Overview

Poet, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni describes herself as “a Black American, daughter, mother and a professor of English.” Throughout her career as a writer Giovanni has used the written word to explore themes such as pride, liberation and African-American feminism.  Described as a “national treasure” and honored as one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Living Legends,” Giovanni’s work is considered classic and evocative by readers and critics.

Early Life and Education

Nikki Giovanni was born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tenn. Her parents moved the family to Lincoln Heights, a suburb of Cincinati, Ohio when Giovanni was a child as part of the great migration.

In 1967, Giovanni graduated from Fisk University with a degree in history. She continued her education at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

Poet

Inspired by theCivil Rights Movement , Giovanni began writing and publishing poetry. In 1968, her first collection of poetry, Black Feeling, Black Talk was published. The following year, Black Judgement was released and in 1970, Re: Creation was published. Employing themes of liberation, femininism, and Afrocentrism, Giovanni was given the nickname “Princess of Black Poetry.” Including these early collections of poetry, Giovanni has published 30 books for adults and children. In addition to the aforementioned themes, Giovanni has also explored ideas such as the African-American family, sexuality and embracing hip hop culture.

Most notably, Giovanni published a collection of poetry entitled Love Poems in 1997. The collection was dedicated to rapper Tupac Shakur.  

Literary Praise

Giovanni is considered one of the premier poets to blossom during the Civil Rights Movement. Described as being “politically, spiritually and socially aware,” and exuding and “urgency in expressing the need for Black awareness, unity, [and] solidarity.”  Here’s what critics have said of her work:

• Cheryl Clark argues that Giovanni is one of the most significant poets to emerge during the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements.
• Evie Shockley contends that Giovanni’s work is “epitomizing the defiant, unapologetically political, unabashadely Afrocentric, BAM ethos.”

 

Educator

In 1969 , Giovanni began teaching at Rutgers University. Since 1987 Giovanni has instructed students at Virginia Tech in the areas of writing and literature. She holds the distinction as a University Distinguished Professor.

Honors

Giovanni has been the recipient of many awards for her work as a poet, activist and educator including:

• Gemini, was a finalist for the National Book Award.
• Three of her works, Love Poems, Blues: For All the Changes, Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, Acolytes, and Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat were all honored with NAACP Image Awards.
• Blues: For All the Changes reached #4 on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller list—an achievement for a collection of poetry.
• The children’s book Rosa centered on the life of civil rights activist Rosa Parksis a Caldecott Honors Book. The book also reached #3 on The New York Times Bestseller list.

In addition, Giovanni has received an estimated thirty honorary degrees. She’s been named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle, The Ladies Home Journal and Ebony.

Quotes

• Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.
• A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it.
• Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.

I am totally fascinated by people and our history as I understand and continue to explore it. People have so much to give and so far to go and yet we have given and gone a great distance. It's really just interesting to ask: why not? And see where that takes me.