Langston Hughes was a poet, novelist and playwright. He was one of the most significant figures in what became known as the Harlem Renaissance, an African-American cultural movement in the 1920s. Below is one of his poems, Island, and a recording of Hughes reading the work. Wave of sorrow, Do not drown me now:I see the island Still ahead somehow. I see the island And its sands are fair:Wave of sorrow, Take me there.