Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Bailey and Vivian (Baxter) Johnson. She studied dance with Pearl Primus in New York City, New York and spent her early career in dance and theater, including teaching modern dance at The Rome Opera House and Hambina Theatre in Tel Aviv. Maya Angelou has recieved numerous honorary degrees including Mills College, 1975 and Lawrence University, 1976. She was the first Reynolds professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in 1981, a lifetime appointment.
Maya Angelou is best known for her autobiographical stories and for her poetry. A prolific poet and writer, some of her works are I know why the Caged Bird Sings, 1970, And Still I Rise, 1978, All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes, 1986. At the request of President Clinton she wrote On the Pulse of Morning: The Inaugural Poem, 1992, and Maya Angelou read the poem at his inauguration on January 20, 1993. An anthology of her poems, The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou was published in 1994.
Maya Angelou has also written for Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, and was poetry writer for the film Poetic Justice, 1993.
Her numerous awards include Ladies Home Journal Top 100 Most Influential Women, 1983, The Matric award, 1983, Woman of the Year, Essence Magazine, 1992, Distinguished Woman of North Carolina, 1992, Horatio Alger award, 1992, Grammy (for recording of "On the Pulse of the Morning"), 1994.
Maya Angelou has one son, Guy Johnson.
Write to Maya Angelou:
c/o: Dave La Camera
Lordly and Dame Inc.
51 Church Street
Boston MA 02116-5417
Click on the two links below for excellent sites with more information about Maya Angelou and her work.
