Table Of ContentLucent Books’ contemporary biography series
profiles the lives and careers of some of today’s
most prominent newsmakers. Whether covering
contributions and achievements or notorious
deeds, books in this series examine why these well-
known people garner public attention. Through
quotations from the individuals profiled as well as
from friends, supporters, and critics, readers learn
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how these men and women view themselves as
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well as how others regard them. Offering insight y
into the lives of people who have made an impact a
in the modern era, People in the News volumes A
are sure to be of interest to students researching n
current topics and popular culture. g
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9781420500929_PITN-MAYA ANGELOU.indd 1 5/5/09 11:05:13 AM
by Gail B. Stewart
©2009Gale,CengageLearning
ALLRIGHTSRESERVED.Nopartofthisworkcoveredbythecopyrightherein
maybereproduced,transmitted,stored,orusedinanyformorbyanymeans
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writtenpermissionofthepublisher.
Everyefforthasbeenmadetotracetheownersofcopyrightedmaterial.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Stewart,GailB.(GailBarbara),1949–
MayaAngelou/byGailB.Stewart.
p.cm.—(Peopleinthenews)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-4205-0092-9
1. Angelou,Maya—Juvenileliterature.2. Authors,American—20th
century—Biography—Juvenileliterature.3. AfricanAmericanwomen
civilrightsworkers—UnitedStates—Biography—Juvenileliterature.4.
AfricanAmericanauthors—Biography—Juvenileliterature. I.Title.
PS3551.N464Z922009
818'.5409—dc22
[B]
2008048912
LucentBooks
27500DrakeRd.
FarmingtonHills,MI48331
ISBN-13:978-1-4205-0092-9
ISBN-10:1-4205-0092-9
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
12345671312111009
Conte nts
Foreword 4
Introduction 6
A Terrifying Honor
Chapter 1 11
A Childhood in Stamps
Chapter 2 26
Turning Points
Chapter 3 40
Out on Her Own
Chapter 4 53
Taking Wing
Chapter 5 70
The Do-It-All Woman
Notes 89
Important Dates 93
For More Information 96
Index 98
Picture Credits 103
About the Author 104
Foreword
Fameandcelebrityarealluring.Peoplearedrawntothosewho
walkinfame’sspotlight,whethertheyareknownforgreatac-
complishments or for notorious deeds. The lives of the famous
pique publicinterest and attract attention,perhapsbecausetheir
experiencesseeminsomewayssodifferentfrom,yetinotherways
sosimilarto,ourown.
Newspapers, magazines, and television regularly capitalize
on this fascination with celebrity by running profiles of famous
people. For example, television programs such as Entertainment
Tonight devote all of their programming to stories about enter-
tainment and entertainers. Magazines such as People fill their
pages with stories of the private lives of famous people. Even
newspapers, newsmagazines, and television news frequently
delve into the lives of well-known personalities. Despite the
number of articles and programs, few provide more than a su-
perficial glimpse at their subjects.
Lucent’s People in the News series offers young readers a
deeper look into the lives of today’s newsmakers, the influences
that have shaped them, and the impact they have had in their
fields of endeavor and on other people’s lives. The subjects of
the series hail from many disciplines and walks of life. They in-
clude authors, musicians, athletes, political leaders, entertain-
ers, entrepreneurs, and others who have made a mark on
modern life and who, in many cases, will continue to do so for
years to come.
These biographies are more than factual chronicles. Each
book emphasizes the contributions, accomplishments, or deeds
thathavebroughtfameornotorietytotheindividualandshows
how that person has influenced modern life. Authors portray
their subjects in a realistic, unsentimental light. For example,
BillGates—thecofounderandchiefexecutiveofficerofthesoft-
ware giant Microsoft—has been instrumental in making per-
sonal computers the most vital tool of the modern age. Few
disputehisbusinesssavvy,hisperseverance,orhistechnicalex-
4
pertise, yet critics say he is ruthless in his dealings with com-
petitors and driven more by his desire to maintain Microsoft’s
dominance in the computer industry than by an interest in fur-
thering technology.
In these books, young readers will encounter inspiring sto-
ries about real people who achieved success despite enormous
obstacles. Oprah Winfrey—the most powerful, most watched,
and wealthiest woman on television today—spent the first six
yearsofherlifeinthecareofhergrandparentswhileherunwed
mother sought work and a better life elsewhere. Her adoles-
cence was colored by promiscuity, pregnancy at age fourteen,
rape, and sexual abuse.
Each author documents and supports his or her work with
anarrayofprimaryandsecondarysourcequotationstakenfrom
diaries, letters, speeches, and interviews. All quotes are foot-
noted to show readers exactly how and where biographers de-
rivetheirinformationandprovideguidanceforfurtherresearch.
The quotations enliven the text by giving readers eyewitness
views of the life and accomplishments of each person covered
in the People in the News series.
In addition, each book in the series includes photographs,
annotated bibliographies, timelines, and comprehensive in-
dexes. For both the casual reader and the student researcher,
the People in the News series offers insight into the lives of
today’s newsmakers—people who shape the way we live, work,
and play in the modern age.
Foreword 5
Introduction
A Terrifying Honor
Just days after Bill Clinton was elected president of the United
States in 1992, Maya Angelou received an unusual request.
Clinton was an admirer of her writing—especially her poetry.
He wanted to know if she would be willing to write a poem for
his inauguration in January and read it at the ceremony.
“I Was Flabbergasted”
The reading of a poem at a presidential inauguration was some-
whatunusualintheUnitedStates.Infact,notsinceRobertFrost
read a special poem at John F. Kennedy’s swearing-in ceremony
in1961hadapoetbeeninvitedtoparticipateataninauguration.
Itwasanhonor,ofcourse—especiallyforAngelou.Neverhad
awomanoranAfricanAmericanpoetbeeninvitedtoreadatan
inauguration—andMayaAngeloufitintobothofthosecategories.
Weeks later, Angelou recalled her reaction to being chosen to
write an inaugural poem:
Ithoughtofmygrandmother...andmygrandfather...and
mygreat-grandmotherwhohadbeenbornaslaveinArkansas.
I thought, how would those ancestors revel in such news?
Theirprogeny[descendant]hadbeenaskedtoparticipateat
thehighestlevel...inthehighestplaceinourcountry....I
wasbowledover!Iwasflabbergasted!Iwasdelighted.1
6
Getting to Work
Angelou knew she did not have time to spare. The inauguration
wasweeksaway,andsheneededtogetbusy.Sheapproachedthis
project as she did all her writing projects. Instead of working in
her spacious redbrick North Carolina home, she checked into a
nearby hotel. She had learned long ago how difficult it could be
to work at home—there were too many things she loved there,
too many things that could distract her from writing.
President Bill Clinton asked Angelou to write a poem and
read it during his 1993 inauguration. Angelou was
“flabbergasted” and “delighted.”
ATerrifyingHonor 7
8 MayaAngelou
Shetookafewthingswithhertothehotel—
aBible,ayellownotepad,andadeckofcards.
Shehadfoundovertheyearsthatplayingsoli-
tairegaveherhandssomethingtodowhileshe
was thinking. When she needed a break, she
wouldwalkoutside.Butthereweredistractions
there, too. It seemed that everyone knew she
was working on the inaugural poem.
“People stop me on the street and in hotel
lobbies and say, ‘Please say something,’” An-
geloutoldonereporter.“Whitesask,‘Willyou
please say something to stop the hate?’ Black
people say, ‘Tell our story.’”2
Astheinaugurationdatedrewcloser,shebe-
ganfeelingafraid.Itwasalreadysuchagreatre-
sponsibility. But it seemed to be growing. She
needed to write a poem that spoke not only to
individual Americans, but also to Americans as
apeople.Andithadtobeapoemthatcouldres-
onatewithallofherlisteners.“I’mterrified,ter-
rified,”3sheadmitted,justdaysbeforethepoem
hadtobefinished.
Finding Her Voice
ToanyonewhoknewMayaAngelou,orwhohad
read her books, such fear seemed uncharacter-
istic. She had written twelve books, including
sixvolumesofpoetry.Shehadtraveledallover
theworldandhadworkedasasinger,adancer,
andateacher.Shehadfoughtforcivilrightswith
MartinLutherKingJr.andMalcolmX.
Angelou was a person who had faced great
challengesinherpersonallife,too.Shesurvived
Angelou recites her poem “On the Pulse of
the Morning” during the 1993 inauguration
of President Bill Clinton.
ATerrifyingHonor 9
