Jeremy Isaacs asks the black American writer Maya Angelou about her life, her writing and her hopes for the future. What unfolds is a frank and sometimes shocking account of her journey to becoming an established author. The black American writer Maya Angelou won international acclaim with the publication of the first volume of her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an eloquent memoir of a tragic childhood in the deep south. Raped by her mother's boy-friend at 8, she became mute for five years. Despite these harrowing accounts, her writing is full of hope, providing inspiration for a whole generation.