Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni (June 7, 1943–) grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Knoxville, Tennessee, and in 1960 she entered Nashville’s Fisk University. By 1967, when she received a B.A., she was firmly committed to the civil rights movement and the concept of black power. Entering the literary world at the height of the Black Arts Movement, Nikki Giovanni quickly became one of America’s most widely read poets. Truth Is On Its Way, a recording of her poems recited to gospel music, was one of the best-selling albums in the country in 1971. Named woman of the year by three magazines, including Ebony, and recipient of a host of honorary doctorates and awards, Nikki Giovanni has read from her work and lectured at colleges around the country.
Giovanni has published over 30 books of poetry and essays including: Black Feeling, Black Talk, Black Judgement (1968); Gemini (1971), finalist for the National Book Award for biography; My House (1972); Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People (1973); The Women and the Men (1975); Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day (1978); Those Who Ride the Night Winds (1983); Sacred Cows… and Other Edibles (1988), Racism 101 (1994), Love Poems (1997), Bicycles (2009), and Chasing Utopia (2013). Giovanni’s experiences as a single mother then began to influence her poetry. Spin a Soft Black Song (1971), Ego-Tripping (1973), Vacation Time (1980), The Sun Is So Quiet (1996), and I Am Loved (2018) were collections of poems for children. Giovanni was nominated for a Grammy award for The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection in 2004. In 1970, Giovanni founded a publishing cooperative, NikTom, Ltd. that supported the work of Black women writers including Gwendolyn Brooks, Mari Evans, Carolyn Rodgers, and Margaret Walker. Giovanni resides in Virginia with her longtime partner, Virginia Fowler, and serves as University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech.
Primary Text Source: Furious Flower
Additional Text Source: Brittanica
Archives
Nikki Giovanni Papers, Boston University →
Digital Resources
1971 Conversation with James Baldwin on SOUL! (Video) →