Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, one of the great voices of contemporary literature, is a remarkable Renaissance woman. A poet, educator, historian, bestselling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, she has the unique ability to shatter the opaque prisms of race and class.
She was raised in segregated Stamps, Ark., and raised by her grandmother and disabled uncle. She worked hard to support herself and her son, developing a hunger for reading and study that she has conveyed passionately during travels throughout the world.
She has authored numerous best-selling books, including the first volume of her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Angelou's signature trait is her mesmerizing voice, with its unmistakable power, pride and richness. Many remember her recitation of "On the Pulse of Morning," the poem she wrote and delivered during President Bill Clinton's first inaugural.
In 1981, Dr. Angelou was appointed to a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.
In a 2001 interview with AARP's magazine, Angelou said, "I am living as well as I can and being as generous as I can be, and leaving a lot for people. My legacy is encouragement to people to have courage to laugh, to dare, to live."
