List of Maya Angelou works

The works of Maya Angelou encompass autobiography, plays, poetic, and television producer. She also had an active directing, acting, and speaking career. She is best known for her books, including her series of seven autobiographies, starting with the critically acclaimed I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).

All my work, my life, everything I do is about survival, not just bare, awful, plodding survival, but survival with grace and faith. While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated.

Maya Angelou[1]

Angelou's autobiographies are distinct in style and narration, and "stretch over time and place",[2] from Arkansas to Africa and back to the US. They take place from the beginnings of World War II to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.[2] Angelou wrote collections of essays, including Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993) and Even the Stars Look Lonesome (1997), which writer Hilton Als called her "wisdom books" and "homilies strung together with autobiographical texts".[3] Angelou used the same editor throughout her writing career, Robert Loomis, an executive editor at Random House, until he retired in 2011.[4] Angelou said regarding Loomis: "We have a relationship that's kind of famous among publishers."[5]

She was one of the most honored writers of her generation, earning an extended list of honors and awards, as well as more than 30 honorary degrees.[6] She was a prolific writer of poetry; her volume Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize,[7] and she was chosen by President Bill Clinton to recite her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" during his inauguration in 1993.[8]

Angelou's successful acting career included roles in numerous plays, films, and television programs, such as in the television mini-series Roots in 1977. Her screenplay Georgia, Georgia (1972) was the first original script by a black woman to be produced.[9][10] and she was the first African-American woman to direct a major motion picture, Down in the Delta, in 1998.[11] Since the 1990s, Angelou participated in the lecture circuit,[8] which she continued into her eighties.[12][13]

Literature

Unless otherwise stated, the items in this list are from Gillespie et al, pp. 186–191.

Autobiographies

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50789-2
• Gather Together in My Name (1974). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-48692-5
• Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45777-0
• The Heart of a Woman (1981). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-8129-8032-5
• All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-73404-8
• A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50747-2
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou (2004). New York: Modern Library. ISBN 978-0-679-64325-8[14][15]
• Mom & Me & Mom (2013). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6611-7

Angelou reciting "On the Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration in 1993

Poetry

• Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-47142-6[16]
• Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45707-7
• And Still I Rise (1978). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-50252-6[9]
• Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? (1983). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-52144-2[17][18]
• Poems (1986). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-553-25576-8
• Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987). New York: Plume Books. ISBN 978-0-452-27143-2
• I Shall Not Be Moved (1990). New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-35458-4
• On the Pulse of Morning (1993). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-74838-0[19]
• The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-42895-4
• Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women (1995). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-43924-0
• A Brave and Startling Truth (1995). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-44904-1[20]
• "From a Black Woman to a Black Man", 1995
• Amazing Peace (2005). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6558-5[18]
• Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me (2006). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6601-8
• "Celebrations, Rituals of Peace and Prayer" (2006). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-307-77792-8
• Poetry for Young People (2007). Berkshire, U.K.: Sterling Books. ISBN 978-1-4027-2023-9
• "We Had Him", 2009[21][22]
• "His Day is Done", 2013[23]

Personal essays

• Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-553-56907-0
• Even the Stars Look Lonesome (1997). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50031-2
• Letter to My Daughter (2008). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6612-4

Cookbooks

• Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes (2004). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6289-8
• Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart (2010). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6844-9≠←

Children's books

• Life Doesn't Frighten Me (1993). New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang. ISBN 978-1-55670-288-4
• My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken and Me (1994). New York: Knopf Books. ISBN 978-0-517-59667-8
• Kofi and His Magic (1996). New York: Knopf Books. ISBN 978-0-517-59667-8
• Maya's World series (2004). New York: Random House:

• Izak of Lapland, ISBN 978-0-375-92833-8
• Angelina of Italy, ISBN 978-0-375-82832-4
• Renée Marie of France ISBN 978-0-375-82834-8
• Mikale of Hawaii ISBN 978-0-375-92835-2

Plays

• Cabaret for Freedom (musical revue), with Godfrey Cambridge, 1960
• The Least of These, 1966
• The Best of These (drama), 1966
• Gettin' up Stayed on My Mind, 1967
• Sophocles, Ajax (adaptation), 1974
• And Still I Rise (writer/director), 1976
• Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (director), 1978[24]

Film and television

• Blacks, Blues, Black! (writer, producer and host – ten one-hour programs, National Education Television), 1968
• Georgia, Georgia (writer for script and musical score), Sweden, 1972
• All Day Long (writer/director), 1974
• PBS documentaries (1975):

• Who Cares About Kids & Kindred Spirits (KERA-TV, Dallas, Texas)
• Maya Angelou: Rainbow in the Clouds (WTVS-TV, Detroit, Michigan)
• To the Contrary (Maryland Public Television)
• Tapestry and Circles

• Assignment America (six one-half hour programs), 1975
• Part One: The Legacy; Part Two: The Inheritors (writer and host), 1976
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (writer for script and musical score), 1979
• Sister, Sister (writer), 20th Century Fox Television, 1982
• Brewster Place (writer), ABC, 1990
• Down in the Delta (director), Miramax Films, 1998
• The Black Candle (poetry, narration), Starz, 2012

Plays and films acted in (partial list)

• Porgy and Bess, 1954–1955
• Calypso, 1957
• The Blacks, 1960
• Mother Courage, 1964
• Look Away, 1973
• Roots, ABC, 1977
• Runaway, Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, 1993
• Poetic Justice, 1993
• Touched by an Angel ("Reunion"), CBS, 1995
• How to Make an American Quilt, Universal Pictures, 1995
• Madea's Family Reunion, Tyler Perry Studios, 2006

Recordings

• Miss Calypso, Scamp Records, 1957
• For the Love of Ivy, ABC Records, 1968
• "And So It Goes" (co-written with Roberta Flack for Flack's album Oasis), 1988[25]
• Been Found (collaborated on 7 tracks with Ashford & Simpson), 1996[25]
• "Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul" (with Wynton Marsalis), 2007[25]

Spoken-word albums

• The Poetry of Maya Angelou, GWP Records, 1969
• Women in Business, 1981
• On the Pulse of Morning, Random House Audio, 1993[26]
• A Song Flung Up to Heaven, Random House Audio, 2002[26]

Radio

• Talk show host, Oprah and Friends, XM Satellite Radio, launched 2006[27]

References

1. McPherson, Dolly A. (1990). Order Out of Chaos: The Autobiographical Works of Maya Angelou. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-0-8204-1139-2.
2. Lupton, Mary Jane (1998). Maya Angelou: A Critical Companion. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-313-30325-8.
3. Als, Hilton (5 August 2002). "Songbird: Maya Angelou takes another look at herself". The New Yorker. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
4. Italie, Hillel (6 May 2011). "Robert Loomis, editor of Styron, Angelou, retires". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
5. Tate, Claudia (1999). "Maya Angelou: An Interview". In Joanne M. Braxton (ed.). Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Casebook. New York: Oxford Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-19-511606-9.
6. Moore, Lucinda (1 April 2003). "A Conversation with Maya Angelou at 75". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
7. Gillespie et al, p. 103
8. Manegold, Catherine S. (20 January 1993). "An Afternoon with Maya Angelou; A Wordsmith at Her Inaugural Anvil". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
9. Brown, Avonie (4 January 1997). "Maya Angelou: The Phenomenal Woman Rises Again". New York Amsterdam News. 88 (1). p. 2.
10. "Maya Angelou: A Brief Biography". African Overseas Union. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
11. Gillespie et al, p. 144
12. Younge, Gary (25 May 2002). "No surrender". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
13. Gillespie et al, p. 9
14. Maya Angelou (2010). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-47772-9. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
15. Maya Angelou (2012). The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou (illustrated ed.). Random House Publishing Group. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-307-43205-6. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
16. Moyer, Homer E. (2003). The R.A.T. Real-World Aptitude Test: Preparing Yourself for Leaving Home. Sterling, Virginia: Capital Books. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-931868-42-6.
17. A poem from this collection, "My Life Has Turned to Blue", was made into the title track of Nancy Wilson's album, Turned to Blue, in 2006.
18. Waldron, Clarence (25 December 2006). "Maya Angelou: On Christmas, Dave Chappelle and What Inspires Her". Jet (110). p. 29. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
19. Angelou, Maya. "On the Pulse of Morning". Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
20. Long, Richard (November 2005). "Maya Angelou". Smithsonian. 36 (8). p. 84.
21. Vena, Jocelyn (7 July 2009). "Maya Angelou's Poem about Michael Jackson: 'We Had Him'". MTV.com. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
22. 2009 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/maya-angelous-elegy-for-m_b_229467
23. Eby, Margaret (12 December 2013). "Maya Angelou pens poem for Nelson Mandela: 'His Day is Done'". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
24. Wolf, Matt (12 March 2014). "The National Theatre's Global Flair". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
25. Letkemann, Jessica (28 May 2014). "Maya Angelou's Life in Music: Ashford & Simpson Collab, Calypso Album & More". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
26. Maughan, Shannon (3 March 2003). "Grammy Gold". Publishers Weekly. 250 (9). p. 38.
27. Waggoner, Martha (13 September 2006). "Maya Angelou to Host Show on XM Radio". Fox News. Retrieved 28 September 2007.

Works cited

• Gillespie, Marcia Ann, Rosa Johnson Butler, and Richard A. Long. (2008). Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-385-51108-7