Oh hey it’s Black History Month and apparently significant poets count SO...
I’ve been reading Langston Hughes for the first time as an adult. He’s hit or miss for me, because I’m not as into rhyming poetry and his use of dialect can remind me of people using AAVE a lot less sympathetically. A lot of his work feels very much about being Black around 1920-50, so the context feels less current, BUT it’s a window into how that must’ve felt.
When he’s good he legit soars, so he’s worth reading.