Maya Angelou (1928-2014) a été reconnu, de son vivant, comme l'une des grandes voix américaines du XXe siècle. Tour à tour chanteuse, danseuse, actrice, militante des droits civiques, poète, écrivaine, enseignante et réalisatrice, elle n'a cessé de se battre pour sa liberté de femme africaine-américaine, contre les stéréotypes de genre et les préjugés raciaux.
Femme phénoménale, son poème fétiche, est un manifeste pour une féminité décomplexée, une ode à la joie de vivre, la revanche souriante d'une petite-fille d'esclave. La grande Maya Angelou l'entonnait à chaque apparition publique, avec l'humour et la détermination qui la caractérisaient.

Première femme noire diplômée des beaux-arts aux États-Unis, en 1940, Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) était, elle aussi, une pionnière. Quand Maya Angelou fit sa connaissance à Mexico, elle la qualifia de « reine des arts » : toutes deux partageaient le même engagement envers leur communauté et souhaitaient lui offrir des modèles féminins empreints de force et de générosité.

Ce poème-objet bilingue, création de Vahram Muratyan, rassemble les oeuvres de Maya Angelou, Femme phénoménale (traduction de Santiago Artozqui), et d'Elizabeth Catlett, There Is a Woman in Every Color. Dans le climat que l'on observe aujourd'hui aux États-Unis, il résonne comme un mot d'ordre pour la défense des droits des femmes.

Après Liberté, j'écris ton nom de Paul Eluard et Fernand Léger, puis Dentelle d'éternité de Jean Cocteau, les Éditions Seghers perpétuent la tradition du poème-objet. Lire la suite Fermer

Maya Angelou, après une jeunesse marquée par la violence, trouvera son salut dans la littérature et sera la première fille noire scolarisée dans une école privée. Elle fréquentera ensuite les milieux intellectuels noirs-américains et deviendra féministe avant l'heure. Dans cette série de courts textes, l'auteur fait partager son expérience, ses combats, à la petite fille qu'elle n'a jamais eue.

Shadows on the wall Noises down the hall Life doesn''t frighten me at all Maya Angelou''s brave, defiant poem celebrates the courage within each of us, young and old. From the scary thought of panthers in the park to the unsettling scene of a new classroom, fearsome images are summoned and dispelled by the power of faith in ourselves. Angelou''s strong words are matched by the daring vision of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose childlike style reveals the powerful emotions and fanciful imaginings of childhood. Together, Angelou''s words and Basquiat''s paintings create a place where every child, indeed every person, may experience his or her own fearlessness. Celebrating its successful 25 years in print, this brilliant introduction to poetry and contemporary art features brief, updated biographies of Angelou and Basquiat, an afterword from the editor, and a fresh new look. A selected bibliography of Angelou''s books and a selected museum listing of Basquiat''s works open the door to further inspiration through the fine arts. Shadows on the wall Noises down the hall Life doesn''t frighten me at all Maya Angelou''s brave, defiant poem celebrates the courage within each of us, young and old. From the scary thought of panthers in the park to the unsettling scene of a new classroom, fearsome images are summoned and dispelled by the power of faith in ourselves. Angelou''s strong words are matched by the daring vision of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose childlike style reveals the powerful emotions and fanciful imaginings of childhood. Together, Angelou''s words and Basquiat''s paintings create a place where every child, indeed every person, may experience his or her own fearlessness. In this brilliant introduction to poetry and contemporary art, brief biographies of Angelou and Basquiat accompany the text and artwork, focusing on the strengths they took from their lives and brought to their work. A selected bibliography of Angelou''s books and a selected museum listing of Basquiat''s/b>, works open the door to further inspiration through the fine arts.
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The culmination of a unique achievement in modern American literature: the six volumes of autobiography that began more than thirty years ago with the appearance of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

A Song Flung Up to Heaven opens as Maya Angelou returns from Africa to the United States to work with Malcolm X. But first she has to journey to California to be reunited with her mother and brother. No sooner does she arrive there than she learns that Malcolm X has been assassinated.

Devastated, she tries to put her life back together, working on the stage in local theaters and even conducting a door-to-door survey in Watts. Then Watts explodes in violence, a riot she describes firsthand.

Subsequently, on a trip to New York, she meets Martin Luther King, Jr., who asks her to become his coordinator in the North, and she visits black churches all over America to help support Kings Poor Peoples March.

But once again tragedy strikes. King is assassinated, and this time Angelou completely withdraws from the world, unable to deal with this horrible event. Finally, James Baldwin forces her out of isolation and insists that she accompany him to a dinner party--where the idea for writing I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is born. In fact, A Song Flung Up to Heavenends as Maya Angelou begins to write the first sentences of Caged Bird. Lire la suite Fermer

From her reflections on African American life and hardship in Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie to her revolutionary celebrations of womanhood in Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise , and her elegant tributes to dignitaries Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela ( On the Pulse of Morning and His Day Is Done , respectively), every inspiring word of Maya Angelou's poetry is included in the pages of this volume.

In this stunning twelve-notecard set, Maya Angelou''s brilliant wit and sage wisdom help you celebrate your phenomenal loved ones and share meaningful words of encouragement with those close to your heart.

"I''ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

These words of wisdom--and eleven more of Maya Angelou''s most celebrated quotes--are now available to send to family, friends, and acquaintances in a dazzling note card set. Blank inside for your own messages of inspiration, celebration, and sympathy, each 4 x 6-inch cards is paired with an envelope, all packaged in a box whose acetate top will reveal the gorgeous 4-color treatments of the poet''s sage advice.

You''ll also find a lovely pamphlet inside featuring a list of Dr. Angelou''s published works, inspiring you with gift ideas--or more quote sources to dive into!--for the Angelou fan in your life. Lire la suite Fermer

Tenderly, joyously, sometimes in sadness, sometimes in pain, Maya Angelou writes from the heart and celebrates life as only she has discovered it. In this moving volume of poetry, we hear the multi-faceted voice of one of the most powerful and vibrant writers of our time.

Une leçon de vie de la grande Maya Angelou croquée avec malice par Géraldine Alibeu, l'une des plus talentueuses illustratrices actuelles.
" Les fauves rugissants et les animaux gluants ?
Ils ne me font pas peur.
Les garçons de ma classe qui tirent sur ma tignasse ?
Ils ne me font pas peur.
Être toute seule, le soir, plongée dans le noir ?
Ça ne me fait pas peur du tout. "

À travers les mots d'une petite fille qui n'a pas froid aux yeux, Maya Angelou délivre son secret pour combattre les terreurs infantiles : s'ouvrir aux pouvoirs du rêve et aux forces de l'imagination... Une leçon de vie d'une grande dame des lettres, poète, conteuse et romancière africaine-américaine, figure de la lutte pour les droits civiques.

À lire
en français et
en anglais
avec l'enfant
dès 4 ans
seul
à partir de 7 ans
Prix Poésie des lecteurs lire et faire lire 2019 Lire la suite Fermer