 She followed her same " writing ritual " that she had followed for years and used in writing all of her books and poetry : she rented a hotel room , <unk> herself there from the early morning to the afternoon , and wrote on legal pads . After deciding upon the theme " America " , she wrote down everything she could think of about the country , which she then " pushed and squeezed into a poetic form " . Angelou recited the poem on January 20 , 1993 . 
