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Maya Angelou to Speak at Boston Opera House May 31

Dr. Maya Angelou will speak at the Boston Opera House on Thursday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Angelou is a world renowned poet, playwright, author, actor, composer and director, has won three Grammy Awards and has been nominated for a Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Mentor to Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Angelou will share her inspirational message of hope, courage and survival.

Boston, MA (Billboard Publicity Wire) April 12, 2007 -- The producers of Unique Lives & Experiences are pleased to present Dr. Maya Angelou at the Boston Opera House Thursday, May 31, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $39.95, $49.95, $59.95, $69.95 and $79.95, and may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 617-931-2787 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets for groups of ten or more may be purchased at a 10% discount by calling 866-633-0194.

Dr. Angelou spoke to a sold-out audience at Symphony Hall on February 6, 2004, a date proclaimed by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino as Maya Angelou Day.

Dr. Angelou is a world renowned poet, playwright, author, actor, composer and director, has won three Grammy Awards and has been nominated for a Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Mentor to Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Angelou will share her inspirational message of hope, courage and survival. Hailed as one of the greatest speakers of our time, her words have been a source of inspiration, comfort, encouragement and strength for millions of people around the world.

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and Stamps, Arkansas. She is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer and civil rights activist. Dr. Angelou is best known for her autobiographical books: All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), The Heart of a Woman (1981), Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976), Gather Together in My Name (1974), and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award. Among her volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (Random House, 1995), The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994), Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993), Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987), I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? (1983), Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975) and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Die (1971), which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1961 to 1962 she was associate editor of The Arab Observer in Cairo, Egypt, the only English-language news weekly in the Middle East, and from 1964 to 1966 she was feature editor of the African Review in Accra, Ghana. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and West African Fanti.

Dr. Angelou returned to the US in 1974 and was appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year. She accepted a lifetime appointment in 1981 as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1993, Dr. Angelou became only the second poet in American history to recite her work at the inauguration of an American president when, in 1993 at the request of Bill Clinton, she read On the Pulse of the Morning.

The first black woman director in Hollywood, Dr. Angelou has written, produced, directed and starred in productions for stage, film and television. In 1971 she wrote the original screenplay and musical score for the film, George, Georgia, and was both author and executive producer of a five-part television miniseries, Three Way Choice. She has also written and produced several prize-winning documentaries including "Afro-Americans in the Arts," a PBS special for which she received the Golden Eagle Award. Maya Angelou was nominated for a Tony award for acting in her Broadway debut in Look Away (1973) and for an Emmy for best supporting actress for her performance in Alex Haley's Roots (1977).

Dr. Angelou has received dozens of honorary degrees from universities around the world. A mesmerizing vision of grace, swaying and stirring when she moves, she captivates her audience lyrically with vigor, fire and perception. She has the unique ability to shatter the opaque prisms of race and class between reader and subject throughout her books of poetry and her autobiographies.

Music for this event will be provided by Ray Greene.

For more information, contact Dawn Singh at 505-771-0417 or 857-544-0739 or dawn @ dawnsinghpublicity.com.

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