An early and central argument for racial equality in the United States, W. E. B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk was also fundamental to the Harlem Renaissance and its vision of African- Americans raised up through intellectual and artistic achievements.

An influential book of short stories by British author D. H. Lawrence, The Lovely Lady confronts the reader with undisguised social critiques. The volume had a considerable impact on Hughes, convincing him that short fiction could be a valuable genre.

Hughes's autobiography, The Big Sea, describes in detail his relationship with his patron, Charlotte Mason; that dynamic was, he acknowledged, the model for "The Blues I'm Playing."