Maya

Maya Marguerita Johnson, whose pen name is Maya Angelou, was born in St. Louis Missouri on April 4, 1928. (Biography.com) Although Maya is most commonly known for her work as a poet, she was also an author, playwright, stage and screen producer, director, and singer. (Angelou, 7). Throughout Maya’s childhood, she moved back and forth, between her mother’s house and her grandmother’s house. In 1936, during a visit to her mother’s house, her mother’s boyfriend raped Maya. She was only 8 years old. She was forced to testify against him in court, but a few days before the trial, the defendant was found beaten to death, allegedly by Maya’s uncles. Maya took the whole experience very hard, and became mute for five years. She moved back to Stamps Arkansas, which is where she discovered poetry. Poetry is what helped her get over her tragedy. (Biography.com) Maya had a tough childhood, and an even harder life as an adult. After she had her son, her husband left her. She had to have many different jobs in order to feed her son and herself. They included being a waitress and being a prostitute. In maya, very, people, maya’s, hard, childhood, books, biographycom, because, work, think, talented, poetry, poems, mother’s, life, house, back, author, angelou, african, years, woman, son, published, plays, person, moved, modern, live, imagery, good, fight, book, being