An acclaimed American poet, storyteller, autobiographer, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, has died at the age of 86.

Throughout her career, Angelou received many awards, including more than 30 honourary degrees. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, which is the highest honour an American civilian can receive.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first of Angelou’s six autobiographies. It has faced controversy over its portrayal of race, sexual abuse and violence. Angelou’s use of fiction-writing techniques was innovative for its time and helped, in part, to complicate the genre’s relationship with truth and memory. Other volumes include Gather Together in My Name (1974), which begins when Angelou is seventeen and a new mother; Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry like Christmas, an account of her tour in Europe and Africa; The Heart of a Woman (1981), a description of Angelou’s acting and writing career in New York and her work for the civil rights movement; and All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), which recounts Angelou’s travels in West Africa.  Poetry Foundation

Maya Angelou’s biography can be read on Poetry Foundation.

Maya Angelou on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight Interview.