Oprah’s Master Class: The Podcast Dr. Maya Angelou
Mar 7, 2019
Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, shares stories from a life shaped by trauma, healing, and moral conviction. She discusses the power and weight of words, learning to speak and teach through poetry, standing with civil rights leaders, and the lessons that guided her work and spirit.
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Words Are Things That Shape Us
- Words are material and shape people and spaces.
- Maya Angelou explains words
Silence After Trauma Sparked A Writing Return
- Maya Angelou stopped speaking for years after being raped at seven and believing her voice had killed a man.
- Her grandmother gave her a tablet and pencil so she could write instead, which began her path back to voice and literature.
Mrs Flowers Pulled Her Voice Back Out
- Mrs. Flowers forced Maya to speak poetry aloud, which retrieved her lost voice under a chicken house and restarted her public speaking.
- She then pursued dancing and writing, later told she wouldn't be famous as a singer but would be famous otherwise.
