What a fascinating life Angelou has had. This volume of her autobiography is almost a travel book, as it covers the time she spent singing and dancing in a European tour of Porgy and Bess. I'd heard of that musical before, but have never seen or heard it, bar "Summertime"... something to add to the list. There can't have been too many people who have both danced at La Scala and served on presidential committees. 

I've had some artist residencies as a writer, but they tend to be quite isolated opportunities to create - quiet places where you get library access, sometimes, and are left alone to produce something. That's great for a writer, but it's so interesting to see how it works in other artistic disciplines, because it strikes me that a touring musical is like a traveling residency spent almost entirely in company. It's fun to see how it works!