Angelou, Maya

Maya Angelou, poet, was among the first African-American women to hit the bestsellers lists with her I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, held the Great Hall audience spellbound with stories of her own childhood. She ranged from story to poem to song and back again, and her theme was love and the universality of all lives. "The honorary duty of a human being is to love," Angelou said. She spoke of her early love for William Shakespeare's works, and offered her audience excerpts from the poems of several African-Americans, including James Weldon Johnson and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. But always, she came back to love - and humanity. "I am human," Angelou said, quoting from her own work, "and nothing human can be alien to me." Selected Bibliography of Maya Angelou All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes. New York: Random House, 1986.  And Still I Rise New York. New York: Random House, 1978.  Gather Together in My Name. New York: Random House, 1974.  The Heart of a Woman. New York: Random House, 1981.I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House, 1969.  I Shall Not Be Moved. New York: Random House, 1990.  Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie; the Poetry of Maya Angelou. New York: Random House, 1971.  Now Sheba Sings the Song. New York: Dutton/Dial, 1987.  Oh Pray My Wings are Gonna Fit Me Well. New York: Random House, 1975.  Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? New York: Random House, 1983.  Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas. New York: Random House, 1976.  Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now. New York: Random House, 1993.