Poet, writer, civil rights activist, professor, filmmaker, dramatist, singer, Grammy Award winner: Maya Angelou, 83, has also been called the nation's premier memoirist. She was in Washington recently speaking about her long, rich life. Having come to prominence in 1970 with the publication of her acclaimed first memoir, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," Angelou still teaches, still writes, still travels. In February she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her lifetime contributions.
Appearing at a conference organized by LeadingAge, an advocacy and education group, Angelou recounted stories of her childhood, broke into soft song, told jokes and read from her poems.
Angelou spent a few minutes before her appearance talking about aging.
Q: When did you start feeling your age?
A: (She laughs.) This morning, getting in and out of that bus. Generally, I feel good.
Q: What is the best part about aging?
A: Wisdom. Enough wisdom to thank your creator, if you believe there is one, or your luck, if you don't.
Q: What has been the hardest?
A: Finding I had muscles I didn't know I had, and joints that I didn't know could be so recalcitrant. The physical discomfort is probably the worst.
Q: Has aging changed your creative process?
A: Not at all. I am just finishing a new book. It will be my 32nd book. My mind is good. It's a good mind, and I keep it active.
Q: What do you hold most dear?
A: Love. I don't mean indulgent love. I mean that condition of the human spirit that is so profound that it can allow us to look at people and not eat each other up, to accord each other some rights and to go further than that, to try to love them, whatever that mystery is.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement
Advertisement