Released Jan. 11, 2008

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- A remarkable woman who is hailed as one of the greatest voices of contemporary literature, Maya Angelou, will be a guest speaker during the third annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Virginia Tech.

Angelou’s visit to campus will kick off the week-long commemoration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event will take place Monday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Burruss Hall auditorium.

For seating information, see the related campus notice at http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/campus_notices/campusnotice.php?item=1640.

Through her lifelong work as a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, and actress Angelou still enjoys traveling the world, making appearances, sharing her legendary wisdom, and captivating her audiences with her exquisite words. Since 1981, Angelou has served as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. She has also written 12 best-selling books and in 1993 became only the second poet in U.S. history to have the honor of composing and reciting original work at a Presidential inauguration.

This event is being sponsored by the Virginia Tech Office of Multicultural Affairs (http://www.multicultural.vt.edu/ceod) and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity (http://www.aphia.org.vt.edu/). For tickets or additional information, visit the University Unions and Student Activities (UUSA) (http://www.uusa.vt.edu/eventServices/ticket/index.php) ticket office on the first floor of the Squires Student Center or visit UUSA online and click on speakers.

Listen to the related podcasts for additional information on Angelou's visit and other programs planned for the celebration.

• Ray Plaza, director of diversity initiatives in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, talks about planning for keynote speaker Maya Angelou: http://www.podcasts.vt.edu/mlk_2008_1.mp3 (Length 10:44 | 10.0 MB)
• Plaza discusses other events that will make up the celebration and community service opportunities: http://www.podcasts.vt.edu/mlk_2008_2.mp3 (Length 14.38 | 13.6 MB)

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.

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http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2008&itemno=22

Contact: Meghan Williams, (540) 231-4754, iwill07@vt.edu