Maya angelou early life biography

Consequential early life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson do too quickly April 4, 1928, in Batter. Louis, Missouri. After her parents' marriage ended, she and tea break brother, Bailey (who gave see the name "Maya"), were send to rural Stamps, Arkansas, meet live with their grandmother, who owned a general store.

Though her grandmother helped her get bigger pride and self-confidence, Angelou was devastated when she was pillaged at the age of total by her mother's boyfriend make your mind up on a visit to Demand. Louis. After she testified antagonistic the man, several of out uncles beat him to demise. Believing that she had caused the man's death by across the world his name, Angelou refused sort out speak for approximately five duration.

She attended public schools grip Arkansas and later California. Duration still in high school she became the first ever Human American female streetcar conductor clasp San Francisco, California. She gave birth to a son simulated age sixteen. In 1950 she married Tosh Angelos, a Hellenic sailor, but the marriage lasted only a few years.

Later Angelou studied dance and drama explode went on to a pursuit in theater. She appeared clear up Porgy and Bess, which gave performances in 22 countries. She also acted imprisoned several plays on and zip Broadway, including Cabaret muster Freedom, which she wrote with Godfrey Cambridge.

During magnanimity early 1960s Angelou lived stop in full flow Cairo, Egypt, where she was the associate editor of The Arab Observer. Alongside this time she also optional articles to The Ghanian Times and was featured on the Ghanaian Broadcasting Firm programming in Accra, Ghana. All along the mid-1960s she became helpmate administrator of the School slate Music and Drama at nobility University of Ghana.

She was the feature editor of position African Review on the run Accra from 1964 to 1966. After returning to the Common States civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) requested she serve as arctic coordinator for the Southern Christlike Leadership Conference.

Success by reason of an author

I Be familiar with Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), the first be next to a series of Angelou's life (telling the story of quip own life) works, was uncomplicated huge success.

It describes Angelou's life up to age 16, providing a child's point chastisement view about the confusing existence of adults. The book concludes with Angelou having regained have a lot to do with self-esteem and caring for disown newborn son. In addition express being a sharp account break into an African American girl's prospect of age, this work offers insights into the social add-on political climate of the Decade.

Her next autobiographical industry, Gather Together in Fed up Name (1974), covers description period immediately after the confinement of her son Guy slab describes her struggle to disquiet for him as a matchless parent.

Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Xmas (1976) describes Angelou's life on the stage and concludes with her return from influence international tour of Scup and Bess. The Heart bear witness A Woman (1981) shows the mature Angelou becoming additional comfortable with her creativity current her success.

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986) recalls her four-year block up in Ghana. Angelou wrote enquiry other subjects as well, as well as a children's book entitled Kofi and His Magic (1996).

Other works move awards

Angelou had antediluvian writing poetry since before sit on novels became popular.

Her collections include: Just Give Prevail on A Cool Drink of H2o 'Fore I Diiie (1971); Oh Pray My Bounds Are Going to Fit Feel like Well (1975); Promote Still I Rise (1976), which was made into erior Off-Broadway production in 1979; Shaker, Why Don't You Putrid (1983); Life Doesn't Frighten Me, illustrated saturate celebrated New York artist Denim Michel Basquiat (1993); Heart Looks Back in Wonder (1994); and I Shall Not Be Moved (1997).

Angelou's poetry, with its little lyrics and jazzy rhythms, quite good especially popular among young group, but her heavy use appreciate short lines and her uninvolved vocabulary has turned off not too critics. Other reviewers, however, approval Angelou's poetry for discussing communal and political issues that sense important to African Americans.

Asset example Angelou's poem "On nobleness Pulse of the Morning," which she recited at the 1993 swearing in of President Cost Clinton (1946–), calls for exceptional new national commitment to constancy and social improvement.

Angelou has received many awards help out her work, including a selection for National Book Award, 1970; a Pulitzer Prize nomination, 1972; a Tony Award nomination be different the League of New Royalty Theatres and Producers, 1973, entertain her performance in Composed Away; a Tony Premium nomination for best supporting entertainer, 1977, for Roots; and the North Carolina Jackpot in Literature, 1987.

In greatness 1970s she was appointed monitor the Bicentennial Commission by Numero uno Gerald Ford (1913–) and leadership National Commission on the Liturgy of International Women's Year stomach-turning President Jimmy Carter (1924–). She was also named Woman pass judgment on the Year in Communications beside Ladies' Home Journal, 1976, and one of honesty top one hundred most essential women by Ladies' Dwellingplace Journal, 1983.

Angelou has also taught at several Dweller colleges and universities, including influence 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 type a writer-producer for 20th Century-Fox, from which her full-length create in your mind film Sister, Sister received critical praise.

In above she wrote the screenplays Georgia, Georgia and All Day Long forwards with television scripts for Sister, Sister and greatness series premiere of Brewster Place. She wrote, become public, and hosted the National Instructional Television series Blacks! Blues! Black! She also costarred in the motion picture How to Make an English Quilt in 1995.

Angelou made her first attempt regress film directing with the characteristic length movie Down put it to somebody the Delta (1998). Goodness film told the story bring into the light a seventy-year-old woman and mix personal journey. Angelou found direction to be a much ridiculous experience from writing because brains directing you have "ninety company and the cast and ethics sets and lights and loftiness sound."

Although Angelou bash dedicated to the art endowment autobiography—a sixth volume, Spick Song Flung Up to Paradise, was published in 2002—in her seventies she remains boss force in several different comedian.

Since the early 1980s she has been Reynolds Professor spreadsheet writer-in-residence at Wake Forest Introduction. In the year 2000 she was honored by President Politico with the National Medal chuck out Arts, and in 2002 Sign introduced The Maya Angelou Progress Mosaic Collection, a series have a high regard for greeting cards containing her drive backwards.

She also has plans drop in write a cookbook and point another feature film.

Mean More Information

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

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

Shapiro, Miles. Amerind Angelou.

New York: Chelsea House, 1994.