ABOUT MAYA ANGELOU

This National Poetry Month, Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center will be honoring the iconic Dr. Maya Angelou. A poet, author, playwright, and much more – including the first Black female Hollywood film director – Dr. Angelou’s work has shaped the canon of African-American history and art. She is perhaps best known for her autobiographical book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1969 and recipient of the National Book Award. This April, we celebrate her life, her work, and her enduring legacy.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

American Masters – Maya Angelou: "And Still I Rise"

Langston Hughes

Journey through the prolific life of the I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings author and activist, who inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought. Features new interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Common, the Clintons, and others.

A Gathering of Voices 

Langston Hughes

Join us as several Black women writers present a performed reading of the works of Maya Angelou including selections from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together in My Name and others. Presented by poet and artist, Nikki Williams.

Maya Angelou and You on the Page: A Blackout Poetry Workshop 

Langston Hughes

Join us for a fun and interactive workshop where you will write your own poems using a technique known as blackout poetry.  Be inspired by the poetry of Dr. Maya Angelou and take home a work of your own creation!

Daring to Claim the Sky: A Visual Song of the Caged Bird Freed 

Langston Hughes

Join us as we create a mural with verse and visual art in celebration of Dr. Maya Angelou’s groundbreaking autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and the importance of individual freedom. Conducted by poet and artist, Nikki Williams.

An Evening with Maya Angelou Portrayed by The Afrikana Madonna 

Langston Hughes

Join poetess, The Afrikana Madonna, as she honors the legacy of Dr. Maya Angelou by bringing her wisdom and words to life.

A Journey with Maya Angelou Through Picture Books 

Langston Hughes

Join the staff of the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center as we journey through the life and legacy of Maya Angelou through picture books.

ABOUT LANGSTON HUGHES COMMUNITY LIBRARY

Queens Library’s Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center is recognized as a Literary Landmark by United for Libraries. It is the first public institution named for the famed poet/author of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes. Hughes wrote more than 860 poems in his lifetime, and was heralded as an author of short stories, plays, essays, and anthologies, and as a journalist, from the 1920s until his death in 1967.

Langston Hughes Community Library
100-01 Northern Boulevard, Corona
Train: 7 to 103 Street/Corona Plaza
Walk 5 blocks to Northern Boulevard
Bus: Q23, Q66, Q72