Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is an accomplished poet, an award-winning writer, a journalist, an activist, a performer, a dancer, an actress, a director, and a teacher.

She is also a three-time Grammy Award winner for her autobiographical spoken-word recordings. Born in St. Louis, she was raised in Stamps, Arkansas, before moving to San Francisco. Angelou lives in both Harlem, New York, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In addition to her bestselling autobiographies, beginning with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she is the author of Letter to my Daughter; several poetry collections, including I Shall Not Be Moved and Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?; and a number of books for young readers, including Kofi and His Magic; My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken and Me; and the Maya's World series.