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Harlem Renaissance poet, playwright, and novelist, who moved to Harlem at the age of nine. By age 20, he made a national reputation as a poet by publishing work in magazines like Harpers and Poetry. He published his first poetry collection at age 22, and by 26, published four more. His early poetry was racially themed, most famously “The Black Christ,” about a young black man being convicted of a crime he did not commit. Cullen, who was probably bisexual, struggled with his sexuality all of his life, engaging in relationships with both women and men (bi.org).
The most famous author to come out of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes was a poet, novelist, playwright, and social activist. Many of his works, including his most famous poems, are filled with that activism. His first poem was published when he was 20, and his first poetry collection at 25. Unlike many African-American authors of the time, Hughes wanted his work to portray the lower classes, particularly their struggles along with their joys and successes. He wrote that African-Americans should portray themselves in literature without fear or shame (Hughes). Hughes often leaned towards Communism over the years as an alternative to segregation, though he never joined the Communist party, and he distanced himself from it in his later years.
