Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in Missouri, 1928. She lived a tough life, which she later chronicled in her memoirs such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes”. When her parents got a divorce, she was sent to live with her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas because her mother could not care for her.
Stamps, Arkansas was an important part of her life and featured prominently in her books, memoirs and poetry. Her grandmother and close childhood friend name to Mrs. Flowers helped her get through be shuffled from place to place by her mother, and being sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. The pain she suffered in her youth is part of what gives her poetry and other writings such poignancy.
Maya Angelou is a shining example of someone who has overcome adversity. She also has been instrumental in the modern civil rights movement. Her writing brings hope to people who live in poverty, who have suffered abuse and who have any kind of daily struggle to overcome. Her writing especially speaks to women and African-Americans and the issues and struggles that they face.
She has been given several awards and accolades over the years, not the least of which was being asked to read a poem at a presidential inauguration – that of President Bill Clinton. She is only the second poet in history to read for President. The only other poet to receive that honor was Robert frost during President Kennedy’s inauguration. She was nominated for Pulitzer Prize in 1971 for her poetry in the volume “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Die”.
Maya Angelou is completely self educated, and in spite of having no college degree has received honorary degrees and teaching positions from several colleges. In fact she has a lifetime chair at Wake Forest University. She has also taught at the University of Ghana and the University of Kansas. She speaks several languages including French, Spanish, Arabic, Italian and Ghanian Fante.
She has recorded spoken word and music albums; has danced, sung and acted on stages around the world and in films; and has written poetry, novels and memoirs. She’s even been nominated for a Tony Award. Her son, Guy Johnson, is a poet as well – following in his mother’s footsteps.
Bibliography:
I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, 1970.
GATHER TOGETHER IN MY NAME, 1974.
SINGIN' AND SWINGIN' AND GETTIN' MERRY LIKE CHRISTMAS, 1976.
THE HEART OF A WOMAN, 1981.
ALL GOD'S CHILDREN NEED TRAVELING SHOES, 1986.
A SONG FLUNG UP TO HEAVEN, 2002.
THE COMPLETE COLLECTED AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF MAYA ANGELOU, 2004
WOULDN'T TAKE NOTHING FOR MY JOURNEY NOW, 1993.
EVEN THE STARS LOOK LONESOME, 1997.
HALLELUJAH! THE WELCOME TABLE: A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES WITH RECIPES, 2004.
LIFE DOESN'T FRIGHTEN ME, 1993.
MAYA'S WORLD: Izak of Lapland, 2004
MAYA'S WORLD: Angelia of Italy, 2004
MAYA'S WORLD: Renée Marie of France, 2004
MAYA'S WORLD: Mikale of Hawaii, 2004
JUST GIVE ME A COOL DRINK OF WATER 'FORE I DIIIE, 1971
OH PRAY MY WINGS ARE GONNA FIT ME WELL, 1975.
AND STILL I RISE, 1978.
SHAKER, WHY DON'T YOU SING, 1983.
NOW SHEBA SINGS THE SONG, 1987.
I SHALL NOT BE MOVED, 1990.
"ON THE PULSE OF MORNING," 1993.
THE COMPLETE COLLECTED POEMS OF MAYA ANGELOU, 1994.
PHENOMENAL WOMAN: FOUR POEMS FOR WOMEN, 1995.
"A BRAVE AND STARTLING TRUTH," 1995.
"FROM A BLACK WOMAN TO A BLACK MAN," 1995.
"MOTHER, A CRADLE TO HOLD ME," 2006.
"CELEBRATIONS, RITUALS OF PEACE & PRAYER," 2006.
CABARET FOR FREEDOM, 1960
THE LEAST OF THESE, 1966.
GETTIN' UP STAYED ON MY MIND, 1967.
AJAX, 1974.
AND STILL I RISE, 1976.
MOON ON A RAINBOW SHAWL, 1988.
GEORGIA, GEORGIA, 1972.
ALL DAY LONG, 1974.
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