List of Maya Angelou works

The works of Maya Angelou encompass autobiography, poetry, plays, screenplays for television and film, directing, acting, and speaking.^[1] She is best known for her series of six autobiographies, starting with the critically acclaimed I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for a National Book Award.^[2] Angelou did not write Caged Bird with the intention of writing a series of autobiographies, but critics have "judged the subsequent autobiographies in light of the first".^[3]

Angelou is also 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,^[4] and she was chosen by President Bill Clinton to recite her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" during his inauguration in 1993, the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.^[5] In 2007, she became the first African-American woman and living poet to be featured in the Poetry for Young People series of books from Sterling Publishing.^[6]

Angelou has had a successful career as a playwright and actress. In 1977, she appeared in a supporting role in the television mini-series Roots. Her screenplay, Georgia, Georgia (1972), was the first original script by a black woman to be produced.^[7] She is one of the most honored writers of her generation, earning an extended list of honors and awards, as well as over thirty honorary degrees.^[2] Since the 1990s, Angelou has been a busy participant in the lecture circuit. In 1993, she made approximately eighty speaking appearances a year.^[5]

Literature

Autobiographies

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969.
• Gather Together in My Name, 1974.
• Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas, 1976.
• The Heart of a Woman, 1981.
• All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, 1986.
• A Song Flung Up to Heaven, 2002.
• The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou, 2004.

Poetry

Maya Angelou, reciting her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning", at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993

• Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie, 1971.^[4]
• Oh Pray My Wings are Gonna Fit Me Well, 1975.
• And Still I Rise, 1978.^[8]
• Shaker, Why Don't You Sing, 1983.^[9][10]
• Now Sheba Sings the Song, 1987.
• I Shall Not Be Moved, 1990.
• "Life doesn't frighten me", 1991
• "On the Pulse of Morning", 1993.^[11]
• The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou, 1994.
• Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems for Women, 1995.
• "A Brave and Startling Truth", 1995.^[12]
• "From a Black Woman to a Black Man", 1995.
• "Amazing Peace", 2005.^[10]
• "Mother, a Cradle to Hold Me", 2006.
• "Celebrations, Rituals of Peace and Prayer", 2006
• Poetry for Young People, 2007.
• "We Had Him", 2009.^[13]

Essays

• Lessons in Living, 1993.
• Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, 1993.
• Even the Stars Look Lonesome, 1997.
• Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, 2004.
• Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me, 2006.
• Letter to My Daughter, 2008

Children's books

• Mrs. Flowers: A Moment of Friendship (selection from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), illustrated by Etienne Delessert, 1986.
• Life Doesn't Frighten Me (poem), edited by Sara Jane Boyers, illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1993.
• Soul Looks Back in Wonder (with others), illustrated by Tom Feelings, 1993.
• My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken and Me, photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke, 1994.
• Kofi and His Magic, photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke, 1996.
• Maya's World series, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell, 2004.

Plays

• Cabaret for Freedom (musical revue), with Godfrey Cambridge, produced at Village Gate Theatre, New York, 1960.
• The Least of These (two-act drama), produced in Los Angeles, 1966.
• The Best of These (drama), 1966.
• The Clawing Within (two-act drama), 1966.
• Gettin' up Stayed on My Mind, 1967
• Adjoa Amissah (two-act musical), 1967
• Sophocles, Ajax (two-act drama), produced at Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1974.
• And Still I Rise (one-act musical), produced in Oakland, Calif., 1976.
• Theatrical Vignette (one-act play), 1983.
• King, (lyrics, with Alistair Beaton) book by Lonne Elder III, music by Richard Blackford, produced in London, 1990.

Screenplays

Films

• Georgia, Georgia, 1972.
• All Day Log, 1974.
• Poetic Justice (author of poems), 1993.
• The Black Candle (author of poems), 2008.

Television

• Black, Blues, Black (series of ten one-hour PBS programs), 1968.
• Assignment America (series of six one-half-hour PBS programs), 1975.
• The Legacy, 1976.
• The Inheritors, 1976.
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1979.
• Trying to Make It Home, 1988
• Maya Angelou's America: A Journey of the Heart (also host), 1988.
• Brewster Place, 1990-1991.
• Angelou on Burns, 1996.

Directing

• All Day Long, 1974.
• Down in the Delta, 1998.^[14]
• And Still I Rise, 1976
• Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, 1988.

Acting

Films and plays

• Porgy and Bess, 1954-1955.
• Calypso Heat Wave, 1957.
• The Blacks, 1960.
• Cabaret for Freedom (also produced), 1960.
• Mother Courage, 1964.
• Medea in Hollywood, 1966.
• Look Away, 1973.
• Poetic Justice, 1993.
• There Are No Children Here, 1993.
• How to Make an American Quilt, 1995.
• The Journey of the August King (narrator), 1995
• Elmo Saves Christmas (narrator), 1996
• The Amen Corner, 1999.
• Madea's Family Reunion, 2006.
• The Black Candle (narrator), 2008.

Television appearances

• Tapestry, 1975 (play).
• Circles, 1975 (play).
• Roots, 1977.
• Sister, Sister, 1982.
• Touched By An Angel, 1995.
• Moesha, 1999.
• Sesame Street, 1999.^[15]
• Down in the Delta, 1999.
• Runaway, 2000
• That's So Raven, 2006
• Iconoclasts (with Dave Chappelle), 2006^[10]
• Oprah's OWN; Master Series, 2011

Radio

• Talk Host, Oprah and Friends, XM Satellite Radio, launched 2006.^[16]

Recordings

Scores

• Miss Calypso, 1957.
• For the Love of Ivy, 1968.
• Georgia, Georgia, 1972.
• All Day Long, 1974.

Spoken word albums

• The Poetry of Maya Angelou, 1969.
• An Evening with Maya Angelou, 1975.
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (with filmstrip and teacher's guide), 1978.
• Women in Business, 1981.
• Making Magic in the World, 1988.
• On the Pulse of Morning, 1993.^[17]
• Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, 1993.
• Phenomenal Woman, 1995.^[17]
• Been Found, 1996 (feat. Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson).^[8]
• A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002)^[17]
• Celebrations, 2007.

References

1. ^ Unless otherwise stated, the items in this list are from Angelou's webpage, Bioraphical Information, and/or from the bibliography listed at the Poetry Foundation, accessed 2007-10-25.
2. ^ ^{a b} Moore, Lucinda (2003-04-01). "A Conversation with Maya Angelou at 75". Smithsonian. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/angelou.html?page=1. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
3. ^ "Maya Angelou". Poetry Foundation. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=180. Retrieved 2007-10-25. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Moyer, Homer E. (2003). The R.A.T. Real-World Aptitude Test: Preparing Yourself for Leaving Home. Sterling, Virginia: Capital Books. pp. 297. ISBN 1-931868-42-5. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Manegold, Catherine S. (1993-01-20). "An Afternoon with Maya Angelou; A Wordsmith at Her Inaugural Anvil". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5D81E30F933A15752C0A965958260&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FA%2FAngelou%2C%20Maya. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
6. ^ "Maya Angelou Still Rises". CBS News. 2007-10-22. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/22/earlyshow/leisure/books/main3391490.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;1. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
7. ^ "Maya Angelou: A Brief Biography". African Overseas Union. http://www.houstonprogressive.org/africanoverseasunion/mayaangelou.html. Retrieved 2007-10-07. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Brown, Avonie (1997-01-04). "Maya Angelou: The Phenomenal Woman Rises Again". New York Amsterdam News 88 (1): p. 2. 
9. ^ 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.
10. ^ ^{a b c} Waldron, Clarence (2006-12-25). "Maya Angelou: On Christmas, Dave Chappelle and What Inspires Her". Jet (110): p. 29. http://books.google.com/books?id=qzsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=%22Maya+Angelou%22+%22My+Life+has+turned+to+blue%22&source=bl&ots=hFHb4d4gyV&sig=mSc3nEOPaDJC8gYqPksZmZExYXM&hl=en&ei=cBSKTqrdJ4GqsQKa1eWbDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFQQ6AEwCDge#v=onepage&q=%22Maya%20Angelou%22%20%22My%20Life%20has%20turned%20to%20blue%22&f=false. Retrieved 2011-10-04. 
11. ^ Angelou, Maya. "On the Pulse of Morning". Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=AngPuls.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1. Retrieved 2007-05-28. 
12. ^ Long, Richard (November 2005). "Maya Angelou". Smithsonian 36 (8): p. 84. 
13. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2009-07-07). "Maya Angelou's Poem about Michael Jackson: 'We Had Him'". MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1615416/20090707/jackson_michael.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-07-11. 
14. ^ Kennedy, Dana (1998-11-15). "Holiday Films; A Poet, at 70, Ventures into the Unknown". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902E0D71E3EF936A25752C1A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1. Retrieved 2007-10-12. 
15. ^ "Maya Angelou". Muppet Wiki. http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Maya_Angelou. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
16. ^ Waggoner, Martha (2006-09-13). "Maya Angelou to Host Show on XM Radio". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Sep13/0,4670,PeopleAngelou,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
17. ^ ^{a b c} Maughan, Shannon (2003-03-03). "Grammy Gold". Publishers Weekly 250 (9): p. 38.