Marguerite Johnson, known by her stage name Maya Angelou, was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a Tony nomination for her role in the play Look Away. Angelou received over 30 honorary degrees and was celebrated in her lifetime, receiving the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000. She is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences with family members and periods of living in the American South, Midwest, and abroad.

1. Jason Timmons
English 1102-XTIJ-14T3
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Daughter of Bailey and Vivian Baxter Johnson
She was born Marguerite Johnson; she
assumed her professional name while dancing
Married twice: Tosh Angelos (1949-1952) and
Paul Du Feu (1973-1980)
One child: Clyde (Guy), born in 1944
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Poetry
Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie (1971)
Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975)
And Still I Rise (1978) to include Phenomenal Woman
Poems: Maya Angelou (1986)
Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987)
I Shall Not Be Moved (1990)
"On the Pulse of the Morning" (1993)
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994)
"A Brave and Startling Truth" (1995)
Autobiographies
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ( 1970)
Gather Together in My Name (1974)
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976)
The Heart of a Woman (1981)
"Why I Moved Back to the South" (1982)
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986)
"My Grandson, Home at Last" (1986)

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Chubb Fellowship Award – Yale University 1970
National Book Award for “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” 1970
Pulitzer Prize Nomination for “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie” 1972
Tony Award Nomination for performance in “Look Away” 1973
Emmy Award Nomination for “Roots” 1977
The North Carolina Award in Literature 1987
American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award 1990
Essence Woman of the Year 1992
Horatio Alger Award 1992
Woman in Film Award 1992
Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album 1994
Spingarn Award NAACP 1994
President's Award, Collegiate of Language Association for Outstanding Achievements,
Winston-Salem, NC 1996
Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Los Angeles & Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Legacy Association National Award 1996
Humanitarian Contribution Award, Boston, MA 1997
Alston/Jones International Civil & Human Rights Award 1998
Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature 1999
Presidential Medal of Arts 2000

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Our parents only told us when things went wrong. But
Maya always says, “Don‟t bring the negative to the
door.” She projects attention to the positive and helps
us know what to work toward. She reminds us to look
for the beauty in things” (Courtney-Clarke, p. 92).

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“All my work, my life, everything is about
survival. All my work is meant to say, „You
may encounter many defeats, but you must not
be defeated‟ ” (Hagen, p. 163).

8. Courtney-Clarke, Margaret. Maya Angelou: The Poetry of Living. New York: C.
Potter, 1999. Print.
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, 1996. Print
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http://www.maya-angelou.net/awards.html
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