Langston Hughes

 

There's no better way to begin Black History Month than celebrating the notable Langston Hughes. His birthdate is February 1.

 Langston Hughes (1902 – 1967) 

African-American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, author and columnist.

His resume is impressive. Hughes published his first poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” in 1921. In his lifetime Hughes wrote 20 plays, several non-fiction and children's books, novels, 10 short stories, operettas, scripts, song lyrics and newspaper columns. He was a social activist. Hughes was one of the earliest innovators of the then new literary art form jazz poetry. He is known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. ,

Hughes was probably the foremost poet among African Americans. His poetry earned him the title 'America’s Black Poet Laureate'. His importance later for African-American literature has been immense. He sought not only to sing of Black America in his poems, but to do it in everyday language. Hughes was one of the first and most successful writers to incorporate African-American musical traditions like jazz, blues and spirituals into literature.
In 2002 on the 100th celebration of his birth date, United States issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor.

I found it difficult to choose a favorite poem because there are so many of his poems I've come to appreciate over the years. This book is one of my favorites from my teaching days. 

Many of Hughes’s best early poems explore the nature of and the beauty in the African element of African-American identity.

My People

The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also are the souls of my people.

Dreams are a recurring theme in Hughes’s work. For Hughes, poets are not just dreamers, but dream keepers for their people.

The Dream Keeper
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamers,
Bring me all of your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.

Well you certainly can't have a birthday celebration without some sort of sweet treat. 

Chocolate Brownie with Malted Ganache

Cook's Notes: Your baking gets a little easier when you use a prepared box of brownie mix.  I highly recommend this product from Trader Joe's. It's as close to homemade as you can get. I followed the directions on the box adding in 1 cup chopped walnuts. Malted Ganache took the brownies to a whole new level. 

Malted Ganache

Heat 2/3 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup malt powder in a saucepn over a medium low heat. Whisk until the powder is dissolved and mixture is steaming.

In a bowl add chopped bittersesweet or semi-sweet chocolate (6 oz.). Pour malted cream mixture over and let stand 3 minutes. Stir until smooth, then let stand until thickened 20-40 minutes. Pour over cooled brownies. Refrigerate brownie pan one hour to set ganache.