Words of Wisdom

" Most books, like their authors, are born to die; of only a few books can it be said that death hath no dominion over them; they live, and their influence lives forever. "
J. Swartz
Reading Room


APPL Featured Author: Maya Angelou, Phenomenal Woman PDF  | Print |  E-mail
Written by Malakia Oglesby   
Wednesday, 31 March 2010 23:11
Links to Biographies, Videos, Images, and More of Maya Angelou.
Maya Angelou: Overview

Maya Angelou circa 1970.
(© Bettman/CORBIS)

Name: Maya Angelou

Birthname: Marguerite Ann Johnson

Born: April 4, 2928 in St. Louis, Missouri

Brief: A celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist.

Literary Genre(s): Fiction, Nonfiction, Poety, Autobiography

Popular Works: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Autobiography), Still I Rise (Poem), Phenomenal Woman (Poem)

Official Website: www.MayaAngelou.com

Awards and Honors: Pulitzer Prize Nomination, Just Give Me A Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die, 1972
American Academy of Achievement, Inductee, 1990.
Black Caucus of American Library Association, Cultural Keepers Award, 1997.
Humanitarian Contribution Award, 1997.
Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature, 1999.
Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album, "A Song Flung Up to Heaven," 2002.
Mother Teresa Award, 2006.
Voice of Peace award (first recipient), Hope for Peace and Justice, 2008.
Cornell Medallion, 2008
(Source: Wikipedia Read the Full List of Maya Angelou's Achievements, Awards, and Honorary Degrees)

Biographies About Maya Angelou

 

Maya Angelou's Official Biography from Her Website
http://mayaangelou.com/bio

Biography.com Biography of Maya Angelou
http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/featured-biography/maya-angelou.jsp

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou

Poets.org
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/87

Academy of Achievement
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ang0bio-1

BookRags
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/maya-angelou/

Maya Angelou Biography and Timeline from AllSands
http://www.allsands.com/writing/mayaangeloubio_yhz_gn.htm

Maya Angelou Quotes

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou Quotes from BrainyQuote.com
ThinkExist.com List of Quotes from Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou Quotes on GoodReads.com
Maya Angelou Quotes from TheQuotationsPage.com
FamousPoetsandPoems.com Maya Angelou Quotes

Images of Maya Angelou
(All images are copyright of their respective owners.)

A young Maya Angelou during a stage performance.
Image Only | Article & Image

A dramatic close shot of young Maya Angelou during a performance.
Image Only | Article & Image

A recent photo of Maya Angelou laughing and looking stunning in a black sequined gown.
Image Only | Article & Image

Maya delivers her poem, "On The Pulse of Morning" at the 1993 Presidential Inauguration of former President Bill Clinton.
Image Only | Article & Image

Maya Angelou speaks during Senior Convocation, May 24 in Schoellkopf Stadium.
Image Only | Article & Image

Maya Angelou beautiful and smiling at a podium circa 2007.
Image Only | Article & Image

More images of Maya Angelou via Google Images search.
Search Google Images for Maya Angelou

Video Clips of Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou on CBS News following the election of President Barack Obama.

Maya Angelou Reads "On the Pulse of Morning" at the 1993 Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton.

Maya Angelou Recites her poem "And Still I Rise".

Bloomberg Television Interview with Maya Angelou.

Maya Angelou Introduces the world to her latest book "Letter to My Daughter.

Maya Angelou's moving tribute and speech at the funeral of Corretta Scott King

 

Podcasts Featuring Maya Angelou Coming Soon!
Maya Angelou Criticism, Reviews, Study Guides

A Song Flung Up to Heaven REview
http://www.allreaders.com/Topics/Info_28334.asp

I Know Why the Caged Bird SIngs Review
http://www.allreaders.com/Topics/Info_24588.asp

Letter to My Daugher Book Review
http://thebookladysblog.com/2008/09/26/book-review-letter-to-my-daughter-by-maya-angelou/

Maya on RedRoom Blog
http://www.redroom.com/author/maya-angelou

More to come!

Maya Angelou Complete Bibliography

Autobiographies

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969.

Gather Together in My Name, 1974.

Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas, 1976.

The Heart of a Woman, 1981.

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, 1986.

A Song Flung Up To Heaven, 2002.

The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou, 2004.

 

Poetry

Oh Pray My Wings are Gonna Fit Me Well, 1975.

Still I Rise, 1978.

Shaker, Why Don't You Sing, 1983.

Now Sheba Sings the Song, 1987.

I Shall Not Be Moved, 1990.

"Life doesn't frighten me", 1991

"On the Pulse of Morning", 1993.[8]

The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou, 1994.

Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems for Women, 1995.

"A Brave and Startling Truth", 1995.

"From a Black Woman to a Black Man", 1995.

"Amazing Peace", 2005.

"Mother, a Cradle to Hold Me", 2006.

"Celebrations, Rituals of Peace and Prayer", 2006

Poetry for Young People, 2007.

"We Had Him", 2009.[9]

 

Lessons in Living, 1993.

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, 1993.

Even the Stars Look Lonesome, 1997.

Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, 2004.

Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me, 2006.

Letter to My Daughter, 2008

Children's books

Life Doesn't Frighten Me (poem), edited by Sara Jane Boyers, illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1993.

Soul Looks Back in Wonder (with others), illustrated by Tom Feelings, 1993.

My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken and Me, photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke, 1994.

Kofi and His Magic, photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke, 1996.

Maya's World series, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell, 2004.

Plays

Cabaret for Freedom (musical revue), with Godfrey Cambridge, produced at Village Gate Theatre, New York, 1960.

The Least of These (two-act drama), produced in Los Angeles, 1966.

The Best of These (drama), 1966.

The Clawing Within (two-act drama), 1966.

Gettin' up Stayed on My Mind, 1967

Adjoa Amissah (two-act musical), 1967

Sophocles, Ajax (two-act drama), produced at Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1974.

And Still I Rise (one-act musical), produced in Oakland, Calif., 1976.

Theatrical Vignette (one-act play), 1983.

King, (lyrics, with Alistair Beaton) book by Lonne Elder III, music by Richard Blackford, produced in London, 1990.

 

Films

Georgia, Georgia, 1972.

All Day Long, 1974.

Poetic Justice (author of poems), 1993.

The Black Candle (author of poems), 2008.

 

Television

Black, Blues, Black (series of ten one-hour PBS programs), 1968.

Assignment America (series of six one-half-hour PBS programs), 1975.

The Legacy, 1976.

The Inheritors, 1976.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1979.

Sister, Sister, 1982.

Trying to Make It Home, 1988

Maya Angelou's America: A Journey of the Heart (also host), 1988.

Brewster Place, 1990-1991.

Angelou on Burns, 1996.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 May 2010 20:23
 
New Book About Asbury Park PDF  | Print |  E-mail
Written by Malakia Oglesby   
Tuesday, 29 December 2009 20:33

Asbury Park: A Brief History
by Joseph Bilby & Harry Ziegler

The history of Asbury Park is a veritable roller coaster of challenge, triumph and change. In 1871, there was nothing but marshes and sand dunes between the sinful city of Long Branch and the holy haven of Ocean Grove, but for devout Methodist James Bradley, the deserted beachfront was a new Promised Land. Thus, the resort community Asbury Park was born as a wholesome entertainment and relaxation center for middle-class, white Protestant America. From bicycles and baby parades to brawlers and bootleggers, Bilby and Ziegler trace Asbury Park's cycles of transformation from peaceful resort to raucous amusement park, from empty boardwalk to modern, bustling center of business.

Come check it out, or by your own copy today.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 January 2010 17:13
 
Sarah's Daughter PDF  | Print |  E-mail
Written by Malakia Oglesby   
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 17:58

Sarah's Daughter
by Ruth Bass

"The setting is richly evoked; the characters are utterly persuasive; and the issues of loss and mourning, friendship and love, and the complexities of family life are explored with sensitivity and wisdom."
-- Judith Viorst, The New York Times bestselling author of Necessary Losses and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

ImageSarah’s Daughter tells the story of a young girl, Rose, whose childhood in 19th century New England is abruptly interrupted by the unexpected death of her mother and the new responsibilities that are heaped upon her. The story is set shortly after the Civil War and was inspired by the author’s grandmother, who was fifteen when she lost her mother and was suddenly faced with taking over the responsibilities of raising her siblings, running the household and caring for her grieving father. Bass’ heroine, Rose, confronts a similar situation. Forced to be both adult and child, Rose deals with dilemmas difficult for a girl her age and, like every adult and child, makes some good decisions and some poor ones.

In addition to the rich historical detail including the demise of the small family farm, the push toward modernization and the rise of automation, this story successfully depicts many social issues of the era, and readers will discover that a lot of those issues—such as addiction, women’s rights, and education—are the same as those that trouble young adults today.

Ruth Bass has a long history as a newspaper reporter and columnist. A resident of the Berkshires in Massachusetts, she has won many awards for writing and was recently inducted in to the New England Press Association’s Hall of Fame. She is a graduate of Bates College and of Columbia School of Journalism.

Buy Sarah's Daughter from Amazon.com

More Information
Copies of Sarah’s Daughter and other Gadd Books titles may be purchased through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, or directly from Gadd Books at www.gaddbooks.com or by phone (413) 528-8895 or fax (413) 528-8825.
PAGES: 390
PRICE: $14.95
ISBN: 978-0-9774053-4-3

Last Updated on Thursday, 07 January 2010 21:35
 
From Poets to Protagonists: Fiction from the Hudson Valley Poetry Scene PDF  | Print |  E-mail
Written by Malakia Oglesby   
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 17:56

New Fiction by Harvey Havel!

Available through your Book Distributor, Barnes and Noble.com, or Amazon.com!

From Poets to Protagonists by Harvey Havel /> Buy <a href=From Poets to Protagonists: Fiction from the Hudson Valley Poetry Scene Featuring the Poets as Main Characters from Amazon.com

ISBN-13: 9781607497011
Format: Paperback, 160pp
Pub. Date: May 2009
$24.95

From Poets to Protagonists: Fiction from the Hudson Valley Poetry Scene Featuring the Poets as Main Characters is a literary collection of short stories that depicts some of New York’s most well-known downstate poets and artists whom the author has had the privilege of reading with at many popular coffee houses, libraries, and cultural centers throughout his earlier years as a traveling writer in the Hudson Valley. These stories range in genre from general-interest fiction and science fiction to expository essay and short character sketches.

These stories are accessible to all connoisseurs of strong, complex characters that portray the very real lives of these poets through Harvey Havel’s highly imaginative fictional lens. His skillfully-crafted narratives serve as the backdrop for the presence of these fine poets on the page.

The poets in this selection include (in order of appearance):

  • William Seaton
  • Patricia Seaton
  • George Nitti
  • Bill Perry
  • Sarah Morr
  • Bonnie Law
  • Christopher Wheeling
  • Kevin Larkin Angioli
  • Will Nixon
  • Donald Lev
  • Ingeborg
  • Ken Van Rensselaer
  • Phillip Levine
  • Laura Ludwig Lonshein
  • Robert Milby
  • Ted Gill
  • Jane Gill
  • Roberta Gould
  • Teresa Marta Costa

Buy From Poets to Protagonists: Fiction from the Hudson Valley Poetry Scene Featuring the Poets as Main Characters from Amazon.com

Last Updated on Thursday, 07 January 2010 21:35