The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.

I know some people might think it odd - unworthy even - for me to have written a cookbook, but I make no apologies. The U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins thought I had demeaned myself by writing poetry for Hallmark Cards, but I am the people's poet so I write for the people.

It's so tedious writing cookbooks or writing the recipes because I've never been much of a measurer. But to write a book, you have to measure everything.

Independence is a heady draught, and if you drink it in your youth, it can have the same effect on the brain as young wine does. It does not matter that its taste is not always appealing. It is addictive and with each drink you want more.

If I'm the people's poet, then I ought to be in people's hands - and, I hope, in their heart.

Some critics will write 'Maya Angelou is a natural writer' - which is right after being a natural heart surgeon.