Famed writer Maya Angelou has passed away. She was 86-years-old.
Here’s more from The New York Times: “Throughout her writing, Ms. Angelou explored the concepts of personal identity and resilience through the multifaceted lens of race, sex, family, community and the collective past. As a whole, her work offered a clear-eyed examination of the ways in which the socially marginalizing forces of racism and sexism played out at the level of the individual.”
In addition to writing, Angelou proved to be an accomplished Renaissance woman who worked as an activist, entertainer, streetcar conductor, magazine editor, college professor, and lecturer. To commemorate Angelou’s life in letters, we have put together a literary mix tape. Below we’ve included links to free excerpts of Angelou’s books and poems. (Photo Credit: Dwight Carter)
“On the Pulse of the Morning” (poem)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas