Maya Angelou Biography

Maya Angelou Biography

Full Name: Ms. Marguerite Johnson
Date of Birth: April 4, 1928
Place of Birth: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Died: N/A
Place of Death: N/A
Classification: Artists & Entertainers


Spending much time under the care of her religious grandmother in Arkansas, Maya Angelou had a rough childhood where she would return home under her mother’s care in St. Louis. Her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, released in 1970 is an autobiography discussing her upbringing and rape at the age of eight years old by one of her mother’s boyfriends. During this traumatic time, she didn’t speak for nearly five years, hence the title of the work.

In San Francisco, at a young age, she worked as a housekeeper, a prostitute, and a dancer. Her professional name was Maya Angelou, which she used for the rest of her life. In her later twenties, she moved to New York City to audition for different dance roles. In the sponsored Porgy and Bess, she was able to travel in Africa and Europe to perform. Upon returning to New York City, she studied dance further and performed in The Blacks. In New York, she also became active in the Harlem Writer’s Guild, which encouraged her to publish her memoirs.

Maya Angelou then moved to Cairo, Egypt where she got married and worked for the Arab Observer, and then to Ghana where she worked for the African Review. Upon her divorce, she moved back to California and wrote a television series about African Americans in America. Her career in media has lived as long as her literary one. In the 1990s, she worked on and acted in films such as Poetic Justice, How to make an American Quilt, and her own work, Down in the Delta.

Her poetry has received national recognition. These included such works as Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die, And Still I Rise, and I Shall Not Be Moved. She also published some children’s works, including My Painted House and My Friendly Chicken and Me. On the academic scene, Maya Angelou has taught at different universities, which have included the University of California in Los Angeles and Wake Forest University. In 1993, she recited one of her poems at Bill Clinton’s inauguration.