Author

Books by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist whose seven-volume autobiography remains among the most widely read personal narratives in American literature. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, she worked as a dancer, actress, journalist, and cook before publishing I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969. She served as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University for decades and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" was read at President Clinton's 1993 inauguration.