Langston Hughes

1902-1967

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As a child being raised by his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas, Langston Hughes began a lifelong exploration of literature and blues music. He later went to Columbia University, worked in hotels, and traveled the world as a cook’s assistant on freighters.

 

Hughes was first recognized as a poet while working as a busboy. He left his poems at a table where the poet Vachel Lindsay was dining. Lindsay promoted the young poet’s work, and Hughes’s career was launched. Langston Hughes went on to become an influential writer of the 20th century.

 

The People’s Poet: After being discovered, Hughes went on to write novels, short stories, and plays as well as poems. Hughes’s work shows a special understanding of everyday people—people who may not be famous or rich but whose lives are inspiring and valuable nonetheless.

 

Background to the story: “Thank You, M’am” takes place in Harlem, a section of New York City. In the early 1900s, Harlem attracted many African-American writers. The stimulating community had a deep influence on their work.