Earlier today, Maya Angelou died. Recognized as one of the most prominent and influential voices in literature and poetry, Angelou famously wrote and delivered an original reading of a new poem, On The Pulse Of Morning, that she specifically wrote for the presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993, when he first came into office.
Some of her most famous books are I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976), and The Heart of a Woman (1981). She also released numerous books of poetry that received considerable acclaim.
Her works touched upon the difficulties of being a black woman in the United States. She remained an activist all of her life, and Martin Luther King, Jr. appointed her as the Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1959.
Multi-talented, Angelou also had enjoyed considerable success as both as a singer and as an actress, where she was nominated for an Emmy for her role in "Roots".
I was just writing about the ten year anniversary of my having seen one towering presence in American letters deliver a commencement address for the Lehigh Commencement Ceremonies in Kurt Vonnegut, so it is rather ironic that I write this, rather unexpectedly, about the woman that I watched deliver the same address for Lehigh the very next year (see pictures).
Maya Angelous died earlier today, at the age of 86.
Maya Angelou, the nation's wise woman by Jesse J. Hollande of the Associated Press, May 29, 2014:
http://news.yahoo.com/maya-angelou-nations-wise-woman-071608812.html;_ylt=A0LEV2CB.4ZTYhwAdkJXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0a3JmOXR2BHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDA1MV8x
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