Iconic American poet, activist, playwright, and holder of numerous awards and 50 honorary degrees, Maya Angelou, was a giant among humans- but like all giants, she started small before learning to grow. This, the first of her famous autobiographies, tells of her modest start and the beginning of her meteoric rise. The lesson — no matter what we’ve been through, we all decide where we’re going.

Before discussing Ms. Angelou, we’ll talk about a subject dear to her heart, language. What’s the difference between slang and dialect? Are their rules to the Black-American dialect? If so, what are they? Learn all of this and more on the latest episode of LIT Society. Enjoy y’all.