Family of poet Angelou to visit township bookstore
Two relatives of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Maya Angelou will take part in a book signing and discussion at noon March 10 at the Barnes & Noble on Route 19 in Cranberry.
Elliott Jones and Caylin Johnson,Ms. Angelou’s grandson and great-granddaughter, will be on hand to share personal memories of their legendary relative, who died in 2014 at age 86. The event is free andopentothepublic.
The book-signing serves as a prelude to the opening night performance of Ms. Angelou’s 1970 memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” at 8 p.m. at the New Hazlett Theater Center for the Performing Arts in Allegheny Square on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Following the show, Mr. Jones and Ms. Johnson will participate as guests of honor in a question-and-answer session with the audience, which will be moderated by state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District. Performances of “Caged Bird,” directed by Monteze Freeland, will run throughMarch 18.
“Pittsburgh is only the second city to experience this brand-new play, which was adapted from Dr. Angelou’s book by Myra Platt and Malika Oyetimein and presented for the first time last September at the Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle,” said Wayne Brinda, cofounder and artistic producing director of the North Side’s Prime Stage Theatre.
Mr. Jones, of Miami, Fla., serves as director of community engagement for Caged Bird Legacy, an organization that administers Ms. Angelou’s estate and preserves her legacy. Ms. Johnson is a resident of Atlanta, Ga., where she attends college and aspires to follow in her greatgrandmother’sfootsteps. Ms. Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson, 72, of Oakland, Calif., also is a writer. In an interview, he talked about his mother’s influence in his life and how her words and deeds molded him.
“Children see the undercarriage of their parents as well as everythingelse.Theyseewhere alltheoilleaksareandtheworn disc brakes. The grandchildren haveadifferentpicture.
“Sometimes, you wonder whether you might have learnedmoreaboutbeingaparent by being a grandparent first,” he said. “You’re speaking to someone who tried not to hear what she had to say, but my mother persevered and pressed through my resistance.”
The mother/son duo spent a lotoftimeinthelibrarysoaking up knowledge, and they would discuss the latest innovations oversupper.
“My mother never had a formal college education. But she read three books a week until her vision deteriorated in her 80s,”Mr.Johnsonsaid.