Langston's Library

Best Gifts For Creatives

Langston's Library

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For those who are creative, expressive, and imaginative, just like Langston Hughes

With a thoughtful blend of fragrances, these gifts add a unique touch that reflects the spirit of Hughes' work—ideal for anyone who isn't afraid to dream big and think outside of the box.

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was a creative force of the Harlem Renaissance, celebrated for his innovative contributions to poetry, prose, and social commentary. Known as "The People's Poet," Hughes drew inspiration from the lives of everyday African Americans, capturing their joys, struggles, and dreams with authenticity and depth.

Image: Langston Hughes by Jack Delano (1942) / Public Domain

Harlem (1951)

"What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?"

Image: Portrait of Langston Hughes (1943) / Public Domain

The Negro Speaks of Rivers (1921)

"I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers."

Image: Langston Hughes (c. 1925) by Winold Reiss / CC BY-SA 4.0