Maya Angelou

 Maya Angelou (/’aendZ@loU/(listen) AN–j@-loh) was an American poet writer, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4 1928. Her work includes seven autobiographies, as well as three books of writing. Her writing also contains a range of films, plays and TV shows which span 50 years. She was awarded numerous distinctions and awards, as well as over 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her autobiographies, which focus on her childhood experiences and her early years of adulthood. After a series of odd jobs during her early years, she became a poet. They included sex workers, fry cook, nightclub performer, and Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator. She also was an editor in Egypt as well as Ghana during the decolonization process. She was also an actress and writer as well as director, writer and producer of films, plays and public television shows. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement, and she worked with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. From the 90s onwards her appearances averaged about 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she maintained until her 80s. Angelou read her poem "On The Pulse Of Morning" (1993) at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration.