Two women of notable acclaim who have both made a remarkable impact on the literary world are Maya Angelou and her rightful successor, Amanda Gorman.
A poet, dancer, scholar and activist,Maya Angelou is a world-renowned author known for her groundbreaking style of writing. Born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, as Marguerite Annie Johnson, later to be known as Maya Angelou, she raised by her grandmother in Arkansas. After going back into the care of her mother, seven-year-old Angelou was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. The violent criminal was killed after being released from prison, sending Angelou into a six-year-stage of mutism, believing her confession had led to her offender’s death. She went back to living with her grandmother in Arkansas where she took an interest in poetry, memorizing the works of Shakespeare and Poe.
As World War II commenced, Angelou was determined to find work. Despite being rejected from the Women’s Army Corps and the position of street car conductor, she remained determined. For three weeks, Angelou went back to the company every single day requesting an application. Finally, they allowed her to apply, despite initially rejecting her because of her race. At the time, Angelou was only 15, so she wrote on the application that she was four years older. She was hired for the job, becoming the first African American woman to work as a streetcar conductor in San Francisco.
Angelou went on to stake her mark as a civil rights activist, becoming the northern coordinator for the Southern Leadership Conference, an organization started by Martin Luther King Jr. She was one of the early members of New York City’s Harlem Writers Guild, and those years marked the beginning of arguably her most famous work of art, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” In 1969 her autobiography was finally published and nominated for the National Book Award and has since sold over a million copies worldwide. Not only has Angelou written numerous books of poetry, she has also recorded spoken albums of her poetry, winning Best Spoken Album at the 1994 Grammy’s. A woman of many talents, she is world renowned for her contributions to the literary world.
Making history, too, is Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in American history, not to mention an award-winning writer. Born in 1986 in Los Angeles, Gorman was raised by her mother, Joan Wicks, who was a middle-school english teacher. Growing up with a speech impediment and auditory processing disorder, she used reading and writing as a way to express herself.
After graduating cum laude from Harvard University, Gorman went on to write for publications such as the New York Times and is the author of three books: “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country,” “The Hill We Climb” and “The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough.” Having received national recognition for her work as well as numerous awards, Gorman has used her notoriety as a platform for social justice. Not only is she a published author, but Gorman is also an activist for civil rights and women’s rights. At only 22 years old, she is the founder and executive director of her organization, One Pen One Page, which offers free creative writing programs for underserved youth. The first poet to ever be commissioned to write a poem for the Super Bowl, Gorman is making history and following in the footsteps of Angelou and other trailblazers who have come before her.
