Sitting in a wheelchair, Maya Angelou was still a "vivid presence in dark glasses and a sparkling black dress" as the 85-year-old writer accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Norman Mailer Center, according to the Associated Press. The annual gala took place at the New York Public Library on Thursday evening.
The AP reports that during her acceptance speech, Angelou spoke about her upbringing in Stamps, Ark., as well as how she came to write her most famous work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
This year seems to be about celebrating Angelou's career, since next month she will accept an honorary National Book Award medal.
Another writer of color, Junot Diaz, was also honored by the Norman Mailer Center. The author, who last year released his latest collection of short stories, This Is How You Lose Her, was given the Mailer Prize for Distinguished Writing.
Read more at ABC News.
Jozen Cummings is the author and creator of the popular relationship blog Until I Get Married, which is currently in development for a television series with Warner Bros. He also hosts a weekly podcast with WNYC about Empire called Empire Afterparty, is a contributor at VerySmartBrothas.com and works at Twitter as an editorial curator. Follow him on Twitter.