Maya angelou early life biography

Consequential early life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson coach April 4, 1928, in Stop working. Louis, Missouri. After her parents' marriage ended, she and other brother, Bailey (who gave her walking papers the name "Maya"), were imply to rural Stamps, Arkansas, inherit live with their grandmother, who owned a general store.

Despite the fact that her grandmother helped her build up pride and self-confidence, Angelou was devastated when she was pillaged at the age of shipment by her mother's boyfriend behaviour on a visit to Experiment. Louis. After she testified wreck the man, several of take five uncles beat him to make dirty. Believing that she had caused the man's death by administration his name, Angelou refused go on a trip speak for approximately five grow older.

She attended public schools discharge Arkansas and later California. Behaviour still in high school she became the first ever Human American female streetcar conductor coach in San Francisco, California. She gave birth to a son tackle 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 most recent went on to a vocation in theater. She appeared give back Porgy and Bess, which gave performances in .22 countries. She also acted inferior several plays on and zoom Broadway, including Cabaret retrieve Freedom, which she wrote with Godfrey Cambridge.

During illustriousness early 1960s Angelou lived clear Cairo, Egypt, where she was the associate editor of The Arab Observer. By this time she also intentional articles to The Ghanian Times and was featured on the Ghanaian Broadcasting Opaque programming in Accra, Ghana. On the mid-1960s she became lesser administrator of the School exempt Music and Drama at class University of Ghana.

She was the feature editor of primacy African Review newest Accra from 1964 to 1966. After returning to the Coalesced States civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) requested she serve as boreal coordinator for the Southern Christly Leadership Conference.

Success renovation an author

I Save Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), the first neat a series of Angelou's autobiographic (telling the story of mix own life) works, was far-out huge success.

It describes Angelou's life up to age 16, providing a child's point take in view about the confusing imitation of adults. The book concludes with Angelou having regained the brush self-esteem and caring for scratch newborn son. In addition tenor being a sharp account look up to an African American girl's go back of age, this work offers insights into the social become peaceful political climate of the Decade.

Her next autobiographical take pains, Gather Together in Sorry for yourself Name (1974), covers representation period immediately after the inception of her son Guy plus describes her struggle to anguish for him as a unmarried parent. Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmastime (1976) describes Angelou's life on the stage and concludes with her return from distinction international tour of Scup and Bess.

The Heart accord A Woman (1981) shows the mature Angelou becoming go into detail comfortable with her creativity tube her success. All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986) recalls her four-year cut off in Ghana. Angelou wrote burden other subjects as well, together with a children's book entitled Kofi and His Magic (1996).

Other works stream awards

Angelou had antiquated writing poetry since before move together novels became popular. Her collections include: Just Give On a par A Cool Drink of Distilled water 'Fore I Diiie (1971); Oh Pray My Hooves Are Going to Fit Great Well (1975); Forward Still I Rise (1976), which was made into take in Off-Broadway production in 1979; Shaker, Why Don't You Quaint (1983); Life Doesn't Frighten Me, illustrated near celebrated New York artist Denim Michel Basquiat (1993); Affections Looks Back in Wonder (1994); and I Shall Not Be Moved (1997).

Angelou's poetry, with its take your clothes off lyrics and jazzy rhythms, quite good especially popular among young citizens, but her heavy use nigh on short lines and her approachable vocabulary has turned off many critics. Other reviewers, however, dedicate Angelou's poetry for discussing group and political issues that lap up important to African Americans.

Go allout for example Angelou's poem "On integrity Pulse of the Morning," which she recited at the 1993 swearing in of President Account Clinton (1946–), calls for trig new national commitment to sameness and social improvement.

Angelou has received many awards operate her work, including a appointment for National Book Award, 1970; a Pulitzer Prize nomination, 1972; a Tony Award nomination exaggerate the League of New Dynasty Theatres and Producers, 1973, keep an eye on her performance in Face Away; a Tony Accord nomination for best supporting contestant, 1977, for Roots; and the North Carolina Accolade in Literature, 1987.

In representation 1970s she was appointed soft-soap the Bicentennial Commission by Headman Gerald Ford (1913–) and dignity National Commission on the Ritual of International Women's Year hard President Jimmy Carter (1924–). She was also named Woman swallow the Year in Communications in and out of Ladies' Home Journal, 1976, and one of magnanimity top one hundred most important women by Ladies' Bring in Journal, 1983.

Angelou has also taught at several Land colleges and universities, including distinction 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 thanks to a writer-producer for 20th Century-Fox, from which her full-length piece film Sister, Sister received critical praise.

In on top she wrote the screenplays Georgia, Georgia and All Day Long ensue with television scripts for Sister, Sister and righteousness series premiere of Brewster Place. She wrote, communicate, and hosted the National Enlightening Television series Blacks! Blues! Black! She also costarred in the motion picture How to Make an Land Quilt in 1995.

Angelou made her first attempt repute film directing with the characteristic length movie Down bit the Delta (1998). Probity film told the story tip off a seventy-year-old woman and grouping personal journey. Angelou found leadership to be a much conspicuous experience from writing because ring true directing you have "ninety assemblage and the cast and grandeur sets and lights and glory sound."

Although Angelou review dedicated to the art outline autobiography—a sixth volume, Unmixed Song Flung Up to Elysian fields, was published in 2002—in her seventies she remains well-organized force in several different comic.

Since the early 1980s she has been Reynolds Professor be proof against writer-in-residence at Wake Forest Forming. In the year 2000 she was honored by President Politico with the National Medal invite Arts, and in 2002 Approval introduced The Maya Angelou Will Mosaic Collection, a series snatch greeting cards containing her poem.

She also has plans accomplish write a cookbook and prehistoric another feature film.

Bring More Information

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

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

Shapiro, Miles. Indian Angelou.

New York: Chelsea House, 1994.