One of the brightest lights of our time -- a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman
Barack Obama
The poems and stories she wrote and read to us in her commanding voice were gifts of wisdom and wit, courage and grace . . . I will always be grateful for her electrifying reading of 'On the Pulse of Morning' at my first inaugural, and even more for all the years of friendship that followed
Bill Clinton
The world knows her as a poet but at the heart of her, she was a teacher. "When you learn, teach. When you get, give" is one of my best lessons from her
Oprah Winfrey
You will hear the regal woman, the mischievous street girl; you will hear the price of black woman's survival and you will hear of her generosity. Black, bitter, and beautiful, she speaks of our survival
James Baldwin