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I know why the caged bird shoots. Because some creep is at the door, turning the knob. And she's alone and rightfully afraid. But she has a gun in her hand. And thanks to the Second Amendment that many on the political left would like to erase and rewrite — by using horrific tragedies like Sandy Hook to wipe the Constitution of irritants — Maya Angelou was able to defend herself. e That's right. She defended herself with a firearm. Maya Angelou got her gun. And now that she's talked about it, she teaches us a lesson about making assumptions....

"I was in my house in North Carolina. It was fall. I heard someone walking on the leaves. And somebody actually turned the knob. So I said, "Stand four feet back because I'm going to shoot now!" Boom! Boom! The police came by and said, "Ms. Angelou, the shots came from inside the house." I said, "Well, I don't know how that happened."

Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog Poet Maya Angelou shoots gun at home intruder. Barack Obama thinks she should be in jail because of it. Checking both google and google news, I did not see this reported on by any of the mainstream media, other than Time magazine. No New York Times, Washington Post, or Associated Press articles. No CBS, NBC, or CNN coverage.No wonder why some on the political left hate Fox News, which did report it.For News reports:Poet Maya Angelou Blasts Gun at Home IntruderObama supporter and famous poet Maya Angelou was asked by Time Magazine if she had ever...

There has always been something bittersweet about the life experience of Maya Angelou. Think of the literature fashioned from a harsh and tragic upbringing in racially segregated Missouri and Arkansas: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now. Think of her triumphs articulating the struggle of African Americans through the civil rights era. Consider that each year, her birthday, 4 April, brings with it both joy and painful memories. Who would share that anniversary with the assassination of her friend, Martin Luther King? This year, if it progresses as Angelou expects, will exacerbate the...

With absolutely no apologies to Maya Angelou.You may write us off as teabaggers While you laugh and roll your eyes, Try to buy us off with bribery But still and proud, we’ll rise...

Locals express concerns about "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which includes a rape scene of an 8-year-old. An autobiography by renowned author Maya Angelou has become the latest book in Orange County to be challenged as unfit for school libraries. Judy Ahrens, a former Westminster School District trustee, took to the podium at Monday's Huntington Beach City Council meeting to read a scene from Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' that details the rape of an 8-year-old girl. The reading was a demonstration on why the book should be banned, she told the audience. "I would...

TMZ has learned Maya Angelou was taken to the hospital early Saturday evening. She was scheduled to be honored at the BraveHeart Awards in Los Angeles. Story developing ...

To the 2,495 people who are following Maya Angelou* on Twitter, prepare for some bad news: This caged bird is a fake. The tweeting Angelou was revealed as a fraud today by her representative at Lordly & Dame, the Boston-based speaking agency. Her agent, David LaCamera, said he had reached out to Twitter when the bogus account first came to his attention a few weeks ago, but he received no satisfaction. "It’s sad that this even goes on in our society," LaCamera said. "But anyone who reads it and knows her goes, 'Who the hell wrote this?' " Not so...

You might not be thrilled by the election of Barack Obama, but look on the bright side: it's going to make life a lot easier for Maya Angelou when she hangs out with her European friends. Asked by Andrea Mitchell during MSNBC's 1 PM hour what was going through her mind as the results rolled in, the poet mentioned, among other things: I realized, almost within the minute, I don't have to apologize for my country when I'm abroad. I can say: "I belong to a great country." And the Europeans who say: aren't you glad to be here in...

Poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou, a strong supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary campaign, is now speaking out for Barack Obama. Last Thursday, she introduced Michelle Obama at a Women for Obama rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. "Look where we've all come from," said Angelou. "Something wonderful is happening." Angelou described herself as a "serious" and "sincere" supporter of Clinton and said she meant for her "to go all the way." Angelou praised Clinton as an intelligent, hard-worker campaigner who had left "18 million scratches" on the glass ceiling.

In the wake of the Imus affair, MSNBC is airing an all-day discussion on the theme "What's OK to say?" Poet Maya Angelou appeared at 11:05 AM EDT, and in the course of her interview with MSNBC's Peter Alexander, had this exchange: ALEXANDER: Dr. Angelou, you're an author and an artist. I guess the question is, is there a need for more censorship of our media and of our arts, are you comfortable with that? And if that happens, when does it end? What is OK to say? ANGELOU: Exactly. I agree with that. I think the society decides...

A pig-tailed Samantha Sanchez is sitting cross-legged on the carpet of her west Pasco classroom, practicing the days of the week and talking about Tuesday's weather. Her kindergarten teacher, Bernie Hanan, is quizzing 5-year-old Samantha and her 17 peers on how they'd describe the weather outside Maya Angelou Elementary School. In this classroom, Hanan only speaks Spanish to her class, which includes 12 students whose primary language is English. The other eight speak mostly Spanish at home. "Hay mucho sol?" asked Hanan, pointing toward a picture of a sunny day. "No!" answered Samantha, shaking her brown locks. Zelann-e McGary, 5,...

The eyes of the world are temporarily on Africa because George W. Bush is making his first trip (five days) there. The issues of HIV/AIDS, despotism, inhumanity and corruption on the continent are in the spotlight. For me, an African-American, one of the most important recent trends related to Africa is the courage of a growing number of prominent blacks in the United States to publicly criticize African heads of state. I am especially pleased that black organizations, such as the TransAfrica Forum and Howard University's Africa Action, have sent formal complaints to several African leaders, including Presidents Robert Mugabe...

After four months of controversy, Los Angeles-based poet Wanda Coleman, recipient of the 1999 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the American Academy of Poets and a National Book Award finalist last year, wryly concedes that she's received more attention for one book review than for anything else she's ever written. One bad review, that is, of Maya Angelou's latest book, A Song Flung Up to Heaven, the third volume of an autobiography by "the Inaugural Poet." In an April 14 book review in the Los Angeles Times, Coleman concluded, "Unfortunately, the Maya Angelou of A Song Flung Up to Heaven...