Her legacy is immense. Before "Caged Bird," Richard Wright's "Black Boy" and Claude Brown's "Manchild in the Promised Land" reigned on most radar screens as quintessential stories of growing up black in 20th-century America. At a time when the women's rights movement was rising, she quietly offered a female-centered vision that enriched everyone's view of black life in America. She also offered a model to everyone of perseverance against great odds and despite the burdens of earlier trauma.

With its graphic story of Angelou's rape and her self-imposed silence, "Caged Bird" sounds like a likely candidate for trigger warnings, which would offer students a no-questions-asked excuse to avoid it. Clarence Page

Maya Angelou’s family has planned a private memorial service in Wake Forest University’s Wait Chapel for 10 a.m. Saturday.Wake Forest will stream the service online for the public at go.wfu.edu/angeloumemorial

http://mayaangelou.wfu.edu/maya-angelou-guestbook/