Drinking Deep
Why Maya Angelou Loved Sherry, The Drink of Brilliant Renegades
She usually had a glass at 11 a.m., and—along with a Bible and Roget’s Thesaurus—sherry was a vital writing accessory of Maya Angelou’s.
Jeff Daly/AP
In 1990, during an interview with George Plimpton for The Paris Review, Maya Angelou revealed the few items she brought into Spartan hotel rooms in which she wrote her seminal works: the Bible, a dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, yellow notepads, an ashtray and a bottle of sherry.
“I might have it at six-fifteen a.m.,” she explained, “just as soon as I get in, but usually it’s about eleven o’clock when I’ll have a glass of sherry.”
Angelou was otherworldly, even during her lifetime. At her memorial service last week, former president Bill Clinton commended her for calling our attention to “dignity, work, love and kindness.” Oprah Winfrey called her “spiritual queen mother” and “my anchor,” and Michelle Obama praised her as “one of the greatest spirits the world has ever known.”