Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents split up when she was very young. She and her older brother, Bailey, were sent to live with their parental grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. While living there, Angelou experienced first-hand racial prejudice and discrimination, and her early life experiences are the focus of her first autobiographical work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which was first published in 1969. The book soon became one of the most widely read and taught books written by an African American woman.
Maya Angelou was a prolific writer. She was not only a poet; she also wrote plays, novels, autobiographies, short stories, and even cookbooks. In addition, she directed and produced movies and television shows, and she also worked as a dancer and actress on stage and in films.
Angelou was active in the civil rights movement in the '60s, and she was involved with the work of both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. She had many honorary doctorate degrees, and she held a professorship in American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
'Still I Rise'
In her famous poem 'Still I Rise', we meet a confident and strong Maya Angelou. She shows how nothing can get her down and how she will rise to any occasion.
You will find the poem 'Still I Rise' if you follow the link below. After you have read the poem a few times, you should also listen to Maya Angelou reciting her poem.
Link to 'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou
Link to Maya Angelou reciting her poem