GBH Openvault
Say Brother; Observations of Brown Brilliance; Maya Angelou reads her poem "Phenomenal Women"
Part of Say Brother.
11/24/1978
In this clip, as part of an interview with Barbara Barrow-Murray, Maya Angelou reads her poem "Phenomenal Women" in the Say Brother studio. Overall the program focuses on the work of poet and actor Maya Angelou, whose new book of poems And Still I Rise was recently published. Host Barbara Barrow-Murray speaks with Angelou in-studio to discuss how she is inspired, how she measures success, poets that have inspired her (Paul Dunbar, William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Emily Dickinson), the impact of her mother on her life, publishing trends as they relate to minority writers, and her work as an actor (namely in the television series based on Alex Haley's Roots). Interview includes Angelou's readings of her poems "Phenomenal Women" and "Men," as well as Angelou's responses to questions from the studio audience. The second half of program features previously aired Say Brother segments, namely: Hilda Harris's studio performance of "This Little Light of Mine" (by John Work) and "The Segadilla" (an aria from the second act of Carmen by Georges Bizet) from 1977 when Harris was performing at the Berklee Performance Center, Say Brother interviews with Nikki Giovanni and Sonia 5X Sanchez from 1975, and an in-studio poetry reading of Sam Stamper's poem "Mary Lou" from 1977. Produced by Barbara Barrow-Murray. Directed by Eric Himes and Conrad White.
License Clip
- Series
- Say Brother
- Program
- Observations of Brown Brilliance
- Program Number
906
- Title
Maya Angelou reads her poem "Phenomenal Women"
- Series Description
Say Brother is WGBH's longest running public affairs television program by, for and about African Americans, and is now known as Basic Black. Since its inception in 1968, Say Brother has featured the voices of both locally and nationally known African American artists, athletes, performers, politicians, professionals, and writers including: Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Thomas Atkins, Amiri Baraka, Doris Bunte, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farrakhan, Nikki Giovanni, Odetta Gordon, Henry Hampton, Benjamin Hooks, Jesse Jackson, Hubie Jones, Mel King, Eartha Kitt, Elma Lewis, Haki Madhubuti, Wallace D. Muhammad, Charles Ogletree, Babatunde Olatunji, Byron Rushing, Owusu Sadaukai, and Sonia Sanchez. Series release date: 7/15/1968
- Program Description
Program focuses on the work of poet and actor Maya Angelou, whose new book of poems And Still I Rise was recently published. Host Barbara Barrow-Murray speaks with Angelou in-studio to discuss how she is inspired, how she measures success, poets that have inspired her (Paul Dunbar, William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Emily Dickinson), the impact of her mother on her life, publishing trends as they relate to minority writers, and her work as an actor (namely in the television series based on Alex Haley's Roots). Interview includes Angelou's readings of her poems "Phenomenal Women" and "Men," as well as Angelou's responses to questions from the studio audience. The second half of program features previously aired Say Brother segments, namely: Hilda Harris's studio performance of "This Little Light of Mine" (by John Work) and "The Segadilla" (an aria from the second act of Carmen by Georges Bizet) from 1977 when Harris was performing at the Berklee Performance Center, Say Brother interviews with Nikki Giovanni and Sonia 5X Sanchez from 1975, and an in-studio poetry reading of Sam Stamper's poem "Mary Lou" from 1977.
- Asset Type
Clip
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- Harris, Hilda
- Oral interpretation of poetry
- And Still I Rise (Publication)
- Stamper, Sam
- African American women poets
- Angelou, Maya
- Sanchez, Sonia
- Poetry
- Giovanni, Yolande Cornelia ("Nikki")
- Genres
- Magazine
- Topics
- Race and Ethnicity
- Creators
- White, Conrad (Director)
- Himes, Eric (Director)
- Moore, Melvin (Associate Producer)
- Barrow-Murray, Barbara (Producer)
- Contributors
- Carey, Nancy (Intern)
- Mackles, Gene (Graphic Designer)
- Sullivan, John L. (Lighting Director)
- Smith, Lee (Camera)
- Morton, Wil (Audio)
- Hill, Rebecca (Fashion Consultant)
- Barrow-Murray, Barbara (Host)
- Gray, Randolph (Assistant Cameraman)
- Koppel, Tiit (Lighting Assistant)
- Holden, Dick (Camera)
- Clarke, Brian (Assistant Director)
- Smith, Kathy (Switcher)
- Rivera, George (Production Assistant)
- Kane, Pat (Videotape Recordist)
- Stewart, Aubrey (Video)
- Yang, Eileen (Researcher)
- Lewis, Webster (Theme Music)
- White, Conrad (Stage Manager)
- Mahard, Fran (Scenic Design)
- Publication Information
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Citation
- Chicago: “Say Brother; Observations of Brown Brilliance; Maya Angelou reads her poem "Phenomenal Women",” 11/24/1978, GBH Archives, accessed April 19, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_24B39E08412A4E4689A9CFD2EE120673.
- MLA: “Say Brother; Observations of Brown Brilliance; Maya Angelou reads her poem "Phenomenal Women".” 11/24/1978. GBH Archives. Web. April 19, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_24B39E08412A4E4689A9CFD2EE120673>.
- APA: Say Brother; Observations of Brown Brilliance; Maya Angelou reads her poem "Phenomenal Women". Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_24B39E08412A4E4689A9CFD2EE120673