LeRoi Jones , later known as Amiri Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, essays, fiction and criticism. Known for his involvement in the Beat movement and the Black Arts movement, his writing forms some of the defining texts for African-American culture. He served as Poet Laureate for New Jersey and was awarded numerous awards including a PEN award and the Langston Hughes Award. He received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts, and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.