1. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    missing maya angelou

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by mammamaia, May 28, 2014.

    this grande dame of literature and exceptional human being had to leave us today... i miss her already...

    thank you for giving us so much beauty and wisdom in your words, dear lady!

    love and hugs, maia
     
  2. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

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    I was lucky enough to attend one of her readings, back in the 1970s, and fell in love with her work AND her voice. She's not one who will be forgotten in a hurry.
     
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  3. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    I didn't even know she was in her 80s! I thought she was 60 at most. This is very sad news. Some of her poetry is incredible. I still haven't had a chance to read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I just found an entire collection of her autobiographies on Amazon for a very reasonable price. I just might get it.

    Anyway, RIP Ms. Angelou.
     
  4. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    at 86, she'd 'had a good run' but i selfishly wish it could have been longer...

    missing Maya

    a sinkhole opened up
    in my universe this morning
    good solid land dropped
    from under my feet
    left me bereft of light
    long provided against the dark
    with no words to express
    the depth of my despair

    yes, her words live on
    her legacy will never fade
    as long as we who write
    can wield pen or keys
    in concert with all
    she was and left behind
    for all who question
    what we humans are and do

    but the shining presence
    a once ill-used child
    remade into a woman
    of immovable substance
    the entire world revered
    and was all the better for
    is now denied us
    I miss you already, Maya!
     
  5. Andrae Smith

    Andrae Smith Bestselling Author|Editor|Writing Coach Contributor

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    Rest in peace, Maya Angelou. It's been a pleasure and honor to have her influence in this world and in my life. Her soul came to us with a mission, I'll bet she's gone home fulfilled. She's given hope to those in the valley, help to those on their knees, courage to those on the threshold, wisdom to those who wander, and inspiration to those with vision. She will be remembered fondly for generations. As a longtime proponent of living fully and loving truly, Mama Maya has shared some truly great wisdom like the quotes here. I hope we can follow in her example. Don't let life be your untold story...

    Thanks, Maya, for paving a way.

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    She was a great writer. Shame I only discovered her recently. RIP Maya.
     
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  7. jazzabel

    jazzabel Agent Provocateur Contributor

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    Rest in peace Maya Angelou. And thank you for everything you have given to this sad, confused world. Your words were, and will remain, a beacon of light.
     
  8. Bumfoot

    Bumfoot Member

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    Instead of just reading this one, get the audio version of her reading it to you. So worth it! Not only can she write, but her voice and the emotions that come out when hearing her read her story to you is simply breathtaking.
     
  9. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    There's a version of her reading it!? To Amazon!
     
  10. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    yes, her voice reading her own work is so powerful that the words take on so much more meaning than when you only read them to yourself... she can whisper a line and it'll hit you harder than an amped-up shout...

    i also recommend reading her work aloud... you'll 'feel' it so much more deeply that way...
     
  11. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    That's surely a decent enough sign of good poetry. :)
     
  12. Joshlyn

    Joshlyn Member

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    Yes, Andrae Smith said it. That's my absolute favorite quote in the whole world.

    "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." I have always known who Maya Angelou was, but as I got older, I must admit I didn't keep up w/ everything she wrote, but I always knew she was an absolutely amazing writer, poetry or otherwise, and I was fooling around on goodreads.com. Which another confession is that I almost solely get on the Good Reads website for their quotes. I just love quoting something powerful and profound, and I saw that quote and it's been my favorite ever since. Which is followed closely by:

    "One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple." By Jack Kerourac
     
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  13. Fullmetal Xeno

    Fullmetal Xeno Protector of Literature Contributor

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    I just began to read into her work a few weeks before she died. Even though there're a lot of very talented poets that have submerged recently, I contemplate on who is considered a living legendary poet after Maya Angelou. I just had this tiny feeling that she was one of the last remarkable individuals of the past. Reading poetry today compared to her time and before that, it seems like a completely different world. It's obvious on why, but it's sad nonetheless. But then yet I've never been good with change on multiple factors, unless it's for the better. But I guess that's normal.
     
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