Maya Angelou (1928–2014)
Author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
About the Author
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928 in Saint Louis, Missouri. At the age of 16, she became not only the first black streetcar conductor in San Francisco but the first woman conductor. In the mid-1950s, she toured Europe with a production of the opera Porgy and Bess. In show more 1957, she recorded her first album, Calypso Lady. In 1958, she became a part of the Harlem Writers Guild in New York and played a queen in The Blacks, an off-Broadway production by French dramatist Jean Genet. In 1960, she moved to Cairo, where she edited The Arab Observer, an English-language weekly newspaper. The following year, she went to Ghana where she was features editor of The African Review and taught music and drama at the University of Ghana. In 1964, she moved back to the U.S. to become a civil rights activist by helping Malcolm X build his new coalition, the Organization of African American Unity, and became the northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Even though she never went to college, she taught American studies for years at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. In 1993, she became only the second poet in United States history to write and recite an original poem at a Presidential Inauguration when she read On the Pulse of Morning at President Bill Clinton's Inauguration Ceremony. She wrote numerous books during her lifetime including: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, and Mom and Me and Mom. In 2011, President Barack Obama gave her the Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor, for her collected works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction. She appeared in the movie Roots and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1977 for her role in the movie. She also played a part in the movie, How to Make an American Quilt and wrote and produced Afro-Americans in the Arts, a PBS special for which she received a Golden Eagle Award. She was a three-time Grammy winner. She died on May 28, 2014 at the age of 86. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Maya Angelou
Selected from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Heart of a Woman (Writers Voices) (1989) 48 copies
OMNIBUS: I KNOW WHY THE CAGE BIRD SINGS, GATHER TOGETHER IN MY NAME AND SINGIN' AND SWINGIN' AND GETTIN' MERRY LIKE CHRI (1991) 32 copies, 1 review
Ik weet waarom gekooide vogels zingen / druk 1: de complete autobiografie in een band : bevat: Ik weet waarom gekooide vogels zingen . Dans om het ... hart van een vrouw . Een… (1997) 13 copies, 1 review
Our Grandmothers 6 copies
Não trocaria minha jornada por nada 3 copies
Lei che mi ha liberata (le radici) 3 copies
Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul 3 copies
Venham e juntem-se a mim 3 copies
KADIN KALBİ 2 copies
The aristocrat 2 copies
Miss Calypso [Sound Recording] 2 copies
101 Quotes and Sayings From Maya Angelou: Inspirational Quotes From Phenomenal Woman (2014) 2 copies
The Caged Bird Sings Note Cards: 12 Cards for Sharing the Wit and Wisdom of Maya Angelou (2025) 1 copy
Ma vie a viré au bleu 1 copy
Selected Poems 1 copy
Making Magic in the World 1 copy
Touched By An Angel 1 copy
They Came to Stay 1 copy
The Runaway 1 copy
Deep Rivers in my Soul 1 copy
Angelou, Maya Archive 1 copy
En toch heradem ik 1 copy
Maya Angelou Boxed Set 1 copy
As Seen Through These Eyes 1 copy
Malcolm X : Make It Plain 1 copy
Why the Caged Bird Sings 1 copy
Maya Angelou-member choice 1 copy
Associated Works
God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (1927) — Introduction, some editions — 464 copies, 7 reviews
Written by Herself, Volume I: Autobiographies of American Women (1992) — Contributor — 453 copies, 6 reviews
I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America (1989) — Foreword — 432 copies, 3 reviews
Cries of the Spirit: A Celebration of Women's Spirituality (2000) — Contributor — 404 copies, 2 reviews
High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America (2011) — Foreword — 380 copies, 19 reviews
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature {2nd edition} (2003) — Contributor, some editions — 282 copies, 2 reviews
African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song (2020) — Contributor — 235 copies, 4 reviews
The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature (1999) — Contributor — 202 copies, 2 reviews
The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind, and Soul (2017) 196 copies, 5 reviews
Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present (1992) — Contributor — 186 copies
I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (1983) — Contributor — 181 copies, 1 review
Growing Up in the South: An Anthology of Modern Southern Literature (1991) — Contributor — 165 copies, 1 review
The Universe in Verse: 15 Portals to Wonder through Science and Poetry (2024) — Contributor — 162 copies, 8 reviews
Poems to See By: A Comic Artist Interprets Great Poetry (2020) — Contributor — 130 copies, 33 reviews
Writing Women's Lives: An Anthology of Autobiographical Narratives by Twentieth-Century American Women Writers (1994) — Contributor — 128 copies, 3 reviews
Children of the Night: The Best Short Stories by Black Writers, 1967 to the Present (1995) — Contributor — 126 copies
Sacred Stories: A Celebration of the Power of Story to Transform and Heal (1993) — Contributor — 113 copies, 1 review
In Search of Color Everywhere: A Collection of African-American Poetry (1994) — Contributor — 105 copies
Black Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power, and Pleasure of Reading and Writing (2018) — Contributor — 94 copies
You Don't Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves (2021) — Contributor — 86 copies, 2 reviews
Bearing Witness: Selections from African-American Autobiography in the Twentieth Century (1991) — Contributor — 74 copies
She Rises Like the Sun: Invocations of the Goddess by Contemporary American Women Poets (1989) — Contributor — 71 copies
I Wouldn't Thank You for a Valentine: Poems For Young Feminists (1992) — Contributor — 57 copies, 2 reviews
In My Mother's Kitchen: 25 Writers on Love, Cooking, and Family (2006) — Contributor — 35 copies, 2 reviews
A Rock Against the Wind: African-American Poems and Letters of Love and Passion (1996) — Contributor — 24 copies
Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers — Narrator, some editions — 3 copies
Madagascar: The Enchanted Island (Living Edens) [1998 TV episode] — Narrator — 2 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Angelou, Maya
- Legal name
- Johnson, Marguerite Ann
- Other names
- Angelou, Maya
- Birthdate
- 1928-04-04
- Date of death
- 2014-05-28
- Gender
- female
- Education
- George Washington High School, San Francisco
California Labor School, San Francisco - Occupations
- dancer
singer
teacher
actress
activist
Reynolds Professorship of American Studies, Wake Forest University (show all 8)
memoirist
poet - Organizations
- Wake Forest University
- Awards and honors
- Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature (1999)
National Medal of Arts (2000)
Grammy, Best Spoken Word Album (1993 ∙ 1995 ∙ 2002)
NAACP Spingarn Medal (1994)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011)
Coretta Scott King Award (1971) (show all 39)
North Carolina Award in Literature (1987)
Golden Plate Award (1990)
Candace Award (1990)
Langston Hughes Medal (1991)
Horatio Alger Award (1992)
Distinguished Woman of North Carolina Award (1992)
Crystal Award (1992)
Crystal Award (1992)
Inauguration Poet (1993)
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame (1993)
Rollins College Walk of Fame (1994)
Frank G. Wells American Teachers Award (1995)
Homecoming Award (1997)
NAACP Image Award (1998 ∙ 2005 ∙ 2009)
Alston-Jones International Civil & Human Rights Award (1998)
National Women's Hall of Fame (1998)
Christopher Award (1999)
Shelia Award (1999)
EMMA Lifetime Achievement Award (2002)
Charles Evans Hughes Award (2004)
Mother Teresa Award (2006)
Martha Parker Legacy Award (2007)
Voice of Peace Award (2008)
Gracie Award (2008)
Marian Anderson Award (2008)
Lincoln Medal (2008)
ALA Literary Award (2009)
Black Cultural Society Award (2012)
Literarian Award (2013)
Norman Mailer Prize (2013)
Conference of Minority Transportation Officials Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)
Ladies' Home Journal "Woman of the Year in Communication" Award (1976)
Matrix Award (1983) - Relationships
- Johnson, Guy (son)
- Short biography
- Maya Angelou (pronounced /ˈmaɪ.ə ˈændʒəloʊ/;[1] born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928)[2] is an American autobiographer and poet. Having been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton, she is best known for her series of six autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adulthood experiences.[3] The first, best-known, and most highly acclaimed, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), focuses on the first seventeen years of her life, brought her international recognition, and was nominated for a National Book Award.
Angelou has had a long and varied career, holding jobs such as fry cook, dancer, actress, journalist, educator, television producer, and film director. She was a member of the Harlem Writers Guild in the late 1950s. She was active in the Civil Rights movement, and served as Northern Coordinator of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Angelou has been highly honored for her body of work, including being awarded over 30 honorary degrees and the nomination of a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie.[4] Since the 1990s, she has had a busy career on the lecture circuit, making about 80 appearances a year. Since 1991, Angelou has taught at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as recipient of the first lifetime Reynolds Professorship of American Studies. In 1993, she recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration, the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. In 1995, she was recognized for having the longest-running record (two years) on The New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller List.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou was heralded as a new kind of memoirist, one of the first African American women who was able to publicly discuss her personal life. She became recognized and highly respected as a spokesperson for blacks and women - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Places of residence
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Stamps, Arkansas, USA
San Francisco, California, USA
New York, New York, USA
Sonoma, California, USA
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA - Place of death
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- Map Location
- Missouri, USA
Members
Discussions
BioKIT Group Read: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Book Specific - Spoilers Allowed) in 2015 Category Challenge (December 2015)
Maya Angelou's Library in Legacy Libraries (August 2015)
Reviews
The author’s memoir of her childhood has long been revered as a classic, but I approached the book hesitantly. I was worried it would be one long, depressing look at her horrible upbringing. I was so wrong and I ended up enjoying every bit of this beautiful story.
Angelou has an incredible talent for painting poetic scenes of the simplest acts. She writes about everything from the deep connection between siblings to the loneliness that comes from abandonment. She describes the pure joy of show more uncontrollable laughter in the middle of a church sermon and the agonizing feeling of knowing you don’t belong. Each scene comes alive under the skilled pen and her poetic prowess is clear from the first pages.
The book starts with her early years when she and her brother Bailey are shipped to Arkansas to be raised by their Grandma after their parents split up. The family ran a local grocery store, but lived a cautious life. They were African American and the Klan was still in operation in the community.
Angelou was later moved between her mother’s home in St. Louis and her father’s home in California; each time having to adjust to a new environment and try and find some semblance of normality. As a teen she lived in San Francisco, an area that is now proud to claim her as one of its own.
**SPOILERS**
I think one of the main reasons I thought this book would be so dour is because I’d heard bits about the Angelou’s life. When she was only 8-years-old she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Later she lives in a junkyard after fighting with her father’s new wife. She went through some incredibly heartbreaking things, but she never lets them destroy her. She is so strong and she managed to survive everything life threw her way.
**SPOILERS OVER**
BOTTOM LINE: I expected to find a depressing story of persecution and bad luck; instead I found a coming-of-age tale with a powerful message of survival. She absolutely had bad things happen to her along the way, but her enduring strength and optimism and her ability to tell her story without lamenting all she’d been through was truly inspiring.
“Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.”
“He was away in a mystery, locked in the enigma that young Southern Black boys start to unravel, start to try to unravel, from seven years old to death. The humorless puzzle of inequality and hate. His experience raised the question of worth and values, of aggressive inferiority and aggressive arrogance.”
*** Rereading it a decade later makes me appreciate, even more, her gift for capturing the atmosphere in a story. show less
Angelou has an incredible talent for painting poetic scenes of the simplest acts. She writes about everything from the deep connection between siblings to the loneliness that comes from abandonment. She describes the pure joy of show more uncontrollable laughter in the middle of a church sermon and the agonizing feeling of knowing you don’t belong. Each scene comes alive under the skilled pen and her poetic prowess is clear from the first pages.
The book starts with her early years when she and her brother Bailey are shipped to Arkansas to be raised by their Grandma after their parents split up. The family ran a local grocery store, but lived a cautious life. They were African American and the Klan was still in operation in the community.
Angelou was later moved between her mother’s home in St. Louis and her father’s home in California; each time having to adjust to a new environment and try and find some semblance of normality. As a teen she lived in San Francisco, an area that is now proud to claim her as one of its own.
**SPOILERS**
I think one of the main reasons I thought this book would be so dour is because I’d heard bits about the Angelou’s life. When she was only 8-years-old she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Later she lives in a junkyard after fighting with her father’s new wife. She went through some incredibly heartbreaking things, but she never lets them destroy her. She is so strong and she managed to survive everything life threw her way.
**SPOILERS OVER**
BOTTOM LINE: I expected to find a depressing story of persecution and bad luck; instead I found a coming-of-age tale with a powerful message of survival. She absolutely had bad things happen to her along the way, but her enduring strength and optimism and her ability to tell her story without lamenting all she’d been through was truly inspiring.
“Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.”
“He was away in a mystery, locked in the enigma that young Southern Black boys start to unravel, start to try to unravel, from seven years old to death. The humorless puzzle of inequality and hate. His experience raised the question of worth and values, of aggressive inferiority and aggressive arrogance.”
*** Rereading it a decade later makes me appreciate, even more, her gift for capturing the atmosphere in a story. show less
What an unexpected and unique mix of Maya Angelou's and Jean-Michel Basquiat's talents! This book pairs Angelou's poem "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" with Basquiat's abstract expressionist art to create a fascinating statement about the courage within each and every one of us.
I love Angelou's poetry, and this poem is especially influential for young audiences since it teaches them how to be brave. I also appreciate how the poem is written from a child's perspective so that children reading this show more book can have an immediate connection with the text. I am intrigued by Basquiat's artwork, since I wasn't very familiar with his paintings prior to reading this book, and I know my students who love scary stories would be enthralled by his illustrations. That being said, because the pictures could be perceived as scary (or frightening, to fit in with the title) younger children might not enjoy this book as much. I'd probably feel comfortable reading and discussing this book with my 3rd-6th grade students, but K-2nd classes might be a bit tricky depending on how frightened they are by the images. show less
I love Angelou's poetry, and this poem is especially influential for young audiences since it teaches them how to be brave. I also appreciate how the poem is written from a child's perspective so that children reading this show more book can have an immediate connection with the text. I am intrigued by Basquiat's artwork, since I wasn't very familiar with his paintings prior to reading this book, and I know my students who love scary stories would be enthralled by his illustrations. That being said, because the pictures could be perceived as scary (or frightening, to fit in with the title) younger children might not enjoy this book as much. I'd probably feel comfortable reading and discussing this book with my 3rd-6th grade students, but K-2nd classes might be a bit tricky depending on how frightened they are by the images. show less
The second volume of Maya Angelou's autobiography covers a couple of years in her late teens up to the age of nineteen. She was single mother to a baby son and tried out many ways to make a living, including cooking, waitressing, tapdancing, chauffeuring, trying to join the army, and sex work. She moved around several cities, fell in love a couple of times, and observed the impact of heroin addiction on people close to her. While the previous volume dealt with Angelou's childhood, this one show more covers her growing up, including this realisation about her son:
Angelou sets the scene of post-war America elegantly at the start of the book:
Her writing is as lucid and insightful as ever. While I didn't find [b:Gather Together in My Name|130200|Gather Together in My Name|Maya Angelou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171992084l/130200._SX50_.jpg|208700] quite as powerful as [b:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|13214|I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)|Maya Angelou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327957927l/13214._SY75_.jpg|1413589], it continues the story of Angelou's life with great verve and sensitivity. I look forward to reading [b:Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas|130957|Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #3)|Maya Angelou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171995964l/130957._SY75_.jpg|395437]. show less
I had loved him and never considered that he was an entire person. Seperate from my boundaries, I had not known before that he had and would have a life beyond being my son, my pretty baby, my cute doll, my charge. In the plowed farmyard near Bakersfield, I began to understand the uniqueness of the person. He was three and I was nineteen, and never again would I think of him as a beautiful appendage of myself.
Angelou sets the scene of post-war America elegantly at the start of the book:
I thought that if war did not include killing, I'd like to see one every year. Something like a festival.
All the sacrifices had won us victory and now the good times were coming. Obviously, if we earned more than rationing would allow us to spending during wartime, things were really going to look up when restrictions were removed.
There was no need to discuss racial prejudice. Hadn't we all, black and white, just snatched the remaining Jews from the hell of concentration camps? Race prejudice was dead. A mistake made by a young country. Something to be forgiven as an unpleasant act committed by an intoxicated friend.
Her writing is as lucid and insightful as ever. While I didn't find [b:Gather Together in My Name|130200|Gather Together in My Name|Maya Angelou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171992084l/130200._SX50_.jpg|208700] quite as powerful as [b:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|13214|I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)|Maya Angelou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327957927l/13214._SY75_.jpg|1413589], it continues the story of Angelou's life with great verve and sensitivity. I look forward to reading [b:Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas|130957|Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #3)|Maya Angelou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171995964l/130957._SY75_.jpg|395437]. show less
This is my first Maya Angelou book, and I plan on reading/listening to many more! I know she is an iconic woman and I am excited to learn more about her.
This was such a short and sweet introduction to Maya, and definitely gives you a good idea of who she is and what she stands for. I think the entire concept of this book is so heart warming since she had no daughters of her own but met many women that she would consider to be her daughters. I think this book would be good for anyone who is show more seeking motherly words of wisdom.
Some of this was heavy- Maya talks about domestic violence she endured as well as racism she has seen and experienced, and even assumed when it wasn't actually racism.
Maya has a fantastic voice, both literally and figuratively. Her deep husky tone was so nice to listen to, and felt so calming even when talking about harder topics. Her writing style flows nicely, and she has quite the sense of humor! I love how unabashed she is to share her feelings and emotions- it really is such a breath of fresh air, especially from a Black woman who was born in 1928. She was unapologetic in who she was, we could all learn from that!
This little book is full of wisdom and inspiration, and I can already see why Maya Angelou is a beloved writer and icon. show less
This was such a short and sweet introduction to Maya, and definitely gives you a good idea of who she is and what she stands for. I think the entire concept of this book is so heart warming since she had no daughters of her own but met many women that she would consider to be her daughters. I think this book would be good for anyone who is show more seeking motherly words of wisdom.
Some of this was heavy- Maya talks about domestic violence she endured as well as racism she has seen and experienced, and even assumed when it wasn't actually racism.
Maya has a fantastic voice, both literally and figuratively. Her deep husky tone was so nice to listen to, and felt so calming even when talking about harder topics. Her writing style flows nicely, and she has quite the sense of humor! I love how unabashed she is to share her feelings and emotions- it really is such a breath of fresh air, especially from a Black woman who was born in 1928. She was unapologetic in who she was, we could all learn from that!
This little book is full of wisdom and inspiration, and I can already see why Maya Angelou is a beloved writer and icon. show less
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Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 129
- Also by
- 72
- Members
- 40,639
- Popularity
- #433
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 588
- ISBNs
- 561
- Languages
- 15
- Favorited
- 122
