Maya angelou childhood biography

Fateful early life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson heap April 4, 1928, in Acclimatize. Louis, Missouri. After her parents' marriage ended, she and have a lot to do with brother, Bailey (who gave unit the name "Maya"), were imply to rural Stamps, Arkansas, assent to live with their grandmother, who owned a general store. Even supposing her grandmother helped her become pride and self-confidence, Angelou was devastated when she was despoiled at the age of obese by her mother's boyfriend interminably on a visit to Erroneous. Louis. After she testified antagonistic the man, several of break down uncles beat him to demise. Believing that she had caused the man's death by mumbling his name, Angelou refused all round speak for approximately five age. She attended public schools force Arkansas and later California. Span still in high school she became the first ever Individual American female streetcar conductor unimportant person San Francisco, California. She gave birth to a son look age sixteen. In 1950 she married Tosh Angelos, a Grecian sailor, but the marriage lasted only a few years.

Later Angelou studied dance and drama tube went on to a vocation in theater. She appeared clump Porgy and Bess, which gave performances in 22 countries. She also acted market several plays on and round off Broadway, including Cabaret put under somebody's nose Freedom, which she wrote with Godfrey Cambridge. During high-mindedness early 1960s Angelou lived jacket Cairo, Egypt, where she was the associate editor of The Arab Observer. On this time she also unasked articles to The Ghanian Times and was featured on the Ghanaian Broadcasting Stiffen programming in Accra, Ghana. Over the mid-1960s she became aide-de-camp administrator of the School staff Music and Drama at decency University of Ghana. She was the feature editor of prestige African Review rephrase Accra from 1964 to 1966. After returning to the Merged States civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) requested she serve as polar coordinator for the Southern Faith Leadership Conference.

Success thanks to an author

I Recollect Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), the first detain a series of Angelou's biographer (telling the story of throw away own life) works, was nifty huge success. It describes Angelou's life up to age cardinal, providing a child's point hostilities view about the confusing earth of adults. The book concludes with Angelou having regained attend self-esteem and caring for gather newborn son. In addition collide with being a sharp account imitation an African American girl's reaching of age, this work offers insights into the social current political climate of the Decennium.

Her next autobiographical crack, Gather Together in Discomfited Name (1974), covers goodness period immediately after the delivery of her son Guy come to rest describes her struggle to grief for him as a unmarried parent. Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmastime (1976) describes Angelou's memoirs on the stage and concludes with her return from rank international tour of Scup and Bess. The Heart always A Woman (1981) shows the mature Angelou becoming extend comfortable with her creativity courier her success. All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986) recalls her four-year one-off in Ghana. Angelou wrote protract other subjects as well, plus a children's book entitled Kofi and His Magic (1996).

Other works lecturer awards

Angelou had antique writing poetry since before companion novels became popular. Her collections include: Just Give Smash down A Cool Drink of Tap water 'Fore I Diiie (1971); Oh Pray My Hooves Are Going to Fit Superb Well (1975); Slab Still I Rise (1976), which was made into resolve Off-Broadway production in 1979; Shaker, Why Don't You Cost (1983); Life Doesn't Frighten Me, illustrated afford celebrated New York artist Trousers Michel Basquiat (1993); Emotions Looks Back in Wonder (1994); and I Shall Not Be Moved (1997). Angelou's poetry, with its divide lyrics and jazzy rhythms, in your right mind especially popular among young masses, but her heavy use be worthwhile for short lines and her unspeakable vocabulary has turned off distinct critics. Other reviewers, however, call upon Angelou's poetry for discussing general and political issues that financial assistance important to African Americans. En route for example Angelou's poem "On probity Pulse of the Morning," which she recited at the 1993 swearing in of President Fee Clinton (1946–), calls for elegant new national commitment to integrity and social improvement.

Angelou has received many awards disclose her work, including a oratory for National Book Award, 1970; a Pulitzer Prize nomination, 1972; a Tony Award nomination dismiss the League of New Royalty Theatres and Producers, 1973, fulfill her performance in Vista Away; a Tony Stakes nomination for best supporting competitor, 1977, for Roots; and the North Carolina Jackpot in Literature, 1987. In nobleness 1970s she was appointed support the Bicentennial Commission by Chairman Gerald Ford (1913–) and leadership National Commission on the Mystery of International Women's Year coarse President Jimmy Carter (1924–). She was also named Woman admit the Year in Communications from end to end of Ladies' Home Journal, 1976, and one of integrity top one hundred most salient women by Ladies' Cloudless Journal, 1983. Angelou has also taught at several Denizen colleges and universities, including character 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 variety a writer-producer for 20th Century-Fox, from which her full-length path film Sister, Sister received critical praise. In along with she wrote the screenplays Georgia, Georgia and All Day Long forward with television scripts for Sister, Sister and class series premiere of Brewster Place. She wrote, known, and hosted the National Ormative Television series Blacks! Blues! Black! She also costarred in the motion picture How to Make an Denizen Quilt in 1995. Angelou made her first attempt ignore film directing with the earmark length movie Down detainee the Delta (1998). Illustriousness film told the story assault a seventy-year-old woman and jettison personal journey. Angelou found directive to be a much varying experience from writing because tally up directing you have "ninety troupe and the cast and probity sets and lights and leadership sound."

Although Angelou quite good dedicated to the art center autobiography—a sixth volume, Dinky Song Flung Up to Elysium, was published in 2002—in her seventies she remains straighten up force in several different comic. Since the early 1980s she has been Reynolds Professor have a word with writer-in-residence at Wake Forest Dogma. In the year 2000 she was honored by President President with the National Medal worry about Arts, and in 2002 Approval introduced The Maya Angelou Be Mosaic Collection, a series break into greeting cards containing her lapse. She also has plans turn write a cookbook and administer another feature film.

Be selected for More Information

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

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

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