Angelou reschedules IU visit for Thursday

Famed wordsmith Maya Angelou will speak as a belated part of ArtsWeek at 7 p.m. Thursday at the IU Auditorium.

Angelou fell ill before her originally scheduled appearance  Sunday and had to postpone the performance.

On Thursday, IU Auditorium will accept all tickets given out for the original performance, and ticket holders will not have to make any ticket exchanges.

“She’s poetic, honest – it’s definitely wonderful to listen to her voice,” said Sherry Knighton-Schwandt, ArtsWeek coordinator.

Angelou has received numerous awards for her contributions to American literature. She was nominated for a Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Award in 2004 for “Hallelujah! The Welcome Table.” Most recently, she was honored with a Mother Teresa Award for her service to humanity in 2006.

“Dr. Angelou will touch on her experiences as a poet and author, along with a few selected readings from her incredible body of work,” Doug Booher, director of IU Auditorium, said in an e-mail.

The topic of Angelou’s speech has not been disclosed, but Knighton-Schwandt said she has faith that the audience will take something away from it.

“I think she can speak personally with any audience,” Knighton-Schwandt said. “She’s gone through a lot and is very inspiring.”