Dr. Maya Angelou
by Radiyah Shakur
Dr. Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928, is one of the great voices of contemporary literature. She has had twelve best selling books, which have earned her a Pulitzer-Prize and National Book Awards. Celebrated as one of history’s most prolific writers for her literary style and descriptive genius, ironically, Maya Angelou did not always have a voice.
 Raised by her grandmother in rural Arkansas, Maya was loved, nurtured and raised to be confident. This all diminished when Maya moved to Chicago to live with her mother in 1953. While there she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend, at the age of eight. The man who assaulted her was jailed, later released, and a few days after found murdered. The trauma of the experience, compounded with the guilt she felt for the man’s death, left Angelou insecure and mute for five years.
At age of 16, she gave birth to her son Guy. To escape family troubles she took on various jobs such as working as a cabaret singer in New York and San Francisco. At one point in her life she even worked as a prostitute and madam. However, Angelou’s life was set free when a teacher introduced her to the world of literature.
Maya’s remarkable memory enabled her to memorize entire collections of works from writers and poets, such as Shakespeare and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Like a CD, Angelou could mentally recall a poem at any time, and ‘’play’’ it in her head depending upon what she fancied. By being exposed to the literary voice of others and the discovery of hers, Angelou was able to use writing to cope with the challenging aspects of life and society.
One of her most famous poems, ‘’Still I Rise’’, was written out of the poet’s disappointment with race and politics in the United States. It is an affirmation of determination to prevail over any obstacles, despite numerous barriers.
Active during the Civil Rights Movement, she was requested by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to become the Northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1959. In the 1960s she spent five years in Egypt and Ghana, where she taught music and drama, and edited English-language publications. In 1974, President Gerald Ford appointed her to the Bicentennial Commission, and later President Jimmy Carter chose her for the Commission for the International Woman of the Year.
Angelou’s six-part autobiographical novels are more than just exposés; rather they are explorations in to her struggles, obstacles and journey to self-discovery. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" - a novel nominated for the National Book Award, recounts growing up as a black girl in the rural South. Her later autobiographical novels discuss her development in to adulthood and womanhood, which was influenced by encounters with such leaders as Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1993, Maya Angelou became the second poet in history asked to deliver an original poem at a Presidential Inauguration, at President Bill Clinton’s request. As the first black female director in Hollywood, Angelou has also written, produced, directed and starred in productions for stage, film and television. She won the Golden Eagle Award for her PBS documentary entitled "Afro-Americans in the Arts", nominated twice for a Tony award for her acting roles in "Look Away" in 1973 and "Roots" in 1977. Her novel, "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie", was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1971. More recently she has won Grammy Awards for spoken word productions for the years 1993, 1995 and 2002.
Angelou holds a lifetime appointment as Reynolds professor of American Studies at Wake Forest where she still teaches. In addition, she possesses numerous honorary degrees; and still makes public appearances as a guest on talk shows and continues to tour the lecture circuit.
This link will take you to a list of all of her works: http://www.mayaangelou.com/AngelouBooks.html
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