One of the many perks of working in public libraries is getting to meet so many great (some good) writers -- and some legends. I first met Maya Angelou a few months after starting my career in public libraries. I was a year out of college. She was keynoting a Maryland Library Association event in Baltimore. I stood in a long line to have her sign "Phenomenal Woman." The cut to the chase: When I got up to her, I set the book on the table, opened to that poem. I was truly awed. She looked up, smiled that big smile, reached across the table, slid her hands around mine, and held them there. I was officially having an audience with Maya Angelou! (Of course, I was one of the last people in line.) She turned to her assistant, who was standing beside her, and said something so nice about me. I blushed, and my mind began racing: "How will I write this story? How will I tell people this story?" My car flew down the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. I got home, told my folks, called my college friend in Pittsburgh, wrote in my journal, and didn't sleep all night. And that was my first time.
