The Langston design features the legendary ICON Langston Hughes: Langston Hughes, born on February 1,1902 was a central figure during the Harlem Renaissance. A major writer, Hughes wrote novels, short stories, essays, and plays that sought to honestly portray the joys and hardships of working-class black lives. Hughes's first book of poetry, The Weary Blues was published in 1926. Not long after that, In 1930 his first novel, Not Without Laughter won the Harmon Gold Medal for literature. His work is also known for its engagement with the world of jazz as in his book-length poem Montage of a Dream Deferred . Therefore, his work was enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance. Unlike other notable black poets of the period, Hughes refused to differentiate between his personal experience and the common experience of black America. He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter, and language. Hughes died May 22, 1967 with multiple awards and honors.