Video reading by poet Langston Hughes

This week's Pause for Poetry focuses on a reading from Langston Hughes' first book of poetry The Weary Blues published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926.

A poet, playwright, and novelist, Hughes is best known for his major role in shaping the Harlem Renaissance. Heavily influenced by jazz, his insightful and musical poetry focused on the human condition of black America from suffering to solace and everything in between.

Hughes once said, "No great poet has ever been afraid of being himself." The following video, an excerpt from a short film by 4 Seasons Production, is a prime example of that belief.

With this in mind, let's all hit the Pause button on our lives for a few minutes and watch this moving video reading from Langston Hughes.