· langston hughes was a black poet and writer whose work made him a leading figure in the harlem renaissance. Langston hughes - a poet, novelist, fiction writer, and playwright, langston hughes is known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in america from the twenties through the sixties and was important in shaping the artistic contributions of the harlem renaissance. In 1931, prentiss taylor and langston hughes created the golden stair press, issuing broadsides and books featuring the artwork of prentiss taylor and the texts of langston hughes. Langston hughes was a central figure in the harlem renaissance, the flowering of black intellectual, literary, and artistic life that took place in the 1920s in a number of american cities, particularly harlem. James mercer langston hughes was an american poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from joplin, missouri. Read about his poems, books, quotes, and more facts. · langston hughes was a defining figure of the 1920s harlem renaissance as an influential poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer, essayist, political commentator and social activist. Langston hughes was an american writer who was an important figure in the harlem renaissance and who vividly depicted the african american experience through his writings , which ranged from poetry and plays to novels and newspaper columns. An early innovator of jazz poetry, hughes is best kno. A major poet, hughes also wrote novels, short stories, essays, and plays. Langston hughes (1902-1967) is perhaps the best-known african american poet of the twentieth-century.