Listen to Dr. Maya Angelou as she describes the challenges she faced as a writer and the process behind creating literature.
Features
PBS Previews: Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Clip | Louis Gossett Jr. shares a story about his great-grandmother
Clip | Making the Film
Clip | Learn why Bill Clinton invited Maya Angelou to speak at his inauguration
Clip | Explore the strong friendship between Maya Angelou and Malcolm X in Ghana
Clip | Maya Angelou’s heartbreak after losing out on a job with Pearl Bailey
Clip | Hear how Maya Angelou met Tupac Shakur for the first time
Clip | Go behind the scenes with John Singleton
Explore Dr. Maya Angelou’s Life through her books
Clip | Learn why Maya Angelou signed with Porgy and Bess
Clip | See Maya Angelou’s early performances in the Bay Area
Clip | Behind the Scenes with Common, Rita Coburn-Whack & Maya Angelou
Clip | Maya Angelou on Teaching
Clip | Maya Angelou & James Baldwin
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise - Trailer
Sundance Festival Announces Documentary Line-up, Including American Masters films
Maya Angelou: “Still I Rise”
In Memoriam: Maya Angelou
TRANSCRIPT
Everybody in the world uses words.
Uses, 'how are you?'
'fine, thank you,' verbs, adjectives, nouns, pronouns.
The writer has to take these most known things and put them together in such a way that a reader says, 'I never thought of it that way before.'
That's the hard - it's a challenge, and I know many writers, and I'm one, who says 'Lord, are you sure you wanted me to do this?'
When Caged Bird came out in '69, she had no idea how popular and beloved she would become around the world.
