Title: Poetry of Maya Angelou - Wikipedia
Headings: Poetry of Maya Angelou
Poetry of Maya Angelou
Contents
Background
Poetry
Collections
Single publications
Themes
General themes
Racism/liberation
Struggle
Critical reception and response
References
Explanatory notes
Citations
Works cited

Content: Tied with Angelou's theme of racism is her treatment of the struggle and hardships experienced by her race. Many critics consider Angelou's autobiographies more important than her poetry. Although her books have been best-sellers, her poetry has been studied less. Angelou's lack of critical acclaim has been attributed to her popular success and to critics' preferences for poetry as a written form rather than a spoken, performed one. Contents
1 Background
2 Poetry
2.1 Collections
2.2 Single publications
3 Themes
3.1 General themes
3.2 Racism/liberation
3.3 Struggle
4 Critical reception and response
5 References
5.1 Explanatory notes
5.2 Citations
5.3 Works cited
Background
Maya Angelou studied and began writing poetry at a young age, having "fallen in love with poetry in Stamps, Arkansas ", where she grew up and the setting of her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). At the age of eight, she was raped, as recounted in Caged Bird. She dealt with her trauma by memorizing and reciting great works of literature, including poetry, which helped bring her out of her self-imposed muteness. According to scholar Yasmin Y. DeGout, literature also affects Angelou's sensibilities as the poet and writer she becomes, especially the "liberating discourse that would evolve in her own poetic canon". As a young adult, Angelou, who preferred to be called Maya because her brother had called her that when she was a child, had a series of jobs and occupations, achieving modest success as a singer, dancer, and performer. She was a cast member of a European tour of Porgy and Bess in 1954 and 1955 and was a cabaret singer in nightclubs in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas throughout the 1950s.