One of America’s most popular poets, Maya Angelou produced an extraordinary body of work that counters despair with “a glorification of life and sensuality which produced a transcendence over all which could otherwise destroy,” according to critic Priscilla Ramsey.
Embraced by a wide readership, her poetry uses accessible language and a powerful, incantatory rhythm. MacArthur fellow Edwidge Danticat remarked that Angelou “soars beyond art into the realm of survival. We were not mere consumers of Dr. Angelou's work; we were fellow travelers on a brutal, exuberant journey.”
Featuring performances by more than 20 acclaimed poets and vocalists, including Sonia Sanchez, Rutha Mae Harris, Sonya Baker, and New Song a cappella singers, this tribute to the late poet echoes Angelou’s own frequent pairing of two art forms, spoken word and spirituals.
Those fortunate enough to have seen Angelou perform her poetry were impressed with her vocal virtuosity that resonated with the lyricism of the King James Bible, the cadences of black sermons and traditional spirituals, and the influence of literary figures William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson, among others.
