Describes how the twentieth-century African American poet Langston Hughes affirms his vocation as a writer through the composition of his famous 1921 poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."

Profiles the life and career of the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize.

Relates the story of North Carolina slave George Moses Horton, who taught himself to read, learned to write, and became a well-known, published poet in spite of his slave status.

Story of Phyllis Wheatley of Boston, Mass., a slave, who published a book of poetry in 1773.

"Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, and was raised by his grandmother, who told him many stories of the Black American experience and taught him to be proud of his race from a young age. With her guidance, Langston became a talented writer in high school, creating dramatic plays, poetry, and articles for the school paper. His career as a writer would continue to blossom. Langston pioneered jazz poetry and published nearly twenty poetry...