Oprah and Laverne Cox read Maya Angelou poem in stunning Google Doodle
It's not every day that the internet bestows a gift upon the poetry lovers of the world.
But, Google has a treat in store for poetry fanatics who venture over to the search engine's homepage. Today's Google Doodle is an animated poetry reading of Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise," read by Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Keys, Laverne Cox, and several others.
In celebration of what would have been the poet's 90th birthday, the Doodle is set to Angelou's own voice, and that of others who've been inspired by her work.
The Doodle begins with Angelou reading verses from the iconic poem, followed by Alicia Keys, America Ferrera, Martina McBride, Guy Johnson, Laverne Cox, and Oprah Winfrey.
Winfrey, Cox, and Keys also shared some words on Angelou's influence and legacy.
"Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it's how she did it all. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence, and a fiery, fierce grace and abounding love," Winfrey told Google.
Cox said Angelou's work is "filled with such incredible wisdom and spiritual teachings." "It feels like the ultimate privilege to have the opportunity to speak her words," Cox said.
Keys said she was "honoured to be able to say her words." "Maya Angelou, I love her so much. Everything she represented as a woman, her creativity, her story, who she is," says Keys.
The animation can be viewed on on Google's homepage today, and the Google Doodle page.
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Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
