News
Maya Angelou Visits Portland Oct. 30
The poet author and national treasure speaks to The Skanner News
By Helen Silvis
Of The Skanner News
D
r. Maya Angelou is scheduled to
speak in Portland, Oct. 30, at the
Arlene Schnitzer Hall. Born in St.
Louis, Mo., in 1928, she has traveled wide-
ly and earned renown as an author, poet,
dancer, actor, producer and civil rights
activist. She has counted among her friends
many of the most influential people of the
20th Century and beyond, including with
Malcolm X, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,
and James Baldwin. It was Baldwin who
encouraged her to write her autobiography.
The first volume, “I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings,” was published in 1970 to enor-
mous acclaim. That work, and her 30 subse-
quent biographies, poetry and novels, have
inspired readers the world over.
Dr. Angelou’s awards and honors include
three Grammys, a Pulitzer, 30 honorary
degrees – including one from Portland State
University— the Presidential Medal of Arts
in 2000 and the Lincoln Medal in 2008. At
the request of President Bill Clinton she
composed and recited a poem for his 1993
inauguration, “On the Pulse of The Morn-
ing.” In 2010, she was awarded the Presi-
dential Medal of Freedom. She talked The
Skanner News Monday Oct. 1, about Presi-
dent Obama, reading, and what the good life
means to her.
The Skanner News: Dr. Angelou, I came
to see you speak many years ago at the Uni-
versity of Portland. Have you visited Port-
land often?
Maya Angelou: Oh many, many times. It
is one of my favorite cities, Portland – it’s
very beautiful. I am happy to come.
I used to have friends Portland, who I’m
sorry to say have passed on. But I have
friends in other parts of Oregon and I’m
sure they will come to Portland. There is a
wonderful painter and artist. Her name is
Lynda Lanker and she has a new book out
on sheroes— “Tough by Nature.” It’s a
when I am in Portland I will go and see the
Maya Angelou. I’d like to meet the people
and have some chat with them.
TSN: You started off by supporting
Hillary Clinton in the run-up to the last
presidential election. So what do you think
about President Obama now?
MA: I think he has done much better than
he gets credit for. But I also think President
Obama did not expect the opposition he
encountered.
There is an area in Portland named for me. It is
an apartment building called the Maya
Angelou. I have been to visit before, and when
I am in Portland I will go and see the Maya
Angelou
wonderful book. You’d really like it.
And then, there is a great philosopher liv-
ing in Oregon: Gary Zukav, who was just on
Oprah’s program. He is one of those great
minds, and he is a friend of Oprah’s and a
friend of mine. He is the author of “The Seat
of the Soul,” and his new book is “Spiritual
Partnership: The Journey to Authentic
Power.” He is brilliant, really brilliant and I
don’t use that word casually.
There is an area in Portland named for me.
It is an apartment building called the Maya
Angelou. I have been to visit before, and
Page 6 The Seattle Skanner October 3, 2012
Let me tell you first about Secretary Clin-
ton. When she first moved to Arkansas, I
think a number of people expected that, this
cute little blonde coming down there as the
wife of the governor, that she would have
governor’s teas on the lawn or something.
Instead, she became very interested in the
conditions in prisons and she tried to
improve those conditions. And she worked
for healthcare. I was very impressed.
Later when she came to Washington as the
First lady, I thought, “Now I will really see
what she is made of.”
Dr. Maya Angelou
And when she got there, I think she set the
journalists’ backs up. Because she said, “If
you’re expecting someone to come here
and talk about making chocolate chip cook-
ies, you don’t want me.”
I saw her and I said: “If you ever run for
anything, I’ve got your back. So I did sup-
See ANGELOU on page 7