Langston Hughes
February 1st, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri,
James Langston Hughes was born to his mother and father. His father
moved to Mexico after his parents divorced when he was a small child, so
he was raised by his grandmother untill he was twelve. He moved to Lincoln,
Illinois with his mother and her new husband when he was almost a teenager.
He later moved to Cleveland, Ohio and went to high school, where he started
writing his peotry. He then spent a year with his father, a year
at Columbia University, and then he travled to Europe and Africa as a seaman.
His poetry is
about black life in America, and the differences and similarities between
whites and blacks in the 20's through the 60's. His style of writing
is influenced by Jazz music, and he also writes short stories, plays, and
novels.
Langston Hughes
died May 22, 1967 in New York City. 20 east 127th street in New York is
in memory of LangstonHughes.
Source: http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=84