Poems »

Maya Angelou is an American author and poet. She has published seven autobiographies, five books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years. She has received dozens of awards and over thirty honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, tells of her life up to the age of seventeen, and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Angelou's list of occupations includes pimp, prostitute, night-club dancer and performer, castmember of the opera Porgy and Bess, coordinator for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, author, journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the days of decolonization, and actor, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. Since 1982, she has taught at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she holds the first lifetime Reynolds Professorship of American Studies. She was active in the Civil Rights movement, and worked with both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Since the 1990s she has made around eighty appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration, the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.

14 fans

List of poems by Maya Angelou 4 total

Sort:PopularA - ZChronologically
Life doesn't frighten me
 714 Views
added by naheed.virk
2 years ago
Rate it
Alone
 330 Views
added by naheed.virk
2 years ago
Rate it
"Women work"
 421 Views
added by anonymous
2 years ago
Rate it
Still I Rise
 878 Views
added by anonymous
4 years ago
Rate it

Share your thoughts on Maya Angelou's poems with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poet to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Maya Angelou" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poet/Maya+Angelou>.

    Missing a poem of Maya Angelou?

    Know another great poem from Maya Angelou? Don't keep it to yourself!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    21
    hours
    55
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    By which poet was "The Raven" written?
    A Edgar Allan Poe
    B Thomas Hardy
    C Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    D William Shakespeare