Hey. Katherine here, the woman behind ladypockets. I just wanted to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for a brief pause. Maya Angelou died today, at eighty-six years old.

She was an incredible woman. My deepest condolences to her loved ones, and to all those who, like myself, found courage and strength and comfort in her words.

She once said, and I quote, “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

She also said, “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”

Maya Angelou kicked serious ass. And her birdsong meant a great deal, to myself and to the world.