Called “America’s Poet Laureate,” Maya Angelou has done more to forward African American literature than quite possibly any author we’ve had to date. Her words are powerful, earthy, moving and inspirational, but there was a time when she didn’t feel that way. She was abused by her mother’s boyfriend as a child, and when she told what had happened, her uncle beat the abuser to death. Maya became convinced that her words had killed a man, and from the age of eight, when the incident happened, until she was thirteen, she would not speak. Sent to live with her grandmother during that time, she was able to find her voice again.
A few years later, Maya and her brother were returned to their mother’s care, but she was unable to provide for them and they went to live with their father. She spent a little bit of time living in a junkyard as a runaway, unhappy with life at her father’s, and eventually wound back up with her mother.
When Maya was sixteen, she became pregnant and had a son, Guy Johnson. She supported him by singing at a nightclub and made a record called “Miss Calypso,” which is a highly collectible item now.
From the roots of this unsettled childhood came the fruit of Maya’s writing, the deepness of her soul. Her first published work, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was published in 1970 and became the first book written by an African-American to stay on The New York Times Best-seller List for over two years, which is a record in and of itself. Again, it is earthy, and I put it forward with that slight warning, but it is also a look into Maya’s heart, which is a beautiful place.
Her fourth book, “The Heart of a Woman,” was published in 1981 and was USA Today’s Best-selling book.
In addition to a long list of full-length books, she has written essays, children’s books, plays, and screenplays. Indeed, the list is long and impressive. Then she branched out into television, and wrote for Oprah Winfrey’s series Brewster Place, PBS Documentaries, Assignment America, and more. And if that’s not enough, she has appeared in countless plays and movies. (Visit her website for a complete listing.)
Throughout her career, she has used her celebrity to bring attention to worthwhile causes, including the arts and eduction. Some of her accomplishments include serving on the advisory board of the Women’s Prison Association, having a center of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in London, England, named after her, and being a member of Doctors Without Borders. It’s as though she has taken the trauma from her childhood and done everything in her power to make the world a better place for other children. She has been given countless honorary degrees from colleges across the country and was President Clinton’s inaugural poet in 1993. Regardless of the arena, she speaks of the dignity that is to be found in proud women everywhere.
Maya’s most recent honor was to receive the Mother Teresa Award for her devotion and humanitarian service in August of 2006.
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Maya appeared on “Sesame Street” and took a moment to pose with Harry Monster.