without surrender and joy without denial. The lines travel between classroom and street with equal ease. Read him today to hear a nation argue and sing and to learn courage that welcomes everyone.
