A Month of Poems: Day 28 - Langston Hughes

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A Month of Poems Day 28 - Langston Hughes From Bob Holman & Margery Snyder, your Guide to Poetry Langston Hughes was the unofficial poet laureate of Black American life and culture, a radical democrat at the center of the Harlem Renaissance, the first "jazz poet," humorous storyteller, political playwright, passionate advocate of African American pride, civil rights and artistic freedom. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" This is Hughes’ best-known poem, written as he rode the train across the Mississippi River. As recounted by his biographer, Arnold Rampersad, “The sun was setting as the train reached St. Louis and began the long passage from Illinois across the Mississippi and into Missouri, where Hughes had been born. The beauty of the hour and the setting—the great muddy river glinting in the sun, the banked and tinted summer clouds, the rush of the train toward the dark, all touched an adolescent sensibility tender after the gloomy day. The sense of beauty and death, of hope and despair, fused in his imagination. A phrase came to him, then a sentence. Drawing an envelope from his pocket, he began to scribble. In a few minutes Langston had finished a poem.” For further reading: Profile of Hughes His life, his poems, his politics... Books by Langston Hughes This email is written by: Bob Holman & Margery Snyder Poetry Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'A Month of Poems' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement