Kate Chopin is one of America’s finest authors, writer of classics such as The Awakening, writing at a time when being a writer was still not a well-respected profession for women. So who was Kate Chopin, and how did she come to write the novels and stories we consider classics of literature today?   She was born Katherine O’Flaherty in St Louis, Missouri. Her father was an Irish emigré and her mother was of French descent.   She was raised by three generations of widows - her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in the same household. Her father died when she was very young and her mother never remarried. She was tutored for several years her great-grandmother, who taught her French,...

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There are no shortage of inspirational Maya Angelou quotes to be found that are poignant and meaningful . As a memoirist, poet and activist Angelou words speak of joy and hope without shying away from the realities of life - especially her own. She has been described as “the Black woman’s poet laureate”, and one of the first Black female writers to discuss her personal life in searing honesty and frankness. She had a long and fascinating life which a pithy quotation cannot begin to encapsulate. Here is a brief biography and a primer on some of her most celebrated works. She was born in St Louis, Missouri in 1928, raised by both her parents and her paternal grandmother. She credits...

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