Maya Angelou
Poetry built for the voice and the room it is spoken in.
Biography
Angelou worked as a dancer, journalist and civil rights coordinator before I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings made her one of the most widely read American writers.
Her poetry was written to be performed. Recordings of her own readings are, in effect, part of the text.
Writing Style
- Refrains that function as chants an audience can join.
- Direct address to an antagonist or a community.
- Blues and spiritual rhythms carried into printed verse.
Influence & Legacy
A direct ancestor of contemporary spoken word and slam poetry, and the reason many readers first encountered poetry as something heard rather than studied.
Famous Poems
Other United States Poets
About This Entry
This is a brief, opinionated introduction to Maya Angelou — not a comprehensive biography. For detailed scholarship, consult the volumes listed in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography or the relevant collections of letters and criticism. The goal here is to give you enough context to read the poems with fresh eyes.