Poetry breaks barriers

Ian Meyer Arizona Daily Wildcat Maya Angelou, who spoke at President Clinton's 1994 Inauguration and is the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, speaks last night at Centennial Hall. Angelou was at the University of Arizona as part of a new partnership between the UA and AT&T to promote civility, leadership and responsibility.

"Over the years I have found myself using poetry all over the world and I thank poetry for reminding me that human beings are more alike than unalike," Maya Angelou told the group of about 1,000 people gathered at Centennial Hall.

An actress, playwright, diplomat and activist, Angelou is widely recognized as one of America's most outstanding poets.

She has written five collections of poetry and several best-selling novels such as Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

As an actress, she appeared in several movies and theatrical productions, most recently performing in the 1995 film, "How to Make An American Quilt."

In 1993, President Clinton enlisted Angelou to write a poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," which she read at his inauguration.

With a roar, the crowd rose to its feet last night, whistling and applauding as Angelou took the stage.

In her playful style, she moved freely from conversational speech, to poetry, to song as she delighted the audience with anecdotes about her personal experiences as well as verses written by various African American poets.

"African American poetry is rarely dealt with, and shabbily dealt with, if at all," she said.

Reciting works by poets such as Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas, Angelou said African American poets seek to express emotions that cross the boundaries of race, culture and politics.

"African American poetry, like all poetry, is magical, mystical, lyrical and musical," she said. "But all poetry, all of it is written for you. It is written to put some more starch in your backbone. It is written for everyone."

"An Evening with Dr. Maya Angelou" was the first event of a new partnership between the University of Arizona and AT&T.

In the three-year partnership, AT&T gives $25,000 a year to the Dean of Students Office to bring in speakers who promote a sense of campus community and appreciation of diversity.

Dean of Students Melissa Vito introduced Angelou and said that the alliance between AT&T and the UA would also provide mini-grants for students who were "invigorated" by the evening's performance.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Angelou read several racy love poems and said poetry is essential to keeping romance alive.

"All kinds of romance, erotic romance, familial romance, and self love can live through poetry," she said.

Angelou was interrupted several times by boisterous laughter and bursts of applause from the crowd.

She encouraged audience members to go to the library and check out collections by 19th and 20th century African American poets.

"This poetry belongs to all of you," she said. "You need to have the poetry inside of you so when you walk into unfamiliar circumstances you can pull it up because it is a part of you."