Maya Angelou : Annotated Bibliography

Welcome to the Internet School Library Media Center Maya Angelou bibliography page which includes autobiography, poetry, essays, children's books and literary criticism. You can find more information at Maya Angelou. The ISLMC is a preview site for librarians, teachers, parents and students. You can search this site, use an index or sitemap. Updated 7/1/00

Reviews here are from Amazon Book Company, Barnes & Noble and The Library of Congress Catalog. The commercial sites have some critical review of books which can be very helpful. Use their search function to find her books and nonbook media. 5/29/02

[Autobiography] [Poetry] [Essays] [Juvenile Books] [Juvenile Biography] [Other Biographies] [Nonfiction] [Study & Teaching] [Other]

Autobiography

A Song Flung Up to Heaven. 1st ed. New York: Random House, 2002.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. [First copyright, 1969] Reissue ed. Random House, 1996; paperback ed. from Bantam, Doubleday Dell, 1997; Random House, 2002; Audiocassette ed. (abridged) Random House, 1996

Autobiography. First in series. Growing up in the 1930's and 40's. Her life as Marguerite Johnson in Stamps, Arkansas; St. Louis and California.

Gather Together in My Name. Random House, c1974. 274p.

Autobiography. Second book in the series. The period of the 1940's and the struggles blacks were facing.

Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas. [First copyright 1976] Reprint ed. hardcover Random House, 1997; V. 1 Rei ed. paperback: Bantam Books, 1985.

Autobiography. Third book in the series. Her entry into show business and her tour through Europe and Africa with Porgy and Bess.

The Heart of a Woman. Random House, 1997. 288p.; paperback ed. Bantam Books, 1997; Audiocassette ed. Random House, 1997; Large print ed. Boston: Compass Press, 1997

Autobiography. Fourth volume. Her life as a dancer; her struggle to fulfill her goals as a writer and civil rights activist

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes cRandom House, 1986; Reprint ed. Random House, 1997; paperback from Vintage Books, 1991

Autobiography. Fifth volume in the series. Angelou joins a community of black Americans in Ghana. She explores what it means to be an African-American on the mother continent where color no longer matters by "American-ness" asserts itself.

Lessons in Living. Paperback ed. Random House, 1993.

Out-of-print. Little information available. Biography/autobiography??

A Song Flung Up to Heaven. 1st ed. New York: Random House, 2002.

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Poetry

And Still I Rise Random House, 1978, 54p; Random House, 2001.

Poetry. Includes: Ain't That Bad; Bump D'bump; California Prodigal; Call Letters: Mrs. V.b.; Country Lover; In Retrospect; Junkie Monkey Reel; Just For A Time; Just Like Job; Kin; A Kind of Love, Some Say; Lady Luncheon Club; The Lesson; Life Doesn't Frighten Me; The Memory; Men; Momma Welfare Roll; My Arkansas; On Aging; One More Round; Phenomenal Woman; Refusal; Rememberance; The Singer Will Not Sing; Still I Rise; Thank You, Lord; Through The Inner City To The Suburbs; To Beat The Child Was Bad Enough; The Traveler; Where E Belong, A Duet; Willie; Woman Work [c1998 Roth Publishing Company, from Poem Finder.

And Still I Rise. [Audiocassette] Random House, 1996.

Black Pearls : The Poetry of Maya Angelou. [Nonmusical Sound Recording] By Maya Angelou. Rhino Records, 1998.

A Brave and Startling Truth. Random House, 1995. 32p.

Poem. Read by Angelou at the ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations

The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou. Random House, 1994. 273p.

I Shall Not Be Moved. Rep. ed. paperback: Bantam Books, 1991; hardcover ed. Random House, 1990. 48p.; Audio cassette ed. Random House, 1997

Poetry. Includes: Ailey, Baldwin, Floyd, Killens, And Mayfield; Born That Way; Changing; Coleridge Jackson; Equality; Fightin' Was Natural; Forgive; Glory Falls; Human Family; In My Missouri; Insignificant; Is Love; Known To Eve And Me; London; Loss of Love; Love Letter; Man Bigot; Many And More; Me And My Work; The New House; Nothing Much; Old Folks Laugh; Our Grandmothers; Preacher, Don't Send Me; Savior; Seven Women's Blessed Assurance; Son to Mother; Televised; These Yet To Be United States; They Ask Why; Why Are They Happy People?; Worker's Song [cRoth Publishing Company, 1998. PoemFinder

I Shall Not Be Moved/Just Give Me A Cool Drink.../Oh Pray My Wings...-15 Copy Cassette Display. Audio cassette: Random House, 1997.

Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie Hardcover ed. Random House, 1971. 48p.; Hardcover ed. Random House, 1997. 64p.; Audio cassette ed. Random House, 1997

Poetry. Her first poetry collection. Two-part anthology which reflects a black woman's experience in America. "Love Is a Scream of Anguish" is a collection of poems on love and nostalgia; "Just Before the World Ends" explores confrontations of a racial society

Maya Angelou: Poems: Just Give Me A Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie/Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well/and Still I Rise/Shaker, Why Don't You .... Reprint ed. Bantam, 1986

The Maya Angelou Poetry Collection. [Sound Recordings] Unabridged ed. Random House, 1999.
Angelou reads her best-loved poems.

Now Sheba Sings the Song. By Maya Angelou; illustrated by Tom Feelings. Reprint ed. Plume, 1994; New York: E. P. Dutton, 1987.
"...this intensely sensuous work combines verse with sepia-toned illustrations in a beautiful paean to Black women." (Amazon)

Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well Hardcover ed. Random House, 1997. 66p.; Audio cassette ed. Random House, 1997

Poetry. Collection of 36 poems which elegize the African-American past, loneliness, losses and destruction

On the Pulse of Morning; The Inaugural Poem. Hardcover Random House, 1993; Paperback Random House, 1993; Audio cassette ed. Random House, 1993.

Poetry

Phenomenal Woman; Four Poems Celebrating Women. Hardcover Random House, 1995. 22p.; Audio cassette ed. Random House, 1995; 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2000. Paintings by Paul Gauguin; edited by Linda Sunshine.

Poetry. Includes "Phenomenal Woman," "Still I Rise," "Weekend Glory" "Our Grandmothers"

Poems. Paperback Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1997

Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?. 1st ed. hardcover Random House, 1983.

Now Sheba Sings the Song. Illus. by Tom Feelings. Paperback: Plume, 1994.

Poetry. Combines verse and sepia-toned illustrations in a paean to Black women

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Essays

Amistad: "Give Us Free": A Celebration of the Film by Steven Spielberg. New York: Newmarket Press, 1998.

Essays by Steven Spielberg, Maya Angelou, and Debbie Allen; additional text by Meredith Maran and Anne McGrath; paintings by Kadir Nelson; Photographs by Andrew Cooper.

Even the Stars Look Lonesome. Random House, 1997. 128p.; paperback large print ed. Thorndike, 1997; audiocassette ed. Random House, 1997; large print ed. Random House Large Print, 1997

20 brief essays; companion to her Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey
Now (1993). She speaks of aging, black women including her mother
and Oprah Winfrey, rage and violence

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now. Hardcover Random House, 1993. 141p.; Audio cassette ed. Random House, 1993; Paperback Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1997; Large print ed. Hingham, Ma.: Wheeler, 1994.

Autobiographical essays. In one essay she harangues a group of black professional men about their unwillingness to accept her as a complex human being only later to recognize that she had been unwilling to extend the same understanding to the men in her life.

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Juvenile Works

Kofi and His Magic. By Maya Angelou and Margaret Courtney-Clarke. With Photos by Margaret Courtney-Clarke. Hardcover ed. Clarkson Potter Publications, 1996. 44p. Ages 4-8

Picture Book. A seven-year-old West African boy uses "magic" to move from his home town "up north." Booklist review says photos are great but text is a flop.

Life Doesn't Frighten Me. By Maya Angelou, Sara Boyers and Jean Michel Basquiat, illustrator. Hardcover ed. Stewart Tabori & Chang, 1993. Ages 4-8

Picture Book. Angelou's poem is illustrated in large, dramatic pictures. The poet and artist confront our archetypal fears.

Mrs. Flowers. Illus. by Etienne Delessert. Redpath Press, 1986. 32p. Fiction

Through her friendship with Mrs. Flowers, a cultured and gentle Black woman, Marguerite develops her self-esteem and an appreciation of great literature.

My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me. By Maya Angelou and Margaret Courtney-Clarke. Photos by Margaret Courtney-Clarke. Hardcover Crown Pub., 1994; paperback ed. Clarkson Potter, 1996. Ages 4-8

Picture book. Story of eight-year-old Thandi, her family and her pet chicken. Features mural art by the Ndebele women of Africa. Booklist review says the story doesn't work but does give kids a glimpse of traditional art in Africa

Soul Looks Back in Wonder. Illus. by Tom Feelings. New York: Dial Books, 1993.

Juvenile poetry. Feelings' artwork and poems by Angelou, Langston Hughes and Askia Toure portray the creativity, strength and beauty of their African American heritage

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Juvenile Biography

Cuffie, Terrasita A. Maya Angelou. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 1999.
Discusses the life and work of the well-known writer,
entertainer, and political activist, Maya Angelou.

Harper, Judith. Maya Angelou. [Chanhassen, Minn.]: Child's World, 1999.
Examines her life and accomplishments as well as her impact on literature
and black culture.

Kallen, Stuart A. I Have a Dream: Maya Angelou; Woman of Words, Deeds and Dreams. Edina, Minn.: Abdo & Daughters, 1993; Distributed by Rockbottom Books. Ages 9-12

A description of her life

King, Sarah E. Maya Angelou; Greeting the Morning. Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press, 1994. Ages 4-8

Examines her life from childhood to rise in prominence as a writer.

Lisandrelli, Elaine Slivinski. Maya Angelou; More Than a Poet. Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1996. Ages 9-12

Portrays her life as author, poet and educator

Loos, Pamela. Maya Angelou. Introduction by James Scott Brady. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, c2000.
Describes the life and writing career of the author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," as well as her victory over such obstacles as prejudice, poverty, and rape.

Pettit, Jayne. Maya Angelou; Journey of the Heart. New York: Lodestar, 1996. Ages 9-12

Based in part on her autobiography

Raatma, Lucia. Maya Angelou: Writer and Documentary Filmmaker. Chicago, IL: Ferguson, 2000.

Shapiro, Miles. Maya Angelou. With introductory essay by Coretta Scott King. New York: Chelsea House, 1994. Ages 9-12. 110p.

Discusses her life and work

Shuker, Nancy. Maya Angelou. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Silver Burdett, 1990.

Focuses on her struggles as a woman, a mother and an artist

Spain, Valerie. Meet Maya Angelou. New York: Random House, 1994. Ages 9-12

Her life from a rough childhood to her international recognition as a poet, writer, actress and dancer

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Other Biographies
Biography of Maya Angelou. Edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002.

From Bloom's Biocritiques Series

Courtney-Clarke, Margaret. Maya Angelou: The Poetry of Living. Foreword by Orah Winfrey. New York: C. Potter, 2000.

hapiro, Miles. Maya Angelou Audio cassettes (2) from Audio Scholar/Penton Overseas, 1993

Closely follows her autobiographical volumes

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Study & Teaching

Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings : A Casebook. Edited by Joanne M. Braxton. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Maya Angelou: A Bibliography of Literary Criticism By Jay Brandes

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. By Mary Robinson; edited by James L. Roberts and Gary Carey. Cliffs Notes Paperback 1st ed. IDG Books Worldwide, 1999; Cliffs Notes, 1993.

Bloom, Harold, ed. Maya Angelou. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1998.

Criticism and interpretation.

Hagen, Lyman B. Heart of a Woman, Mind of a Writer, and Soul of a Poet: A Critical Analysis of the Writings of Maya Angelou. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1996

McPherson, Dolly A. Order Out of Chaos. Virago Press, 1992

Criticism and interpretation

Megna-Wallace, Joanne. Understanding I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings : A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources and Historical Documents Westport: Conn.: Greenwood, 1998. Literature in Context Series

Williams, Mary E. Readings on Maya Angelou. San Diego: CA: Greenhaven Presss, 1997. Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to American Authors Series.

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Nonfiction
The Voyage of the Amistad. By Maya Angelou and Steven Spielberg. N A L, 1997; E. P. Dutton, 1997. 96p.; Audio cassette ed. Penguin Audiobooks, 1997.

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Other

American Odyssey, 1963-1999. By Mary Ellen Mark; poem by Maya Angelou. 1st ed. New York: Aperture, 1999.

Angelou, Maya. A Celebration with Maya Angelou, Guy Johnson, Janice Mirikitani on the Occasion of Guy Johnson's 50th Birthday. [Nonmusic Sound Recording] San Francisco, CA: Don't Quit Your Day Job Records, [1996].

Bearing Witness: Contemporary Works by African American Women Artists Joyntyle Theresa Robinson, curator, with contributions by Maya Angelou. Vol. 1. Rizzoli International Publications, 1996; paperback ed. Rizzoli, 1996

Catalog published to accompany an exhibition of the work of 25 African American women artists, as Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson and Faith Ringgold. Essays; paintings; prints; sculptures; etc.

Black Women in the Women's Movement. [Sound Recording] Washington, D.C.: National Public Radio, p1980.
Social activist Angela Davis, writer Maya Angelou, and other Black women discuss the role of Black women in the women's movement, how they have made their presence felt, and the difficulties they face.

Caribbean and African Cooking. By Rosamund Grant; designed by Maya Angelou. Interlink Publishing Group, 1997.

The Challenge of Creative Leadership. With contributions from the International Zermatt Symposia on Creativity in Economics, Arts and Science by Maya Angelou...[et al.] London : Shepherd-Walwyn, 1997.

Selection of talks given at the Symposia between 1990 and 1995.

Conversations with Maya Angelou. Edited by Jeffrey M. Elliot. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1989. Literary Conversations Series.

King : A Musical Testimony. [Sound Recording] Music by Richard Blackford; lyrics by Maya Angelou.
Martin Luther King is subject

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 1979 TV Movie; directed by Fielder Cook.
Cast includes Paul Benjamin, Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee,
Roger E. Mosely, Esther Rolle.

Making Magic in the World. [Nonmusical Sound Recording] Narrated by Maya Angelou. Hay House, 1998.
Angelou shares her memories of the mentors who influenced
her life.

Maya Angelou. By Maya Angelou. Paperback ed. Bantam, Doubleday Dell Pub., 1997

Maya Angelou Reading from Her Work. [Sound Recording] Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature (Library of Congress), 1984.
Angelou reads selections from her work. Sponsored by the Gertrude Clarke Whittall Poetry and Literature Fund, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Miss Calypso. [Sound Recording] By Maya Angelou. Hollywood, Calif.: Liberty, 1957.
Songs such as "Run Joe," Mambo in Africa"

Our Sheroes and Heroes. [Sound Recording] Los Angeles, Calif.: Pacifica Radio Archive, 1983.
Maya Angelou talks about her first friendship with a white woman, her sense of religion, her never-ending sense of frustration with her writing, and the differences between white and Black women. Includes excerpts from a speech given at Los Angeles Community College.

Singleton, John. Poetic Justice : Filmmaking South Central Style. [Motion Picture] By John Singleton and Veronica Chambers; foreword by Spike Lee. New York: Delta, 1993.
Original screenplay by John Singleton with poems by Maya Angelou. For information see, Poetic Justice

Selected from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Heart of a Woman" (Writers Voices) Paperback New Readers Press, 1989

Swearing in Ceremony for Members of the Congressional Black Caucus of the 106th U.S. Congress. [Sound Recording] Library of Congress, 1999.
Proceedings of the Congressional Black Caucus swearing in ceremony. Maya Angelou, Master of Ceremonies.

There Is a Moral to It All. Maya Angelou & Jessica Mitford. "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records.
Features two duets

Arts Series City Cassette eds. Soundelux Audio Pub., 1998 [Not yet available at Amazon Book]

Bailey White (City Arts of San Francisco) 1998

Barbara Kingsolver 1996

Calvin Trillin, 1996

Isabel Allende 1998

Larry McMurty 1996

Patrick O'Brien 1996

Drama; Nucleus of a Story. VHS Video ed. RMI Corp., 1993

Making Magic in the World Audio cassette ed. Hay House Audio, 1998.

Her life memories from the deep South to the heart of Africa; her mentors and teachers

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