Her grandmother Annie Henderson was one of the most important, a pious woman who ran a general store in Stamps, Arkansas. Angelou lived most of her childhood with her grandmother, whom she called “Momma.” Angelou’s sometimes-absentee mother, Vivian Baxter, had a steel will and several careers of her own.

What are two important works by Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou: six key works

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
• And Still I Rise (1978)
• The Heart of a Woman (1981)
• On the Pulse of Morning (1993)
• A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002)

What influenced Maya Angelou to write poems?

Angelou became inspired to write when she joined the Harlem Writers Guild in the late 1950s and met James Baldwin and other important writers. During that time, Angelou had the opportunity to hear Martin Luther King’s message.

What influenced Maya Angelou’s poems?

Angelou drew upon blues, gospel and spiritual songs as inspiration for the balladic patterns of the poem. She uses a “call and response” technique, references her sexuality and perhaps because she appreciated African American oral traditions, the power of the poem becomes even more evident when recited.

Who was Maya Angelou friends with?

She met her lifelong friend Rosa Guy and renewed her friendship with James Baldwin, whom she had met in Paris in the 1950s and called “my brother”, during this time. Her friend Jerry Purcell provided Angelou with a stipend to support her writing.

How did Maya Angelou meet Martin Luther King?

In 1960 Maya Angelou, a single mother and struggling actress, accepted the position of northern coordinator for the New York office of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). It was in this capacity that Angelou first met Martin Luther King.

Why was James Baldwin so famous?

What is James Baldwin known for? James Baldwin wrote eloquently, thoughtfully, and passionately on the subject of race in America in novels, essays, and plays. He is perhaps best known for his books of essays, in particular Notes of a Native Son (1955), Nobody Knows My Name (1961), and The Fire Next Time (1963).

What inspired Maya Angelou to become an activist?

Inspired after hearing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speak at a church in Harlem, Angelou and actors Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge and Hugh Hurd organized a historic fund-raising revue for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a “Cabaret for Freedom” at the Village Gate jazz club.

Who did Maya Angelou mentor?

Oprah Winfrey

Mentorship Mondays: Maya Angelou Mentored Oprah Winfrey. Every Monday, we like to profile a mentor and mentee relationship between two highly successful and influential people.

How did Maya Angelou influence the world?

She took on so many roles: she was a writer, poet, filmmaker, actor, dancer, civil rights activist, and much more. Writer: She is perhaps most famous for her best-selling, award-winning autobiographical book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, about her upbringing in the South.

How did Maya Angelou influence history?

She was the first female inaugural poet in U.S. presidential history. In 1993 Angelou recited her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning,” for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. She became the first African American poet and first female poet to participate in a recitation for a U.S. president’s inauguration.

How did Maya Angelou help Martin Luther King?

After hearing Martin Luther King speak at a church in Harlem in early 1960, Angelou resolved to help King’s civil rights organisation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), raise funds by staging a revue.

How did Maya Angelou pronounce her name?

Quote from video: But she pronounced it herself.