James Langston Hughes had many accomplishments as a man. James began writing poetry when he was in eighth grade. He attended Columbia University but dropped out shortly after attending. His first published poem was one of the many famous called "The Negro Speaks of Rivers". His poems, essays, play, and short stories also appeared in the NAACP publication "Crisi Magazine" and in "Opportunity Magazine". An essay of his called "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" appeared in the nation in 1926. James loved sitting in Jazz clubs and listening to jazz so therfore he wrote a series of poems called the "Weary Blues". Also, in 1926 he accepted a job with Dr. Carter G. Woodson who was the editor of Journal of Negro Life and History and was the founder of Black History Week. Later that year he received a scholarship to Lincoln University where he received a Bachelor's Degree in 1929. In 1943, he was rewarded as an honorary Literature Doctor. In his whole life, he wrote 16 books of poems, 2 novels, 3 collections of short stories, 4 volumes of editorial and documentary fiction, 20 plays, several children's poetry works, several musicals and operas, 3 autobiographies, 12 radio and television scripts, and dozens of magazine articles. He also edited 7 anthologies. To view a list of his works, go on to the works page.