Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes (1901-1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, and leader of the Harlem Renaissance, best known for pioneering jazz poetry in works like The Weary Blues (1926), his signature poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," and the novel Not Without Laughter (1930), which won the Harmon Gold Medal. He received major awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship (1935), Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (1954), and NAACP Spingarn Medal (1960) for his influential portrayals of African American life.