Until the first part of the 20th century, the world of poetry was dominated by Caucasian artists. White poetry written about the experiences of white people was the only kind of verse most folks had ever heard. The Harlem Renaissance introduced many talented African American writers, but one writer stood out amongst them all. Langston Hughes was one of the most beneficial and influential writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes was the first African American author to support himself through his writing. He wrote in several literary genres. By the end of his literary career, he had produced more than sixty books.
James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was a small child, and his father moved to Mexico. He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband, eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in Lincoln, Illinois, that Hughes began writing poetry. Hughes began writing in high school, and even at this early age was developing the voice that made him famous. After graduating from high school, Hughes planned to return to Mexico to visit with his father, in order to try to convince him that he should pay for his son's college education at Columbia University in New York City. At Columbia, Hughes thought, he could get a college education but also begin his career as a writer. On his way to Mexico on the train, while thinking about his past and his future, Hughes wrote the famous poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." After arriving in Mexico, the tension between Hughes and his father was strong. Hughes wanted to be a writer; his father wanted him to be an engineer. After Hughes sent some of his poetry to "Crisis" magazine and it was accepted, his father was impressed enough to agree to pay for a year at Columbia University During these years, he held odd jobs as an assistant cook, launderer, and a busboy, and traveled to Africa and Europe working as a seaman.
