Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Missouri.His love for poetry began when he was named "class poet" by his classmates in grammar school. It was here where Hughes first began his love for poetry, and was introduced to his favorite (and most influential) poets: Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman.

     While working as a busboy in Washington, D.C, in 1925, Hughes put down three of his poems alongside the plate of American poet Vachel Lindsay. It was "The Weary Blues," that caught the poet's attention and the very next day, newspapers around the country reported that Lindsay had discovered a new poet. As a result of this glowing endorsement, Hughes was introduced to several publishers allowing him to publish many of his works.