US author, poet Maya Angelou dies in North Carolina: reports

Maya Angelou

WINSTON-SALEM N.C  

(Reuters) – US author and poet Maya Angelou has died at age 86 in North Carolina, local media reported today, citing her agent and a local official.

 

Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou

Angelou provided eloquent commentary on race, gender and living life to its fullest in poems and memoirs such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which brought her wide acclaim.

 

She wrote more than 30 books and was a Grammy winner for three spoken-word albums. She had a home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she was a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University.

 

She was honored at the National Book Awards ceremony last year for her service to the literary community.