Black History Month 2020: Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was a leading poet and playwright through the turbulent times of the 1920’s in the US. A leader of the Harlem Renaissance, he innovated new forms of language that looked to connect lived experience with a wide cultural movement. A prolific communicator, travelling across the country to read his poetry to as many people as possible, he focused on connecting, coaching and nurturing new black talent. His writing is inspirational story-telling, capturing both the profound legacy of what has been, with future possibilities – “I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”