How to Appreciate Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is one of those rare American treasures whose writing is only occasionally anthologized, so her work is very often overlooked by students of literature. However, her short stories, poems and novels are elegant and worthy of study and appreciation.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Get to know a bit about Maya Angelou's incredible history. She grew up in the South--poor, black and mute. Angelou was the victim of racism and sexual abuse, but she rose above her circumstances to achieve a powerful literary voice by writing some of the most beautiful and clear poetry and prose of the 20th century.
2. Value her strength and insight. Angelou was a self-imposed mute during her childhood. This was due to early sexual abuse that left her isolated and afraid to communicate. She overcame this and began communicating as she matured. By her twenties, she had been a Creole cook, a streetcar conductor, a go-go dancer and a cocktail waitress. Her varied experiences give her writing authenticity and insight.
3. Check out "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." This prose work is Angelou's first and perhaps most widely-acclaimed literary contribution. It details the first 16 years of her life growing up in Stamps, Arkansas in a racially-divisive South with few opportunities for blacks. The book is deeply upsetting and profoundly inspiring.
4. Step inside the mind of Maya Angelou in her affecting book "Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me." Using rich and poetic prose, Angelou pays tribute to all the mothers of the world, the often underappreciated and frequently overlooked contributors to all our lives.
5. Appreciate Maya Angelou's original voice and seek out the many works of poetry and prose that she has created. Angelou's use of language is textured and deep, penetrating and real. You will love her "folksy" and, at times, down-home flavor. Her work is not just southern or black. It is broad and human.