Poetry Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou’s unforgettable collection of poetry lends its name to the documentary film about her life, And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS’s American Masters. “It is true poetry she is writing,” M. F.K . Fisher has observed, “not just rhythm, the beat, rhymes. I find it very moving and at times beautiful. It has an innate purity about it, unquenchable dignity.... It is astounding, flabbergasting, to recognize it, in all the words I read every day and night...it gives me heart, to hear so clearly the caged bird singing and to understand her notes.”

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age - and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. But years later, she learns about love for herself and the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors.

This poetry companion puts favorite poetry and poets from around the world at your fingertips, enabling you to revisit the classics, encounter unfamiliar masterworks and rediscover old favorites.

Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.

Grace, dignity, and eloquence have long been hallmarks of Maya Angelou's poetry. Her measured verses have stirred our souls, energized our minds, and healed our hearts. Whether offering hope in the darkest of nights or expressing sincere joy at the extraordinariness of the everyday, Maya Angelou has served as our common voice.

Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration offers an unusual and irresistible look at her life and her myriad interests and accomplishments. Created by the people who know her best - her longtime friends Marcia Ann Gillespie and Richard A. Long, and her niece, Rosa Johnson Butler - it captures Angelou at home, at work, and in the public eye.

Mattie Stepanek is wise about love. Love for his family, friends, country, and faith imbues these poems with a heartfelt nature that is rare and inspiring. Of course, Mattie also knows about sadness and loss. He struggles with a rare form of muscular dystrophy that claimed the lives of his three siblings. But despite living a life that many would never choose, Mattie is a joyful kid who never lacks for someone and something to love.

We all wear the mask by: author Reneé Drummond-Brown, expose the façade we carry within us each and every-day. This poetry book reveals the true meaning of man’s nature demonstrated so eloquently by none other than the late Paul Laurence Dunbar, in his poem We Wear the Mask, “That grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes.” Furthermore, the book illustrates the social life of various masks worn daily, whether it is racism, actor, victim, sadity, uppity, mask-men, Klansman, cops and/or robbers. One thing for sure, and two for certain, We All Wear the Mask, cast light ...