James Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was an African-American poet, novelist, playwright.
-He died of cancer.
-He began writing poetry in the eighth grade, and was selected as Class Poet.
-His father didn't think he would be able to make a living at writing, and encouraged him to pursue a more practical career.
-His first published poem was also one of his most famous, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", and it appeared in Brownie's Book.
-He devoted his life to writing and lecturing.
-He wrote The Negro Speaks of Rivers when he was 18 years old.
About the Poem
-The poem was first written on the train to Mexico near the Mississippi river.
-Hughes first wrote it on the back of a letter he got from his father.
-The time and place were what inspired Hughes to write the poem.
-The poem was inspired by the sunset and how the mud by the river turned to gold.
-The poem speaks about the black people’s history through-out the life of mankind.
By: May Salem Farraj