Langston Hughes was bright, talented, well traveled, and possessed the ability to capture scenes in his mind, that he would later vividly portray on paper. Langston came from a prominent Black middle class family. His maternal grandfather had been one of John Brown's raiders at the raid on Harper's Ferry. After graduating high school in Cleveland, Ohio, Hughes went to live with his father in Mexico. The relationship quickly deteriorated, and Langston headed for Harlem, New York. He arrived at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, spent a year at Columbia University and proceeded to become the era's most renowned poet.
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Langston Hughes is unique as an artist for his ability to blend elements of jazz and blues into his poetry, creating a distinctive rhythm and cadence. His focus on the African American experience and expression of racial pride and identity set him apart as a prominent voice in the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes' use of vernacular language and his exploration of everyday life and struggles of African Americans further distinguish him as a groundbreaking poet.