|
African-American History
Maya Angelou
Mar'uerite Johnson was born in St. Louis, MO on April 4, 1928, but later
changed her name to Angelou. It is under this name that she has written
several volumes of poetry as well as five volumes of autobiography, which
tell the very difficult story of her life, starting with I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings, and including Gather Together in My Name.
Angelou lived for several years touring Europe and Africa in the musical
Porgy & Bess (1954-55) before returning to NY and joining the Harlem
Writers Guild. While in New York, Angelou earned her living singing in
a nightclub.
In 1972, Angelou became the first African-American woman to have a screenplay
produced when Georgia Georgia went into production.
Angelou received the lifetime appointment as Reynolds Professor of American
Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, a position she
still holds.
One of the most eventful occurrences for Angelou was being chosen to
read a poem she wrote for President Clinton's Inauguration on January 20,
1993, entitled On the Pulse of Morning.
Mr. Fletcher welcomes your comments
and feedback.
Simply click on the name of the Painted Voice you'd like
to view:
|
