What major poet is associated with the Harlem Renaissance?

Wallace Thurman

Within 10 years of arriving in Harlem he had many employments such as ghost writer, a publisher, an editor and a writer of novels, plays and articles. He became editor of The Messenger, a socialist journal aimed at blacks. He became the first to publish the adult-themed stories of Langston Hughes. Thurman left The Messenger to become editor of a white-owned magazine World tomorrow. He collaborated in publishing literary magazine Fire” a devotion to the younger negro artists.” It was a collaboration with Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Bruce Nugent, Aaron Douglas and Gwendolyn B. Bennett. With only one issue ever published , Fire challenged the ideas of W.E.B Du Bois and many African American bourgeoisie who believed that black art should serve as propaganda for social equality and racial integration. Thurman and other members of the “Niggerati” (deliberately ironic name Thurman used for young African American artists and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance) wanted to show real lives of African Americans , good and bad. He believed that black artists should be more objective in their writings and  celebrate the arduous conditions of African American lives.

“Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish!”

"Thurman's Harlem Renaissance is, thus, staunch and revolutionary in its commitment to individuality and critical objectivity: the black writer need not pander to the aesthetic preferences of the black middle class, nor should he or she write for an easy and patronizing white approval.~ Siggh and Scott

Langston Hughes is one of the most well known names of the Harlem renaissance. He was a writer, whose pieces ranged from novels, to plays. He wrote short stories, children’s books, translations, and anthologies as well. However, his most well known pieces were his poems. Langston Hughes lived with his friends, the Reeds, after his grandmother died in 1910. He entered High School where he was very successful, and began to explore poetry. In 1921, Hughes went to Harlem and enrolled in Columbia University. He managed to be successful there, but he spent the majority of his time seeing Boradway shows. In 1922, he dropped out of Columbia and began to spend every waking moment in Harlem, supporting himself on odd jobs and writing. His writing reflected the idea that black culture should be celebrated, because it is just as valuable as white culture. He advocated many of these beliefs beliefs in  his pieces. Some examples of these are “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”, “Let America Be America Again”, “One Way Ticket”, and many others. On may 22, 1967, Langston Hughes died of cancer. He spent the majority of his life writing great literature, which is appreciated by all races, to this day.
Click here to read "My Adventures as a Social Poet" by Langston Hughes

Democracy: By Langston Hughes
Democracy will not comeToday, this yearNor everThrough compromise and fear.I have as much right As the other fellow hasTo standOn my two feet And own the land.I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course.Tomorrow is another day.I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.FreedomIs a strong seedPlantedIn a great need.I live here, too.I want freedom

Just as you.

Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891. Hurston was always interested in writing, and during the Harlem Renaissance, she befriended some very famous writers, such as Langston Hughes. By 1935, she had published a handful of short stories, articles, as well as a novel, Jonah’s Gourd Vine. Some of her most famous works were The Eyes Were Watching God, and Tell My Horse, which studied Caribbean Voodoo. Hurston wrote many pieces, using very distinct dialect to show African American culture (see quote below).  One of her stories, “Spunk” was selected to be a part of The New Negro, which focused African and African American art and literature. Her main goal was merely to celebrate African American culture. She wrote to W.E.B Du Bois, who she gave the title “The Dean of American Negro Artists” to, and suggested to make a cemetery for the “illustrious Negro Dead”, on roughly 100 acres of land, in Florida, claiming that her people must be honored.

"Dat's a big ole resurrection lie, Ned. Uh slew-foot, drag-leg lie at dat, and Ah dare yuh tuh hit me too. You know Ahm uh fightin' dawg and mah hide is worth money. Hit me if you dare! Ah'll wash yo' tub uh 'gator guts and dat quick."
- Quote from Jonah's Gourd Vine

During the Great Migration of the early 20th century, many black people settled in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. The thousands that flocked there found opportunities to express themselves in literature, music, dance and art. This creative period in which black-American literature emerged became known as the Harlem Renaissance.

The renaissance began around 1919 and lasted until approximately 1940. Paul Dunbar, who died in 1904, was a black poet who most Harlem Renaissance poets claim as their inspiration. There are many outstanding poets from that era, including Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, James Weldon Johnson and Countee Cullen.

Langston Hughes

Perhaps the most well-known poet in the history of black-American literature, Hughes, born in 1902 in Missouri, must be first on the list in any discussion about Harlem Renaissance poets.

Hughes wrote novels, plays and short stories, but it is his emotional, heartfelt poems that expressed the common experiences of the culture of black people for which he is most remembered. His poems captured their suffering as well as their laughter. He died in 1967 and left a large body of work.

Hughes’ most famous poem that is found in many textbooks is titled “Dreams.” It is a poignant expression of the hopes and dreams of the black American.
Read the poem.

Claude McKay

McKay, born in Jamaica in 1889, was tutored in the classics by his older brother. Eventually, McKay found his way to Harlem. His poems reflect his concern with the plight of black people and the politics that he believed kept them oppressed. He was the editor of a magazine, The Liberator, which published many of his works. During a time of racial unrest in the 1919s and the 1920s, he wrote his most famous poem, “If We Must Die.”
Read the poem.

In 1924, McKay was the first black author to have a book of poetry published by a mainstream publisher. He also wrote novels and short stories. He died in 1948.

James Weldon Johnson

Johnson was born in 1871 and graduated from college in 1894. He later studied law and was the first black person to be admitted to the Florida Bar Association.

He ultimately found his way to New York and, in the 1920s, several of his poetry anthologies were published. As many Harlem Renaissance poets did, he claimed Paul Dunbar as his inspiration. In 1893, while Johnson was still in college, he met Dunbar in person and they became friends.

Johnson was a prolific writer and his most famous poem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” has been called the Black national anthem. He died in 1938 when his car was hit by a train. More than 2,000 people in Harlem attended his funeral.
Read the poem.

Countee Cullen

Not much is known about Cullen’s early years. Sometime around the age of 15, he was informally adopted by the Cullen family and rarely spoke about his life before that time. He received notoriety while still in high school when his poem “I Have a Rendezvous With Life” won a New York City poetry contest.
Read the poem.

Cullen continued writing poems and winning contests while he attended New York University. After graduating, he went to graduate school at Harvard. He married the daughter of civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois.

Although Cullen did incorporate the black experience in his poems, he preferred writing traditional English poetry. He died in 1946.

Tips when reading poetry

The style of the Harlem Renaissance poets captures the art of storytelling. The way a poem is read makes a difference in whether or not the story evokes the intended emotion. Former poet laureate Billy Collins offers tips for reading poetry out loud: He suggests it be read slowly in a normal, relaxed voice. The reader should not pause at the end of each line, but follow the punctuation in the poem. Unfamiliar words should be looked up in a dictionary in order for a person to fully understand the meaning of the poem.

For more information on the Harlem Renaissance and for suggestions for lesson plans, click the Learn More link.