Essay Database

Tribute to Maya Angelou Renaissance Woman Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. A true Renaissance woman, Ms. Angelou is an author, poet, songwriter, dancer, actor, director, and producer. She has been nominated for a Tony award for her acting, has received a Pulitzer Prize for her poetry, and has won a National Book Award for her noted autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This remarkable artist suffered a …

…African-American novelist, James Baldwin. Included among Maya’s considerable accomplishments is the fact that she was the first Black woman director in Hollywood. Maya remains ever vigilant of and sensitive to the struggles of African-Americans. She has found some peace in what she calls her second home in Ghana, West Africa. Since 1981, she has taught at wake Forest University, where she was appointed to a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies.