1902
James Mercer Langston Hughes born on February 1 in Joplin Missouri, to
James Nathaniel and Carrie Mercer Langston Hughes.
1902-1914
Lived in Buffalo; Cleveland; Lawrence, Kansas; Mexico City; Topeka,
Kansas; Colorado Springs; Lawrence (again); Kansas City.
1914
Moved to Lincoln, Illinois to live with his mother and step-father.
1916
Elected class poet for grammer school graduation.
1916-1920
Attended Central High School in Cleveland.
Spent a summer in Mexico.
Graduated from Central High School.
1921
Published juvenile poetry in The Brownie's Book.
"A Negro Speaks of Rivers" published in The Crisis.
Entered Columbia University in New York.
1922
Left Columbia to take various jobs in the New York area.
1923
Employed as cook's aid on a steamer to Africa and Europe.
1924
Employed as a cook in a Paris night club.
Moved to Washington, D.C. to live with his mother.
1925
Won first prize for poetry in Opportunity contest.
Won second prize for essay and third prize for poetry in The Crisis contest.
Met Carl Van Vechten who introduced his poetry to Alfred Knopf.
1926
Entered Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Weary Blues published.
Fire published.
Won first prize in Witter Bynner Undergraduate Poetry Contest.
1927
Fine Clothes to the Jew published.
1929
Graduated from Lincoln University.
1930
Not Without Laughter published.
Won Harmon award for literature.
Traveled to Haiti.
1931
Conducted poetry reading tour in the South and West.
1932
Traveled to Russia.
1933
Returned to California by way of Japan.
Spent one year writing at Carmel by the Sea.
1934
Ways of White Folks published.
Father dies.
1935
Received Guggenheim Fellowship.
1937
Traveled to Spain as a correspondent for Baltimore Afro-American.
Mother dies.
1940
The Big Sea published.
1941
Received Rosenwald Fellowship.
1942
Shakespeare in Harlem published.
1943
Granted honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lincoln University.
Began Chicago Defender.
1946
Elected to membership in National Institute of Arts and Letters.
1947
Fields of Wonder published.
1947-1948
Appointed Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Atlanta University.
1949-1950
Appointed Poet in Residence at the Laboratory School, University of
Chicago.
1950
Simple Speaks His Mind published.
1951
Montage on a Dream Deferred published.
1952
Laughing to Keep From Crying published.
First Book of Negroes published.
1953
Received Ainsfeld-Wolfe Award for Best book of the year on race relations).
Simple Takes a Wife published.
1954
Famous American Negroes published.
1955
Sweet Flypaper of Life published.
1956
I Wonder As I Wander published.
1958
Tambourines to Glory published.
1959
Selected Poems published.
1960
Received Spingarn Medal.
African Treasury published.
1961
Ask Your Mama published.
1962
Fight for Freedom published.
1963
Five Plays published.
1964
Granted Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from Western Reserve.
1965
Simple's Uncle Sam published.
1967
Black Magic: A Pictorial History of the Negro in American Entertainment
published.
1967
May 22, Langston Hughes dies.
1969
Black Magic published.
Don't You Turn Back published.
1970
The Poetry of the Negro 1746-1970 published.
Works Consulted
Dickinson, Donald C. A Bio-bibliography of Langston Hughes, 1902-1967. Hamden: Archon Books, 1972.
Emanuel, James A. Langston Hughes. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1967.
O'Daniel, Therman B. ed. Langston Hughes: Black Genius, A Critical Evaluation. New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1971.