Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is an American poet, actress, author, and activist.

Angelou wrote a poem especially for the late Michael Jackson, which was read by Queen Latifah, at his memorial service on July 7, 2009.

Maya Angelou's first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, garnered her a National Book Award nomination. In it, she recounts being sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend, who later dies after spending a day in prison. The incident left Angelou mute for five years.

She eventually spoke again, later performing in Porgy and Bess and other off-Broadway shows in the 1950s. She then worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

In 1971, her first book of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie, was published. The book got a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and Angelou's subsequent writings have earned her numerous awards and honors in her lifetime.

She continues to write and tour as a lecturer.

• 1969 - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
• 1971 - Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie
• 1978 - And I Still Rise

• 1993 - On The Pulse of Morning
• 1995 - Phenomenal Woman
• 2002 - A Song Flung Up to Heaven

• 1960: Cabaret for Freedom

• 1966: The Least of These

• 1970: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

• 1971: Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Die

• 1974: Gather Together in His Name | Ajax

• 1975: "Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well"

• 1976: Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas | And Still I Rise (Play)

• 1978: "And Still I Rise" (Poem)

• 1981: The Heart of a Woman

• 1986: All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes

• 1994: "Phenomenal Women"

• 2002: Song Flung Up to Heaven

• 2005: "Amazing Peace"

• 2006: Mother, a Cradle to Hold Me | Celebrations, Rituals of Peace and Prayer

• 2007: Publishes Poetry for Young People

• 1928: Born, Margarite Johnson in St.Louis, Missouri.

• 1935: Does not speak for five years after sexual trauma.

• 1940: Learns classic literature from Beulah Flowers | Begins to speak again

• 1944: Graduates Mission High School | Gives birth to her son Guy.

• 1949: Marries Tosh Angelos

• 1952: Wins dance scholarship California Labor Schools

• 1952: Marriage to Angelos dissolves

• 1954-1955: Tours Europe as "Ruby" in Porgy and Bess

• 1954-1955: Studies dance with Martha Graham | Dances with Alvin Ailey

• 1957: Appears in Calypso Heat Wave

• 1960: Writes, produces and appears in Cabaret for Freedom

• 1970: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings nominated for National Book Award.

• 1971: Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die nominated for Pulitzer Prize

• 1973: Marries Paul DuFeu

• 1977: Writes Still I Rise - one act musical

• 1980: Marriage to Paul DuFeu dissolves

• 1983: Winner of the Matrix Award

• 1990: "I Shall Not Be Moved" wins Candace Award.

• 1992: Wins Horatio Alger Award

• 1993: Writes and delivers a poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration, "On the Pulse of the Morning".

• 2006: Wins Mother Theresa Award

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