STAMPS, AR - On Wednesday, April 8, the Stamps Post Office will host a special dedication ceremony for the Dr. Maya Angelou Forever Stamp. The event starts at 10 a.m. and will take place at the Lafayette County High School, 1209 Alexander Lane, Stamps, AR 71860. The Stamps dedication event is free and open to the public. On Tuesday, April 7, the U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the national release the Angelou stamp with a First Day of Issue ceremony in Washington, DC.
U.S. Congressman Bruce Westerman will serve as guest speaker for the local Angelou stamp event and Arkansas District Manager David Camp will provide stamp dedication remarks. Other participants will include local community members and postal officials.
As an author, poet, actress, and champion of civil rights, Angelou (1928–2014) was one of the most dynamic voices in 20th-century American literature. The book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” an autobiographical account of her childhood, gained wide acclaim for its vivid depiction of African-American life in the South.
Angelou was born in St. Louis, MO, but spent many of her young, formative years between the ages of three and 14 living in Stamps, AR, under the care of her paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson, the owner of a local general store.
The stamp showcases Atlanta-based artist Ross Rossin’s 2013 48” x 48” oil-on-canvas portrait of Angelou. The large hyper-realistic painting is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's collection, where it will be on display through Nov. 1. The stamp features this quotation by the pioneering author: “A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
The stamp pane includes a short excerpt from Angelou’s book, “Letter to My Daughter.” It reads: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, designed the stamp. Customers are encouraged to use social media to spread the news about the stamp using #MayaForever.
Sales of the Angelou stamps and special pictorial postmark cancellations will be available at the event and also at the retail counter of the Stamps Post Office, 110 Thomas St.
To obtain the Stamps, AR Maya Angelou Special Pictorial Postmark (shown above)
People attending the special dedication ceremony or visiting the Stamps Post Office on Wednesday, April 8, may obtain the stamps and pictorial cancellation.
Those who cannot be there that day but who wish to obtain the Stamps, AR special pictorial postmark may submit a mail order request to:
Maya Angelou Special Postmark,
ATTN: Postmaster
110 Thomas St.
Stamps, AR 71860-9998
The Stamps, AR Maya Angelou special pictorial postmark is available only for the date indicated and mail-in requests must be postmarked no later than June 8, 2015, 60 days following the requested special pictorial postmark date (April 8, 2015).
All requests must include a stamped envelope or postcard bearing at least one postage stamp with the minimum First-Class Mail® postage.
Items submitted for postmark may not include postage issued after the date of the requested postmark. Such items will be returned unserviced.
Customers wishing to obtain a postmark should affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others, insert a card of postcard thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address listed above.
Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for postmark, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address. After applying the pictorial postmark, the Postal Service will return the items (with or without addresses) under addressed protective cover.
First Day of Issue and other information on the Dr. Maya Angelou Forever Stamp may be found online: www.usps.com/news
High-resolution image of the stamp is available for news media use only by emailing: mark.r.saunders@usps.gov
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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