Describes how the twentieth-century African American poet Langston Hughes affirms his vocation as a writer through the composition of his famous 1921 poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."

"An exploration of the life and work of 20th-century American writer Langston Hughes, whose poetry is known for its accounts of the African American experience and its call to racial equality"--

While competing with Langston Hughes for the title of "Poet Laureate of Harlem," Countée Cullen (1903–46) crafted poems that became touchstones for American readers, both black and white. Inspired by classic themes and working within traditional forms, Cullen shaped his poetry to address universal questions like love, death, longing, and loss while also dealing with the issues of race and idealism that permeated the national conversation. Drawing...