All about Maya Angelou
Writer and African American activist Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in
St. Louis, Missouri. Maya Angelou's five autobiographical novels were met with
critical and popular success. Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink
of Water 'Fore I Die was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. In 1993, Angelou
wrote a poem for Clinton's inauguration. In 2008, she earned a NAACP Award.
Early Life
Multitalented barely seems to cover the depth and breadth of Maya
Angelou's accomplishments. She is an author, actress, screenwriter, dancer and
poet. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou had a difficult childhood. Her
parents split up when she was very young, and she and her older brother Bailey
were sent to live with their father's mother, Anne Henderson, in Stamps,
Arkansas.
As an African American, Angelou experienced firsthand racial prejudices and
discrimination in Arkansas. She also suffered at the hands of a family associate
around the age of seven. During a visit with her mother, Angelou was raped by
her mother's boyfriend. Her uncles killed the boyfriend for the sexual assault.
So traumatized by the experience, Angelou stopped talking. She returned to
Arkansas and spent years as a virtual mute.
During World War II, Angelou moved to San Francisco. There she won a
scholarship to study dance and acting at the Labor School. Angelou worked for a
time as the first female African American cable car conductor. In 1944, the
sixteen-year-old future literary icon gave birth to her son Guy. Angelou worked
a number of jobs to support herself and her son.
Career Beginnings
In the mid-1950s, Angelou's career as a performer started to take off. She
landed a role in a touring production of Porgy and Bess. Angelou later
appeared off-Broadway in Calypso Heat Wave and released her first album
Miss Calypso. A member of the Harlem Writers Guild and a civil rights
activist, She organized and starred in the musical revue Cabaret for
Freedom as a benefit for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC). Angelou served as the SCLC's northern coordinator.
In 1961, Angelou appeared in an off-Broadway production of Jean Genet's
The Blacks with James Earl Jones, Lou Gossett, Jr., and Cicely Tyson. While the play earned strong
reviews, she moved on to other pursuits. Angelou spent much of the 1960s living
abroad. She first lived in Egypt and then in Ghana, working as an editor and a
freelance writer. Angelou also held a position at the University of Ghana for a
time.
Angelou returned to the United States. At the urging of her friend, writer James
Baldwin, she began writing about her life experiences. The result
of her efforts became the 1970 best-selling memoir about her childhood and young
adult years entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This poignant work
made Angelou an international literary star.
Angelou soon broke new creative ground, becoming the first African American
woman to have her screenplay produced. She wrote the 1972 drama Georgia,
Georgia. Continuing to act, Angelou earned a Tony Award nomination for her
role in the 1973 play Look Away and an Emmy Award nomination for her work
in the 1977 television miniseries Roots
Later Successes
Angelou has written several autobiographies, including All God's Children
Need Traveling Shoes (1986) and A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002). She
has also published several collections of poetry, including Just Give Me a
Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die (1971). This collection was nominated for
the Pulitzer Prize. One of her most famous works was the poem "On the Pulse of
Morning," which she wrote especially for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in January 1993. Angelou won a
Grammy Award for the audio version of the poem.
Seeking new creative challenges, Angelou made her directorial debut in 1998
with Down in the Delta, which starred Alfre Woodard. Angelou has also
written a number of inspirational works, from the essay collection Wouldn't
Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1994) to her advice for young women in
Letter to My Daughter (2008). Interested in health, Angelou published a
cookbook, Great Food, All Day Long (2010).
Personal Life
Angelou is good friends with television personality Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey has organized several
birthday celebrations for Angelou, including a week-long cruise for her 70th
birthday in 1998.
St. Louis, Missouri. Maya Angelou's five autobiographical novels were met with
critical and popular success. Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink
of Water 'Fore I Die was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. In 1993, Angelou
wrote a poem for Clinton's inauguration. In 2008, she earned a NAACP Award.
Early Life
Multitalented barely seems to cover the depth and breadth of Maya
Angelou's accomplishments. She is an author, actress, screenwriter, dancer and
poet. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou had a difficult childhood. Her
parents split up when she was very young, and she and her older brother Bailey
were sent to live with their father's mother, Anne Henderson, in Stamps,
Arkansas.
As an African American, Angelou experienced firsthand racial prejudices and
discrimination in Arkansas. She also suffered at the hands of a family associate
around the age of seven. During a visit with her mother, Angelou was raped by
her mother's boyfriend. Her uncles killed the boyfriend for the sexual assault.
So traumatized by the experience, Angelou stopped talking. She returned to
Arkansas and spent years as a virtual mute.
During World War II, Angelou moved to San Francisco. There she won a
scholarship to study dance and acting at the Labor School. Angelou worked for a
time as the first female African American cable car conductor. In 1944, the
sixteen-year-old future literary icon gave birth to her son Guy. Angelou worked
a number of jobs to support herself and her son.
Career Beginnings
In the mid-1950s, Angelou's career as a performer started to take off. She
landed a role in a touring production of Porgy and Bess. Angelou later
appeared off-Broadway in Calypso Heat Wave and released her first album
Miss Calypso. A member of the Harlem Writers Guild and a civil rights
activist, She organized and starred in the musical revue Cabaret for
Freedom as a benefit for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC). Angelou served as the SCLC's northern coordinator.
In 1961, Angelou appeared in an off-Broadway production of Jean Genet's
The Blacks with James Earl Jones, Lou Gossett, Jr., and Cicely Tyson. While the play earned strong
reviews, she moved on to other pursuits. Angelou spent much of the 1960s living
abroad. She first lived in Egypt and then in Ghana, working as an editor and a
freelance writer. Angelou also held a position at the University of Ghana for a
time.
Angelou returned to the United States. At the urging of her friend, writer James
Baldwin, she began writing about her life experiences. The result
of her efforts became the 1970 best-selling memoir about her childhood and young
adult years entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This poignant work
made Angelou an international literary star.
Angelou soon broke new creative ground, becoming the first African American
woman to have her screenplay produced. She wrote the 1972 drama Georgia,
Georgia. Continuing to act, Angelou earned a Tony Award nomination for her
role in the 1973 play Look Away and an Emmy Award nomination for her work
in the 1977 television miniseries Roots
Later Successes
Angelou has written several autobiographies, including All God's Children
Need Traveling Shoes (1986) and A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002). She
has also published several collections of poetry, including Just Give Me a
Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die (1971). This collection was nominated for
the Pulitzer Prize. One of her most famous works was the poem "On the Pulse of
Morning," which she wrote especially for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in January 1993. Angelou won a
Grammy Award for the audio version of the poem.
Seeking new creative challenges, Angelou made her directorial debut in 1998
with Down in the Delta, which starred Alfre Woodard. Angelou has also
written a number of inspirational works, from the essay collection Wouldn't
Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1994) to her advice for young women in
Letter to My Daughter (2008). Interested in health, Angelou published a
cookbook, Great Food, All Day Long (2010).
Personal Life
Angelou is good friends with television personality Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey has organized several
birthday celebrations for Angelou, including a week-long cruise for her 70th
birthday in 1998.
