The highlight of the homecoming was First Lady Michelle Obama’s passionate speech about Maya Angelou’s influence on her life, about how her words were “so powerful that they carried a little girl from the South Side of Chicago all the way to the White House.” She had first met Angelou in 2008 at a rally. “At that point she was in a wheelchair, hooked up to an oxygen tank to help her breathe…. And I was so completely awed and overwhelmed by her presence I could barely concentrate on what she was saying to me.”
Another major memorial service, this one at New York City’s Riverside Church, was held several months later. Like the Wake Forest tribute, it was aired simultaneously on video and is still available on several sites. As the Wake Forest memorial had featured Michelle Obama, so the service in New York City featured Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had been a friend of the poet since the 1993 inauguration of her husband. The Riverside tribute was hosted by the Schomburg Center, by Random House, by Medgar Evers College, and by Angelou’s family. Speakers included authors Toni Morrison and Nikki Giovanni; Maya’s son, Guy Johnson; and statesperson Hillary Clinton. “God surely outdid himself the day he molded Maya Angelou,” Clinton said. “Being in a room with her was like being in the room with the Mona Lisa” (cited by Yolanda Sangweni, http://www.essence.com/2014/09/12/watch-maya-angelous-memorial-riverside-church-live. Web. May 12, 2015).
Immediately following Angelou’s death, a rush of books—most of them eighteen pages long, all of them self-published—were available on the Internet, with titles such as Maya Angelou Biography by Shelton Arena; Still I Rise: The Story of Maya Angelou, by Jeff Bigger; and 291 Maya Angelou Quotes, complied by Jeff Napier. There was also a Maya Angelou Quiz Book and a collection of Inspirational Quotes. This proliferation of short publications about Angelou were, like so many of the blogs written in her honor, timely testimonies from her fans.
Other testimonies included a superb memorial collection of photographs and short articles from the editors of Essence magazine (2014). In November 2014 Smooch Music, Inc., released a posthumous audio CD, Caged Bird Songs, consisting of thirteen of Angelou’s lyrics, musical versions of poems such as “Harlem Hopscotch,” “The Thirteens,” and “Sepia Fashion Show.” The recording ends with “Still I Rise,” which the poet renders as a blues ballad. It is a stunning memorial tape, one that harkens back to the island rhythms of Miss Calypso, the album that Angelou recorded in 1957 when she was twenty-seven years old. In the autobiographies Maya had underplayed her role as Miss Calypso, perhaps because she was embarrassed by the cover of the album, which showed her in a red slit skirt and bare feet dancing over a glaring fire in what approximated a jungle setting (Rev-Ola label 1957, 2003, 2009, 2014).
In February 2014 Angelou was honored by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in the “In Memoriam” segment of the 2014 Academy Awards for her achievements in acting and directing. This honor was followed in 2014 when the College Language Association Journal, an African American publication with a more than seventy-five-year history, produced a special issue celebrating Angelou’s contributions to arts and letters. The issue, guest-edited by Cheryl Wall of Rutgers University, covers a broad range of topics, including Elinor Traylor’s discussion of the wonders of narrative; Robert Evans’s pluralist close reading of Caged Bird; Lorraine Henry’s article on music and healing in Angelou’s narratives; Patricia Lespinasse’s study on jazz influences on Angelou’s work; Terrence Tucker’s investigation of Angelou’s return to the South in her film Down on the Delta; Tosha Sampson-Choma’s essay on Angelou’s cookbooks; and my essay on Angelou’s poetry.
A year after her death, talk show host Tavis Smiley published My Journey with Maya, a memoir that attests to their friendship over the years. The two reportedly met in 1986, when he was twenty-one and Angelou was fifty-eight. Funded by columnist Julianne Malveaux, Tavis traveled to Ghana to help transport Angelou’s luggage. She told him stories about her grandmother, about Guy’s accident, and about how blessings can sometimes emerge from tragedy (2015, 3, 31–32, with David Ritz). Over the years Angelou appeared on Smiley’s talk show on PBS. He is currently working on a play about his African journey, to be coproduced with Tony award-winner Kenny Leon (http://allhiphop.com/2015/04/02/tavis-smiley-is-working-on-a-maya-angelou-play. Web. April 23, 2015).
In the first stanza of her poem “When Great Trees Fall,” published at the end of her memorable volume I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), Angelou presented a romanticized vision of Africa, where lions and elephants sought safety amid the thunder caused by falling trees. How much greater, then, is the sound of falling souls? “When great souls die, / the air around us becomes / light, rare, sterile,” she wrote. Bereft of our loved ones, our minds and senses are diminished. Maya Angelou may perhaps be remembering the great souls of Malcolm X and of Martin Luther King Jr., who perished in 1965 and 1968, respectively. She may be eulogizing her mother, Vivian Baxter, who died one year after this poem was published. I prefer to think, however, that Dr. Maya Angelou was also imagining her own home-going, foreseeing the vast, empty space that she would leave behind.
Bibliography
Works by Maya Angelou
Autobiographies
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random, 1970.
Gather Together in My Name. New York: Random, 1974.
Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas. New York: Random, 1976.
The Heart of a Woman. New York: Random, 1981.
All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes. New York: Random, 1986.
A Song Flung Up to Heaven. New York: Random, 2002.
The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou. New York: The Modern Library, 2004.
Musings
“Why I Moved Back to the South.” Ebony, February 1982: 130–34.
“My Grandson, Home at Last.” Woman’s Day, August 1986: 46–55.
Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now. New York: Random, 1993.
Even the Stars Look Lonesome. New York: Random, 1997.
Letter to my Daughter. New York: Random, 2008.
Mom & Me & Mom. New York: Random, 2013.
Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou. The Estate of Maya Angelou. New York: Random, 2014.
Children’s Books
Mrs. Flowers: A Moment of Friendship. With artist Etienne Delessert. Minneapolis, MN: Redpath, 1986.
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me. With artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. New York: Stewart, 1993.
My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me. Photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1994.
Kofi and His Magic. Photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1996.
Maya’s World: Angelina of Italy. New York: Random, 2004.
Maya’s World: Izak of Lapland. New York: Random, 2004.
Maya’s World: Mikale of Hawaii. New York: Random, 2004.
Maya’s World: Renée Marie of France. New York: Random, 2004.
Poetry
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’Fore I Diiie. New York: Random, 1971.
Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well. New York: Random, 1975.
And Still I Rise. New York: Random, 1978.
Phenomenal Woman. 1978. New York: Random, 1995.
Poems: Maya Angelou. New York: Random, 1986.
Now Sheba Sings the Song. With artist Tom Feelings. New York: Dutton, 1987.
I Shall Not Be Moved. New York: Random, 1990.
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou. New York: Random, 1994.
“A Brave and Startling Truth.” October 16, 1995. New York: Random, 1995, 2015.
Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women. New York: Random, 1995.
“Million Man March Poem.” October 16, 1995. PoemHunter.com. Web. August 12, 2014.
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem. New York: Random, 2005.
Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer. New York: Random, 2006.
Mother: A Cradle
to Hold Me. New York: Random, 2006.
Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou. Ed. Edwin Graves Wilson. New York: Sterling, 2007, 2013.
“In Praise of Hilary Clinton.” In Vanessa Thorpe. The Observer, January 19, 2008. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/20/usa.poetry.
“We Had Him.” http://www.mtv.com/news/1615416/maya-angelous-poem-about-michael-jackson-we-had-him. July 7, 2009. Web. October 6, 2014.
“His Day Is Done: A Tribute Poem for Nelson Mandela,” State Department. December 10, 2013. Web. December 12, 2014.
Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry. New York: Random, 2015.
Audios and Videos: Poetry, Songs, and Memorials
“A Brave and Startling Truth.” In Mark Leon Goldberg. “Maya Angelou’s Ode to the United Nations.” http://www.undispatch.com/maya-angelous/. May 28, 2014. Web. August 11, 2014.
Been Found. Audio CD. With Ashford and Simpson. Ichiban Old Indie: Hopsack & Silk Records, Inc., 1996.
Caged Bird Songs. Audio CD. RoccStar: Smooch Music, Inc., 2014.
“His Day Is Done: A Tribute Poem for Nelson Mandela,” State Department. http://youtube/PqQzjit7b1w. December 10, 2013. Web. December 12, 2014.
“Maya Angelou’s Million Man March Poem.” October 16, 1995. http://www.lgc.apc.org/africanam/hot/maaya.html. Web. December 8, 2014.
Miss Calypso. 1957. Rev-Ola label. Re-released 2003, 2009, 2014.
Sangweni, Yolanda. “Watch Maya Angelou’s Memorial at Riverside Church.” http://www.essence.com/2014/09/12/watch-maya-angelous-memorial-riverside-church-live. May 12, 2015. Web. September 13, 2014.
“On the Pulse of Morning.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59xGmHzxtZ4. December 18, 2012. Web. November 10, 2014.
Angelou. Spiritual sung at the funeral of Coretta Scott King, August 31, 2008. CNN Entertainment. http://youtube.com/watch?v=otGXTryeY6w. Web. October 22, 2014.
Wake Forest University Funeral. http://new.livestream.com/wfu/angelou. Web. November 14, 2014.
“We Had Him.” http://www.mtv.com/news/1615416/maya-angelous-poem-about-michael-jackson-we-had-him. July 7, 2009. Web. October 6, 2014.
Grammy Awards: Best Spoken Word
On the Pulse of Morning, 1994.
Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women, 1995.
A Song Flung Up to Heaven, 2002.
Theater and Film
Screenplays
The Least of These, 1966.
Black, Blues, Black, 1968.
Georgia, Georgia, 1972.
Ajax, 1974.
All Day Long, 1974.
And Still I Rise, 1976.
The Inheritors, 1976.
The Legacy, 1976.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Fielder Cook, dir. Learning Corp. America, 1978.
Sister, Sister, 1982.
The Southern Journey, 1985.
Directing
Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, 1968.
All Day Long, 1974.
Down on the Delta, 1998.
Acting
Porgy and Bess, 1954–1955.
Cabaret for Freedom, with Godfrey Cambridge, 1960.
The Blacks, 1961.
Medea, 1966.
Look Away, 1973.
Humanity through the Arts (narrator), 1977.
Roots, 1977.
Poetic Justice, dir. John Singleton, 1993.
How to Make an American Quilt, dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse, 1995.
Madea’s Family Reunion, dir. Tyler Perry, 2006.
As Seen through These Eyes (narrator), dir. Hilary Helstein, 2008.
The Black Candle (narrator), dir. M. K. Asante, Jr., 2009.
Cook Books
Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes. New York: Random, 2004.
Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart. New York: Random, 2010.
Works About Maya Angelou
Biographical Sources
“Angelou, Maya.” 1994 Current Biography Yearbook. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1994. 25–29.
Bloom, Lynn Z. “Maya Angelou.” Dictionary of Literary Biography. Vol. 38. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1985. 3–12.
Courtney-Clark, Margaret. Maya Angelou: The Poetry of Living. New York: Clarkson Potter Publishers, 1999. (Photographs)
Gettell, Oliver. ‘Maya Angelou dies: A look at the acclaimed poet’s movie career.” http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-m…. May 28, 2014, 1–3. Web. May 29, 2014.
Gillespie, Marcia Ann, Rosa Johnson Butler, and Richard A. Long. Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration. New York: Doubleday, 2008.
Lupton, Mary Jane. “Maya Angelou.” In American Writers, sup. IV, part I, ed. Leonard Unger, 1–19. New York: Scribner’s, 1996.
Lupton, Mary Jane. Maya Angelou: A Critical Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998.
Maya Angelou; Her Phenomenal Life & Poetic Journey. From the Editors of ESSENCE. New York: Essence Books, 2014.
Interviews
Caruana, Stephanie. “Maya Angelou: An Interview.” Elliot 29–37.
Chrisman, Robert. “The Black Scholar Interviews Maya Angelou.” Black Scholar 8.4 (January/February 1977): 44–53.
Crane, Tricia. “Maya Angelou.” Elliot 173–78.
Crockett, Sandra. “Poetic Angelou Can Sing, Cut a Rug.” Baltimore Sun, September 9, 1997, E1, 8.
Davis, Curt. “Maya Angelou: And Still She Rises.” Elliot 68–76.
Elliot, Jeffrey M., ed. Conversations with Maya Angelou. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1989.
Forma, Aminatta. “Kicking Ass.” Elliot 161–64.
Guy, Rosa. “A Conversation between Rosa Guy and Maya Angelou.” Elliot 218–40.
Harris, Russell. “Zelo Interviews Maya Angelou.” Elliot 165–72.
Kay, Jackie. “The Maya Character.” Elliot 194–200.
Kelley, Ken. “Visions: Maya Angelou.” Mother Jones. http://www.mojones.com/motherjones/MJ95/kelley.html.
Lupton, Mary Jane. “Autobiography Maya Angelou.” 2wice 2:1 (1998): 44–52.
Lupton, Mary Jane. “Talking with an Icon: An Interview with Maya Angelou.” June 16, 1997. In Maya Angelou: A Critical Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998, 2016.
Moyers, Bill. “Portraits of Greatness.” PBS Home Video. Pacific Arts, 1982.
Neubauer, Carol E. “An Interview with Maya Angelou.” Massachusetts Review 28 (1987): 286–92.
Plimpton, George. “The Art of Fiction CXIX: Maya Angelou.” Paris Review 32:116 (1990): 145–67. Rpt. “Maya Angelou with George Plimpton.” Contemporary Literary Criticism 77 (1994): 14–21.
Randall-Tsuruta, Dorothy. “An Interview with Maya Angelou.” Elliot 102–8.
Rich, Marney. “In Maya Angelou, A Caged Bird Sings.” Elliot 125–30.
Sarler, Carol. “A Life in the Day of Maya Angelou.” Elliot 214–17.
Toppman, Lawrence. “Maya Angelou: The Serene Spirit of a Survivor.” Elliot 140–45.
Webster, Valerie. “A Journey through Life.” Elliot 179–82.
Archives
Maya Angelou Film and Theater Collection. Z Smith Reynolds Library. Wake Forest University. https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/28134. E-mail attachment from Steven Fullwood, April 17, 2015.
Maya Angelou Papers. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare books Division, The New York Public Library.
Biographies for Young Readers
Agins, Donna Brown. Maya Angelou: A Biography of an Award-Winning Poet and Civil Rights Activist. New York: Enslow Pub. Inc., 2013.
Agins, Donna Brown. Maya Angelou: Diversity Makes a Rich Tapestry. African American Autobiographies. New York: Enslow Pub. Inc., 2006.
Eagen, Jill. Maya Angelou: A Creative and Courageous Voice for Young Readers. New York: Garth Stevens Publishing, 2009.
King, Sarah. Greeting the Morning. Gateway Biographies. Minneapolis, MN: Milbrook Press, 1994.
Kite, Patricia L. Maya Angelou. Trust the Facts Biography. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications,
2006.
Petit, Jayne. Maya Angelou: Journey of the Heart. A Rainbow Biography. New York: Puffin Books, 1998.
Shuker, Nancy. Maya Angelou. Giants of Art and Culture Series. Woodbridge, CT: Blackbirch Press, 2001.
Spain, Valerie. Meet Maya Angelou. A Bullseye Biographies. New York: Random House, 1994.
Critical Views of the Autobiographies
Chick, Nancy. “Maya Angelou: A Twentieth Century Scheherazade.” Master’s thesis, University of Georgia, 1992.
Collier, Eugenia. “Maya Angelou: From ‘Caged Bird’ to ‘All God’s Children.’” In New Directions, a publication of Howard University (October 1986): 22–27.
Daniel, Celia C. “Maya Angelou.” Howard University Library System. http://www.howard.edu/library/reference/guides/angelou/MayaSigEven… February 2005, p. 7. Web. August 8, 2014.
Hagen, Lyman B. Heart of a Woman, Mind of a Writer, and Soul of a Poet: A Critical Analysis of the Writings of Maya Angelou. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1997.
Lupton, Mary Jane. “Singing the Black Mother: Maya Angelou and Autobiographical Continuity.” Black American Literature Forum 24 (1990): 257–76.
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