| Vol. 26, No. 6 January 28, 2005 |
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Howard Honors Maya Angelou During English Department's Annual Heart's Day Event
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Poet and author Maya Angelou will be the special honoree at the Department of English’s 11th Annual Heart’s Day Tribute on Feb. 11. Held to celebrate the department’s intellectual traditions, the day will consist of a conference, “Maya Angelou and Life Writing,” beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Blackburn Center; a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Gallery of Art; and a gala tribute at 8 p.m. in Ira Aldridge Theater.
This year, several of the literary world’s most celebrated writers will assemble to honor Angelou’s accomplished career. Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka, Haki Madhubuti and Toni Medina are all scheduled to attend. Angelou also will be joined by educators and artisans who will recognize her impact on and celebration of dance, education and the African-American sacred tradition.
During the daylong conference, scholars will discuss the full breadth of Angelou’s work, which began in 1970 with her first book, the autobiographical “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Her latest work, "A Song Flung Up To Heaven," released in 2002, is the sixth installment in her autobiographical series. |
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She has since written numerous other books and poems, including the famous "And Still I Rise" and “On The Pulse of Morning,” which was commissioned for the inauguration of President Clinton. Currently serving a lifetime appointment as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University, Angelou has received a plethora of honors and citations, including more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees, a Horatio Alger Award in 1992 and ESSENCE Magazine’s “Woman of the Year” designation in 1992.
Proceeds from the star-studded evening gala will support the department's initiative to establish the Sterling Allen Brown Endowed Chair. Brown, an author, critic, professor, Poet Laureate for Washington, D.C., joined the faculty in 1929 and was associated with the University for nearly 60 years.
For further information or to purchase gala tickets, call 202.806.6730 or 5370.
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