Interview: Introductions for poet and writer Maya Angelou are made by Dean John Eadie of Michigan State University and poet Diane Wakoski, who details the wide array of Angelou's accomplishments. Angelou begins her lecture topic, poetry, with a poem. To discuss poetry is to reflect on love and the human condition. Angelou stresses the importance of becoming familiar with the African American poets and writers who are influential individuals in America's literary field. She reads from the poetry of significant African American poets, including her own. The subjects of her works include women, working, and humor. Angelou takes questions from the audience, many of them related to her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970). She discusses the condition of African Americans in America today. The author narrates stories about her childhood and background, and she relates a story about when she was a singer and dancer for the musical Porgy and Bess (1945-1955). Her stories illustrates that literature belongs to everyone, across cultures, and across the years.