Dr. Angelou speaks tonight at Carnegie

The list of author Maya Angelou’s lifetime accomplishments is long enough to be a book in… The list of author Maya Angelou’s lifetime accomplishments is long enough to be a book in itself. She has taught modern dance in Tel Aviv. She has served on a commission under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. She has been an editor of a newspaper – in Cairo. She has even spoken here at Pitt, and tonight, Angelou is back for round two.

Angelou, who spoke on campus in 1998, returns tonight to the Carnegie Music Hall. Her program will begin at 8:30 p.m.

Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in St. Louis, but was forced to move between Chicago and Stamps, Ark., upon her parents’ divorce. Unable to fully connect with either of her parents, Angelou bonded closely with her brother and grandmother.

Both supported her dreams of becoming an entertainer, but it was not until Angelou was reunited with her mother in San Francisco that her goals could become a reality.

Awarded with a scholarship while attending a public high school, Angelou transferred to San Francisco’s Labor School, where she studied dance and drama. Like most aspiring actresses, Angelou took up many odd jobs on her road to fame. She worked as a waitress, a cook and a nightclub singer before touring Europe as a cast member of the opera “Porgy and Bess” in 1954.

It was not until 1970, however, that Angelou’s writing career took off. With the success of her first major work, the autobiographical “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Angelou quickly became one of the most influential black writers of all time.

In the decades since her steep ascent to prominence, Angelou has become one of the most sought after lecturers in the country. She has continued to write, the majority of her major works landing on the New York Times Bestsellers list.

Beyond works of prose, Angelou has also released 12 collections of poetry, seen six of her plays produced and appeared in numerous TV and film productions.

Most importantly, Angelou is a socially conscious woman. She was active in Malcolm X’s civil rights movement in the 1960s and has continued to speak out against discrimination of all forms.

Tonight, Angelou will bring her many years of inspiring life experiences to the stage of the Carnegie Music Hall. Tickets are available at the box office in the William Pitt Union.