Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA) is an African-American poet, memoirist, actress, and civil rights activist. She is best known for her autobiographical writings I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) and All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986). Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die (1971) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. She has published numerous other collections of verse and was an unwed mother. To support her young son, Clyde Bailey "Guy" Johnson, born in San Francisco, she danced in night clubs, conducted cable cars, cooked at a Creole cafe, removed paint at a body shop, and was a madam and prostitute at a San Diego brothel. However, she soon returned home, to Stamps, Arkansas, then Louisville, Kentucky.

See also

• African American literature