First lady Michelle Obama speakes Saturday at a private memorial service for poet and author Maya Angelou, the White House said.
The service takes at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., where Angelou first began teaching in 1982.
Angelou, who died last week at age 86, was a favorite of the Obamas. President Obama praised her as a "brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman." The president's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, was named for Angelou.
Although Angelou supported Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries, she later endorsed Barack Obama. In a 2009 essay in Essence magazine, Angelou recounted how she sought advice from Oprah Winfrey before introducing the Obamas at an event and praised Michelle Obama for her "effortless grace."
Wake Forest University says there will be other celebrations of Angelou's life in other cities. Her son, Guy Johnson, will release that information at a later date.
