Biographical Sketch of Langston Hughes
...ing at writing so he sent him to Columbia University and offered to pay his tuition as long as he studied to become an engineer. Langston agreed to this, although after a small period of time he dropped out. He had a B+ average. He never stopped in his endeavor to become a writer and poet. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, was his first published poem and one of his most famous pieces of work. His work also appeared in many magazines, one of them was Crisis Magazine, published by the NAACP. Langston Hughes was a very important writer for the African American movements of the 1920's. He wrote of black culture and love and of how beautiful black people are. His writings helped shape American literature and politics. Like others , during the Harlem Renaissance, he gave a strong sense of racial pride through his poetry, novels, essays, plays, and children’s books. Through these books he promoted equality, humor, spirituality and condemned prejudice and hatred. He especially like blues music with sad themes because it reminded him of people who were determined to o...