  maya angelou (; born marguerite annie johnson; april 4, 1928 â may 28, 2014) was an american author, poet, dancer, actress and singer. she published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. she received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. the first, i know why the caged bird sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim. she became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, prostitute, nightclub dancer and performer, cast member of the opera porgy and bess, coordinator for the southern christian leadership conference, and journalist in egypt and ghana during the decolonization of africa. she was an actor, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. in 1982, she earned the first lifetime reynolds professorship of american studies at wake forest university in winston-salem, north carolina. she was active in the [[american civil rights movemen
1928_births 2014_deaths 20th-century_American_dramatists_and_playwrights 20th-century_American_poets 20th-century_women_writers Actresses_from_St._Louis,_Missouri African-American_Methodists African-American_actresses African-American_dancers African-American_dramatists_and_playwrights African-American_non-fiction_writers African-American_poets African-American_women_writers American_activists American_female_dancers American_memoirists American_people_of_Mende_descent American_people_of_Sierra_Leonean_descent American_television_actresses American_women_dramatists_and_playwrights American_women_poets Baptists_from_the_United_States Grammy_Award-winning_artists Lecturers Maya_Angelou Modern_dancers People_from_Stamps,_Arkansas Poets_from_Missouri Wake_Forest_University_faculty Women_memoirists Writers_from_Arkansas Writers_from_Missouri