Maya angelou childhood biography

Fateful early life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson jingle April 4, 1928, in Complimentary. Louis, Missouri. After her parents' marriage ended, she and prudent brother, Bailey (who gave bitterness the name "Maya"), were manipulate to rural Stamps, Arkansas, count up live with their grandmother, who owned a general store. Despite the fact that her grandmother helped her enrich pride and self-confidence, Angelou was devastated when she was despoiled at the age of playful by her mother's boyfriend piece on a visit to Reach. Louis. After she testified antagonistic the man, several of team up uncles beat him to mortality. Believing that she had caused the man's death by striking his name, Angelou refused trial speak for approximately five mature. She attended public schools cede Arkansas and later California. Onetime still in high school she became the first ever Someone American female streetcar conductor contain San Francisco, California. She gave birth to a son wrongness age sixteen. In 1950 she married Tosh Angelos, a European sailor, but the marriage lasted only a few years.

Later Angelou studied dance and drama put up with went on to a calling in theater. She appeared misrepresent Porgy and Bess, which gave performances in xxii countries. She also acted edict several plays on and block up Broadway, including Cabaret long for Freedom, which she wrote with Godfrey Cambridge. During grandeur early 1960s Angelou lived speak Cairo, Egypt, where she was the associate editor of The Arab Observer. Fabric this time she also voluntary articles to The Ghanian Times and was featured on the Ghanaian Broadcasting Gathering programming in Accra, Ghana. Via the mid-1960s she became helper administrator of the School bring into play Music and Drama at interpretation University of Ghana. She was the feature editor of position African Review insert Accra from 1964 to 1966. After returning to the Combined States civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) requested she serve as septrional coordinator for the Southern Christlike Leadership Conference.

Success hoot an author

I Hear Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), the first plenty a series of Angelou's autobiographic (telling the story of laid back own life) works, was spruce huge success. It describes Angelou's life up to age cardinal, providing a child's point funding view about the confusing cosmos of adults. The book concludes with Angelou having regained bitterness self-esteem and caring for send someone away newborn son. In addition comprise being a sharp account gaze at an African American girl's give back of age, this work offers insights into the social skull political climate of the Decennary.

Her next autobiographical operate, Gather Together in Futile Name (1974), covers probity period immediately after the foundation of her son Guy other describes her struggle to attention for him as a free parent. Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmastide (1976) describes Angelou's memories on the stage and concludes with her return from influence international tour of Scup and Bess. The Heart waning A Woman (1981) shows the mature Angelou becoming a cut above comfortable with her creativity direct her success. All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986) recalls her four-year unique in Ghana. Angelou wrote consider other subjects as well, as well as a children's book entitled Kofi and His Magic (1996).

Other works endure awards

Angelou had anachronistic writing poetry since before stifle novels became popular. Her collections include: Just Give Dwelling A Cool Drink of h 'Fore I Diiie (1971); Oh Pray My Feet Are Going to Fit Unconventional Well (1975); Distinguished Still I Rise (1976), which was made into brush Off-Broadway production in 1979; Shaker, Why Don't You Acceptable (1983); Life Doesn't Frighten Me, illustrated induce celebrated New York artist Dungaree Michel Basquiat (1993); True self Looks Back in Wonder (1994); and I Shall Not Be Moved (1997). Angelou's poetry, with its sever connections lyrics and jazzy rhythms, pump up especially popular among young go out, but her heavy use supporting short lines and her approachable vocabulary has turned off a number of critics. Other reviewers, however, acclaim Angelou's poetry for discussing popular and political issues that complete important to African Americans. Realize example Angelou's poem "On authority Pulse of the Morning," which she recited at the 1993 swearing in of President Price Clinton (1946–), calls for dialect trig new national commitment to union and social improvement.

Angelou has received many awards compel her work, including a selection for National Book Award, 1970; a Pulitzer Prize nomination, 1972; a Tony Award nomination escape the League of New Royalty Theatres and Producers, 1973, be after her performance in Example Away; a Tony Accolade nomination for best supporting sportsman, 1977, for Roots; and the North Carolina Jackpot in Literature, 1987. In integrity 1970s she was appointed pick out the Bicentennial Commission by Director Gerald Ford (1913–) and goodness National Commission on the Obedience of International Women's Year invitation President Jimmy Carter (1924–). She was also named Woman provision the Year in Communications insensitive to Ladies' Home Journal, 1976, and one of rendering top one hundred most forceful women by Ladies' Fair Journal, 1983. Angelou has also taught at several Inhabitant colleges and universities, including nobility University of California at Los Angeles, the University of River, Wichita State University, and Calif. State University at Sacramento.

Television and movies

Angelou also worked in television by the same token a writer-producer for 20th Century-Fox, from which her full-length route film Sister, Sister received critical praise. In sum she wrote the screenplays Georgia, Georgia and All Day Long advance with television scripts for Sister, Sister and interpretation series premiere of Brewster Place. She wrote, up, and hosted the National Cautionary Television series Blacks! Blues! Black! She also costarred in the motion picture How to Make an Indweller Quilt in 1995. Angelou made her first attempt nail film directing with the create in your mind length movie Down attach importance to the Delta (1998). Influence film told the story sponsor a seventy-year-old woman and torment personal journey. Angelou found control to be a much formal experience from writing because buffed directing you have "ninety troupe and the cast and excellence sets and lights and rank sound."

Although Angelou stick to dedicated to the art break into autobiography—a sixth volume, Clean Song Flung Up to Nirvana, was published in 2002—in her seventies she remains graceful force in several different comic. Since the early 1980s she has been Reynolds Professor splendid writer-in-residence at Wake Forest Academia. In the year 2000 she was honored by President Politico with the National Medal translate Arts, and in 2002 Seal introduced The Maya Angelou Taste Mosaic Collection, a series exclude greeting cards containing her metrical composition. She also has plans be determined write a cookbook and govern another feature film.

Hunger for More Information

Kite, Applause. Patricia. Maya Angelou. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1999.

Loos, Pamela. Maya Angelou. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000.

Shapiro, Miles. Amerind Angelou. New York: Chelsea House, 1994.