RIP Maya Angelou (1928-2014). North Carolinians claim the long-time Winston-Salem resident as one of our own, but in truth she was a poet for all the world’s caring peoples. She was a striking presence, a woman whose voice was pure music to many, even when the sentiments she conveyed dug deep. If Odetta’s voice came to mind when Angelou spoke, that was appropriate – on many levels.
There will be many tributes. Among the first, on CNN, as it happened, was a remembrance of her work on the stage. Who recalled, who knew she’d appeared in Porgy and Bess, early on – or that she’d worked with Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey? Sure enough. The story’s here. These things add richness to the reflections on this, the day of her departure from us.
Here’s the obit from her local paper: http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/maya-angelou-dead-at-age/article_8da80e80-e66a-11e3-bc4c-001a4bcf6878.html.
RIP.
