Interview with Maya Angelou

Flash Clark asks about race and poetry and the writer and poet's responses hint at the sublime.

[16B's] Hello?

[Maya Angelou] Hello, Mister Clark

Hello, Miss Angelou. I'd just like to thank you on behalf of 16 Blocks Magazine. You are really doing our humble publication a great favor by agreeing to this interview.

First let me start by saying thank you. I am intrigued by the name of the magazine— 16 Blocks. What does it mean?

16 Blocks was the original charter design the town was founded on. William Black consigned 38 acres of his land for the then village of Blacksburg.

That's intriguing. You almost never know how a town gets started.

Yeah most people don't know that. Well, I'm going to go ahead and start the interview—There are a lot of writers who read our publication, as an artist yourself, do you think that art is integral to existence, do we create it as a condition of our humanity or do you think that it is simply a form of self gratification?

All of the above. I was nodding my head from the first moment. I believe it is integral. Truly it is a statement that some people are born great, some achieve it, and others have it thrust upon them. I think that is true of art. The creator created it and us.

In your opinion, do you think people are getting more intelligent in regards to social issues, or people are becoming more informed yet not necessarily educated?

Well, I think we're better than we have been. And it's too soon to tell. You know. We make such brief little lives, and we don't have any idea that it's not even a wrinkle in the face of time, not a wrinkle. So it's hard to see. I can go back a few million years, maybe just a few thousand years, and realize there was a time, when we were cannibals, and we ate our brothers and sisters. They may have been delicious, but we decided somehow, not to eat them. And decided to even accord them some life, and even go further than that, we decided to try to knot them.

And so we have changed. We don't live long enough to assay the change, I do know that less than 100 years ago it was not shocking to read about lynching. In 1908, there was a very big lynching period that lasted through 1920-something. Women were lynched, men more often than not, this horror, horrific, that has stopped. I mean there are still racial inequities and cruelties, but little by little, we change.

Look at the political landscape today and realize that the true people are brothers, the most desired of the Democratic camp are the black man and a white woman. Amazing.

At Mr. Clinton' inauguration, I mention in the inaugural speech that this is who we are. We are Irish, African and Japanese, we are straight and we are gay, and we are small and tall.

And as a result of that, a group called (pause) I'm happy to say I've forgotten it. But there's a group which pickets gay funeral services. It doesn't matter the family is grieving. He's a Reverend. Anyway, they picket me wherever I speak. This man who has his grandchildren who are about 7 or 8 years old, sweet tykes, carrying picket signs that says that God hates me, and that Maya Angelou is this, and oh terrible things, and what happens in the area wherever I'm to speak, if I'm near them is the police chief, and the police men come out to protect me, now that's a shame. You know what I mean?

So we are changing, it's just at incremental length, and too slow. It's been suggested in this generation and likely subsequent one that the attention spans of people are growing shorter and shorter, it drives web site design, handicaps newspapers and popularizes flash fiction. Is there any hope that in the future that given the shorter attention span and people searching to get more out of their time, if there will be a revival of poetry, and a revival of poetry reading coming?

There has been a revival...coffeehouses now and again and slam poetry and concerts all over the country. So yes I believe that.

Some folks were raised in areas and times where they were brainwashed by the mentality of the time, how do you suggest that people deal with friends or relatives, people who are not strangers who display racism or bigotry of that sort?

The best way to teach is by doing. You can preach and teach and lecture, and all of that together, 10 hours of that is not worth is not worth one hour of you being what you want them to be. Giving them a chance to see where they could be. So the best thing to do is put your bucket down where you are, that is if you want to, to get some water in, put your bucket down first, set it in your neighborhood, in your family, just live it. Live what you want them to see.

When everything seems wrong in the world and often it does when you're down. What is it that brings you, personally, what brings you comfort, what brings you solace?

Well the fact that I want it, means that it's there. I want comfort, I want peace, that means it's there. I don't believe you can ask for anything in the universe that isn't already in the universe. That is to say, the question tells me that an answer is there. So, that I want it, already I'm better than I have been. Because it's one thing is to be so, cynical, but not to want to change. See what I mean.

The fact the you want a better world, tells me already we're en-route to having a better world and you have to live it.

Wonderful.

Thank you very much Mr. Clark.

And will you come and say hello to me?

Beg your pardon? When I'm there in Blacksburg, will you come and greet me?

Ms. Angelou I would be delighted to come and greet you.

I am insisting upon it.

Thank you so much.

Bye.