Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (/ˈmaɪ.ə ˈændʒəloʊ/; born Marguerite Ann Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American author, poet, activist, and comedienne. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than 50 years. She received dozens of awards and over 30 honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou was best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focused on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first titled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

Angelou became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, prostitute, night-club dancer and performer, cast member of Porgy and Bess, coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the days of decolonization. She was an actress, director, producer, and writer of films, public television programs, and plays. Since 1982, Angelou taught at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she held the first lifetime Reynolds Professorship of American Studies. She was active in the Civil Rights movement and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Since the 1990s, Angelou made around 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her 80s. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's inauguration, the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.

With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson of black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of black culture. Although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries, her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide. Angelou's major works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics have characterized them as autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes such as racism, identity, family, and travel. Angelou was best known for her autobiographies, but was also an established poet (although her poems have received mixed reviews).