He has written literary works in a variety of genres and is famous for his poetry. He is known as the "Poet Laureate of Harlem". His major poetry collections include "The Good Clothes of the Jews" (1927), "The Dreamers" (1932), and "Shakespeare in Harlem" (1942), such as the poems "A New Song" and "Let America Be America Again" , "Ask Your Mother - Twelve Jazz Styles", etc.
His novel "Not Without Laughter" (1930) mainly describes the rugged road a black child goes through while growing up, reflecting the author's early emphasis on the role of education. His other works include: short story collections "The Way White People Do" (1934), "Hot Stuff and Other Stories" (1963); a collection of humorous sketches "Simbol Speaks His Thoughts" (1950) , "Simbol's All-Desert" (1957), etc.; autobiographies "The Vast Sea" (1940) and "I Wander, I Wander" (1956). In his later years, he edited and selected many anthologies, short stories, and poetry collections by black writers. Most of his outstanding poems are included in "Selected Poems" (1965), which he personally selected.