In Philadelphia (Live), Collectables 1997 . Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day isn’t the only album of poetry I listen to. 1978 . In 1958, Giovanni moved to Knoxville, TN to live with her grandparents and attend Austin High School. In 2003, Giovanni published The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, an audio compilation spanning her poetry from 1968 to the present. ... More by Nikki Giovanni. The Reason I Like Chocolate . Born Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943, Nikki grew up in Lincoln Heights an all black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. The interview makes it clear that regardless of who is "responsible" for the home, the black woman and the black man should be dependent on one another. [12] After the massacre, Giovanni stated that, upon hearing of the shooting, she immediately suspected that Cho might be the shooter. But the genre for which she is best known is poetry. In 2002, Giovanni spoke in front of NASA about the need for African Americans to pursue space travel, and later published Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems, which dealt with similar themes. She writes, “Woman doing what a woman/Does when she’s natural/I would have a revolution” (lines 14-16) Another example of a poem that encourages sexual equality is “Woman Poem” (1968). I loved this album! Nikki Giovanni Show all songs by Nikki Giovanni Popular Nikki Giovanni albums Those Who Ride the Night Winds. Coming to fame in the 1960s, Giovanni is a popular reader of her own poetry and a well respected speaker on Black civil rights. The poetry of Nikki Giovanni has spurred movements, turned hearts and informed generations. "[32] Conversely, Giovanni recognizes the black man's strength, whether or not he is "responsible" for the home or economically advantaged. [2] During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Nikki Giovanni Read more about this and other GRAMMYs news at GRAMMY.com She was commissioned by National Public Radio's All Things Considered to create an inaugural poem for President Barack Obama. "Nikki Giovanni - Spotlight - Interview". "Tragedy and trauma are the wheels" of the bicycle. The Civil Rights Movement and Black Power movements inspired her early poetry that was collected in Black Feeling, Black Talk (1968), which sold over ten thousand copies in its first year, in Black Judgement (1968), selling six thousand copies in three months, and in Re: Creation (1970). This was a collection of poems that she read against the backdrop of gospel music. So together this was a CD I must have in my collection. In 1948, the family moved to Wyoming, and sometime in those first three years, Giovanni's sister, Gary, began calling her "Nikki." In the excerpt from that essay, Giovanni intones, "we are born men and women...we need some happiness in our lives, some hope, some love...I really like to think a black, beautiful loving world is possible. Additionally, she has been named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends". Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather's alma mater, Fisk University. [19] Her book Love Poems (1997) was written in memory of Tupac Shakur, and she has stated that she would "rather be with the thugs than the people who are complaining about them. [7] In 1969, Giovanni began teaching at Livingston College of Rutgers University. In a book she co-wrote with James Baldwin entitled A Dialogue, the two authors speak blatantly about the status of the black male in the household. [5] She immediately clashed with the Dean of Women, Ann Cheatam, and was expelled after neglecting to obtain the required permission from the Dean to leave campus and travel home for Thanksgiving break. The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts (1996), Contributor's Arts Award, The Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing (1996), Living Legacy Award, Juneteenth Festival of Columbus, Ohio (1998), Distinguished Visiting Professor, Johnson & Wales University (1998), The Tennessee Governor's Award in the Arts (1998), National Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent, the Gwendolyn Brooks Center of Chicago State University (1998), Inducted into The Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent (1999), United States Senate Certificate of Commendation (2000), 2000 Council of Ideas, The Gihon Foundation (2000), Virginia Governor's Award for the Arts (2000), The Rosa Parks Women of Courage Award, first recipient (2001 and again in 2002), The SHero Award for Lifetime Achievement (2002), American Library Association's Black Caucus Award for Non-fiction (2003), The East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame Award (2004), Named one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 Living Legends (2005), Poet-In-Residence, Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Award (2005), Child Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year (2005), John Henry "Pop" Lloyd Humanitarian Award (2005), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (Honorary Member) (2006), The National Council of Negro Women Appreciation Award (2007), The Legacy Award, National Alumni Council United Negro College Fund (2007), National Parenting Publications Gold Award (2008), American Book Award honoring outstanding literary achievement from the diverse spectrum of the American literary community (2008), Excellence in Leadership Award from Dominion Power (2008), Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Dedication and Commitment to Service (2009), Art Sanctuary's Lifetime Achievement Award (2010), Presidential Medal of Honor, Dillard University (2010), Library of Virginia's Literary Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), Maya Angelou Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), "We are Virginia Tech" - convocation poem read by Giovanni, This page was last edited on 24 December 2020, at 19:35. Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. was born in Knoxville, Tennessee,[4] to Yolande Cornelia Sr. and Jones "Gus" Giovanni. Soon after her birth, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where her parents worked at Glenview School. [22] In the poem, “Revolutionary Dreams” (1970), Giovanni discusses gender and objectification. [4] She also holds the key to several different cities, including Dallas, Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles. Her more recent works include Acolytes, a collection of 80 new poems, and On My Journey Now. Not only did Giovanni write about racial equality, but she also advocated for gender equality, as well. It includes treasures like “Ego Tripping” and “Nikki Rosa.“ Giovanni was diagnosed with lung cancer in the early 1990s and underwent numerous surgeries. She was also named as one of Oprah Winfrey’s 25 ‘Living Legends’. The civil rights and black power movements informed her early poetry, collected in Black Feeling, Black Talk (1968), Black Judgement … [49], Secondary level winners (grades 7–12, 1989–2019), Middle level winners (grades 5–8, 2001–2019), Middle/Secondary level winners (grades 5–12, since 2020), Elementary level winners (grades K–6, since 1989). Giovanni has received numerous other awards, including the inaugural Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, the American Book Award, the Langston Hughes Award, the Virginia Governor’s Award for the Arts, and the Emily Couric Leadership Award. Both works touch on the deaths of her mother, her sister, and those massacred on the Virginia Tech campus. In 2005, her album The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. One of the most popular and acclaimed African-American poets of the 20th century, Nikki Giovanni came of age in the heady, militant era of the civil rights movement, and her most influential poetry was… (30), Giovanni's poetry in the late 1960s and early 1970s addressed black womanhood and black manhood among other themes. Giovanni's collection Bicycles: Love Poems (2009) is a companion work to her 1997 Love Poems. "[36], In Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid (2013), Giovanni describes falling off of a bike and her mother saying, "Come here, Nikki and I will pick you up." [30] For example, Giovanni writes about her happy childhood as: "Black love is Black wealth and they’ll/probably talk about my hard childhood/and never understand that/all the while I was quite happy" (lines 30-33) [31] Releases the album Like A Ripple On A Pond Jan 1, 1974. Since 1987, she has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor. The work is a celebration of love and recollection directed at friends and loved ones, and it recalls memories of nature, theater, and the glories of children. … Nikki Giovanni's second album backed by the New York Community Choir, Like a Ripple on a Pond, didn't build on the success of the African-American poet's debut, but it did reach just outside the Top 50 on the black albums chart in 1973.It is just as strong as the debut, featuring Giovanni's voice up in front, while arranger and director Benny Diggs directs the powerful gospel choir behind her. She has won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. Birth of Jones "Gus" Giovanni, the poet's father, just outside Mobile, Alabama, to Mattie Jones and Thomas Giovanni. hosted important guests such as Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Jesse Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Gladys Knight, Miriam Makeba, and Stevie Wonder. I am a huge fan of 70's music and poetry by Nikki. The bat is found in western Ecuador and the naming was given "in recognition of her poetry and writings". [28] Her public expression of “oppression, anger, and solidarity”[28] as well as her political activism allow her to reach more than just the poetic circles. Acolytes is her first published volume since her 2003 Collected Poems. [29], Giovanni is often interviewed regarding themes pertaining to her poetry such as gender and race. "I am Black, Female, Polite". In 1968, Giovanni attended a semester at University of Pennsylvania and then moved to New York City. [10], Giovanni gave an extended interview to Bryan Knight's Tell A Friend Podcast where she gave an assessment of her life and legacy. See all the albums from Nikki Giovanni available on Napster. [13] On April 17, 2007, at the Virginia Tech Convocation commemorating the April 16 massacre,[13] Giovanni closed the ceremony with a chant poem, intoning: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, We know we did nothing to deserve it. Her works often reflected her commitment to the civil rights movement and were suffused with deliberate interpretation of experience through a black consciousness. (In addition to being a "regular" on the show, Giovanni for several years helped design and produce episodes.) 10 Songs. She gave her first public reading at the New York City jazz spot, Birdland. Albums by Nikki Giovanni. She expressed that she usually feels very comfortable delivering speeches, but worried that her emotion would get the best of her. Describing him as "mean" and "menacing", she approached the department chair to have Cho taken out of her class, and said she was willing to resign rather than continue teaching him. In 1958, Giovanni moved to Knoxville, TN to live with her grandparents and attend Austin High School. Nikki Giovanni and Virginia C. Fowler, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Nikki Giovanni facts, information, pictures", "Nikki Giovanni, University Distinguished Professor", Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, "Virginia Tech's Nikki Giovanni Nominated for Spoken Word GRAMMY", "Virginia Women in History: Nikki Giovanni", "The Power of Words (with Nikki Giovanni)", "Killer's manifesto: 'You forced me into a corner, "Virginia Tech professor Nikki Giovanni reflects on tragedy and deep horror", "Transcript of Nikki Giovanni's Convocation address", "Utopian Movements: Nikki Giovanni and the Convocation Following the Virginia Tech Massacre", "THE POETRY OF THREE REVOLUTIONISTS: DON L. LEE, SONIA SANCHEZ, AND NIKKI GIOVANNI", "Barnes and Noble, Meet the Authors audio", "Soul! [39] Giovanni read poetry at the Lincoln Memorial as a part of the bi-centennial celebration of Lincoln's birth on February 12, 2009. In a 1972 Soul! Those Who Ride the Night Winds (1983) acknowledged black figures. "Excerpt from A Dialogue." She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor from Dillard University in 2010. In 1970, she began making regular appearances on the television program Soul!, an entertainment/variety/talk show that promoted black art and culture and allowed political expression. I just wanted to admit, you know, that we didn't deserve this, and nobody does. PublishesTripping Ego and Other Poems for Young Readers and A Dialogue: James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni Jan 1, 1973. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. By Sharonica Moore Throughout her career Nikki Giovanni has become one of the most renowned African-American poet, writer, activist, commentator, and educator. In “Woman Poem,” Giovanni describes how pretty women become sex objects “and no love/or love and no sex if you’re fat/get back fat black woman be a mother/grandmother strong thing but not woman.”[23], Giovanni is known for her use of vernacular language. [11], Seung-Hui Cho, the mass murderer who killed 32 people in the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007, was a student in one of Giovanni's poetry classes. (29) [19] She has since written more than two dozen books, including volumes of poetry, illustrated children's books, and three collections of essays. 2005 . [14][15][16], Her speech also sought to express the idea that really terrible things happen to good people: "I would call it, in terms of writing, in terms of poetry, it's a laundry list. Nikki Giovanni discography and songs: Music profile for Nikki Giovanni, born 7 June 1943. Available with an Apple Music subscription. In an interview entitled "I am Black, Female, Polite", Peter Bailey questions her regarding the role of gender and race in the poetry she writes. Giovanni moved back to Knoxville, where she worked at a Walgreens drug store and helped care for her nephew, Christopher. Following the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims.[4]. In “Woman Poem,” Giovanni shows that the Black Arts Movement and racial pride were not as liberating for women as they were for men (Virginia Fowler, Introduction to theCollected Works of Nikki Giovanni). Read Full Biography, One of the most popular and acclaimed African-American poets of the 20th century, Nikki Giovanni came of age in the heady, militant era of the civil rights movement, and her most influential poetry was…, Reason I Like Chocolate (& Other Children's Poems). This is just CLASSIC 70's music with some amazing, beautiful words of poetry to soothe your mind. [28] It is in this sense of human unity in which Giovanni aligns herself with the beliefs of Martin Luther King, Jr. Like King, Giovanni believes a unified, collective government must be made up of the everyday, ordinary citizen, regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender. In November 2008, a song cycle of her poems, Sounds That Shatter the Staleness in Lives by Adam Hill, was premiered as part of the Soundscapes Chamber Music Series in Taos, New Mexico. Soon after her birth, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where her parents worked at Glenview School. However, Giovanni's fiery persona still remains a constant undercurrent in Acolytes, as some of the most serious verse links her own life struggles (being a black woman and a cancer survivor) to the wider frame of African-American history and the continual fight for equality. Since 1987, she has taught writing and literature at Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor. Giovanni’s autobiography, “Gemini,” was a finalist for the 1973 National Book Award. [6] In 1967, she graduated with honors with a B.A. This collection includes poems that pay homage to the greatest influences on her life whom have passed away, including close friend Maya Angelou who died in 2014. In 1960, she began her studies at her grandfather's alma m… Giovanni was diagnosed with lung cancer in the 1990s. [20] Her work is described as conveying "urgency in expressing the need for Black awareness, unity, [and] solidarity." The audio compilation coincided with The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni (2003) which includes poetry from each of her eleven volumes of poetry and features a chronology and extensive notes for each selection. [8] She has received the NAACP Image Award several times, received 20 honorary doctorates and various other awards, including the Rosa Parks and the Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters. (29), Giovanni's poetry reaches more readership through her active engagement with live audiences. She briefly attended Columbia University and privately published Black Feeling, Black Talk. ! One reason why Giovanni does not capitalize the word, “English,” could be because it is not used well for communication, unless people “speak through it.”, Giovanni herself takes great pride in being a "Black American, a daughter, mother, and a Professor of English". Over the course of her 52-year career, Nikki Giovanni has written 12 children’s books and eight nonfiction books, and she has released 10 spoken word albums. (29) Her writing, heavily inspired by African-American activists and artists,[25][26] also reflects the influences of issues of race, gender, sexuality, and the African-American family. Father has stroke and is subsequently diagnosed with cancer. "[27] Additionally, in 2007 she wrote a children's picture book titled Rosa, which centers on the life of Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks. So, shortly before going onstage, she added a closing: "We are Virginia Tech." The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, 2002 . Giovanni’s autobiography, “Gemini,” was a finalist for the 1973 National Book Award. Genres: Poetry, Jazz Poetry, Gospel. Try it free. Nikki Giovanni, American poet whose writings ranged from calls for black power to poems for children and intimate personal statements. [13] Her performance produced a sense of unity and received a fifty-four second standing ovation from the over-capacity audience in Cassell Coliseum, including then-President George W. And so I wanted to link our tragedy, in every sense, you know - we're no different from anything else that has ...."[13], She thought that ending with a thrice-repeated "We will prevail" would be anti-climactic, and she wanted to connect back with the beginning, for balance. [7], She has also been honored for her life and career by the HistoryMakers, along with being the first person to receive the Rosa L. Parks Women of Courage Award. was a finalist for the 1973 National Book Award, and her album "The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection," was a Grammy finalist for Best Spoken Word Album in 2004. She also has published several works of nonfiction, children’s literature and multiple recordings, including the Grammy-nominated “The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection” (2004). Albums: Release dates in Chronological order . Baldwin challenges Giovanni's opinion on the representation of black women as the "breadwinners" in the household. But neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS. Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Yolande Cornelia Sr. and Jones "Gus" Giovanni. Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr.[1][2] (born June 7, 1943) is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. [30] Bailey specifically addresses the critically acclaimed poem "Nikki-Rosa," and questions whether it is reflective of the poet's own childhood and her experiences in her community. Neither do the invisible children walking the night awake to avoid being captured by a rogue army. These poems would later be included in her collection Black Feelings, Black Talk. She’s been hailed as a firebrand, a radical, a courageous activist who has spoken out on the sensitive issues that touch our national consciousness, including race and gender, social justice, protest, violence in the home and in the streets, and why black lives matter. Likewise, Giovanni’s early work has been considered to be “polemic,” and “incendiary.” [21] Examples of poems in which she vehemently advocated for change include “The True Import of Present Dialogue Black vs. Negro” (1968), “Poem for Black Boys” (1968) and “A Litany for Peppe” (1970). If you are a fan of her poetry and would love hearing her express it as only she can, this is the CD you MUST HAVE!! "Poet, Tupac capture beauty beneath pain". She has explained that it was comforting to hear her mother say this, and that "it took me the longest to realize – no, she made me get up myself. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". [12], Giovanni was asked by Virginia Tech president Charles Steger to give a convocation speech at the April 17 memorial service for the shooting victims (she was asked by Steger at 5:00 pm on the day of the shootings, giving her less than 24 hours to prepare the speech). Neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water....We are Virginia Tech.... We will prevail. 1997 . (30) In "After Mecca": Women Poets and the Black Arts Movement, Cheryl Clarke cites Giovanni as a woman poet who became a significant part of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement. [2], Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni chose the title of the collection as a metaphor for love itself, "because love requires trust and balance. Listen to albums and songs from Nikki Giovanni. Giovanni has written many collections of poetry during her long career, starting with her first self-published volume “Black Feeling, Black Talk” (1968). In one reading she shares her poem, “I Married My Mother.” In 2017, Giovanni presented at a TEDx event. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip hop. [32], Giovanni tours nationwide and frequently speaks out against hate-motivated violence. Soon after graduation, she suffered the loss of her grandmother, Louvenia Watson, and turned to writing to cope with her death. "[33] Such themes appeared throughout her early poetry which focused on race and gender dynamics in the black community. Baldwin states: "A man is not a woman. [42] Giovani often reads from her book. 7 June 1943 (age 77) Nikki Giovanni has written more than two dozen books, including volumes of poetry, illustrated children’s books, and three collections of essays. Her recorded album of poetry, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, won a Grammy Award. Poet Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. In addition to this book reaching number three on the New York Best Seller list, it also received the Caldecott Honors Award, and its illustrator, Brian Collier, received the Coretta Scott King Award. She was an active member of the Black Arts Movement beginning in the late 1960s. 1997 . She published multiple poetry anthologies, children's books, and released spoken word albums from 1973 to 1987.[6]. Kids Stuff . Nikki Giovanni on Poetry, Grief and Her New Book, "Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid", "8 Lessons From Nikki Giovanni That Will Change Your Life", In Black America; Nikki Giovanni: Portrait of a Contemporary Writer, A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nikki_Giovanni&oldid=996138498, Articles needing additional references from June 2018, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Keys to more than two dozen American cities, including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, State Historical markers in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Lincoln Heights, Ohio, National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1968), National Association of Radio and Television Announcers Award for Best Spoken Word Album, for, Life Membership & Scroll, The National Council of Negro Women (1973), Woman of the Year, Cincinnati YWCA (1983), Duncanson Artist in Residence, The Taft Museum (1986), The Children's Reading Roundtable of Chicago Award for, The Cecil H. and Ida Green Honors Chair, Texas Christian University (1991), The Hill Visiting Professor, University of Minnesota (1993), Tennessee Writer's Award, The Nashville Banner (1994), The Tennessee Governor's Award in the Humanities (1996), The Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters (1996), Artist-in-Residence. After the birth of her son in 1969, Giovanni recorded several of her poems with a musical backdrop of jazz and gospel. [24] Virginia Fowler in the introduction of The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni states, “Giovanni’s poetry draws our attention to the limitations and artificiality of language and of language shaped into what we call ‘art.’” Fowler quotes the poem, “My House,” in which Giovanni writes: "english isn’t a good language/to expression through/mostly i imagine because people/try to speak English instead/of trying to speak through it" (lines 30-34). Her collection Blues: For All the Changes: New Poems (1999) intimately discusses nature and her battle with cancer. Albums include The Rose That Grew From Concrete, Volume 1, Fly Girls! The theme of the work is love relationships.[38]. While at Fisk, Giovanni edited a student literary journal (titled Èlan), reinstated the campus chapter of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee), and published an essay in Negro Digest on gender questions in the Movement. Travels to Rome for the United Nations’ First World Food Conference Jan 1, 1978. Nikki Giovanni: The Way I Feel (Album) 2 versions : Niktom: NK 4201: US: 1975: Sell This Version: 2 versions In 1969, she gave birth to Thomas Watson Giovanni, her only child. [28] In the 1970s and '80s her popularity as a speaker increased even more. (29) She also featured on the track "Ego Trip by Nikki Giovanni" on Blackalicious's 2000 album Nia. The Way I Feel (full album) - Nikki Giovanni [1975 Soul / Poetry] - … Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like The Rivers – Compilation, Rhino 2000 . [18] Giovanni is commonly praised as one of the best African-American poets emerging from the 1960s Black Power and Black Arts Movements. She began to travel all around the world and speak and read to a wider audience. [19] Her early poems that were collected in the late 1960s and early 1970s are seen as radical as and more militant than her later work. In 1948, the family moved to Wyoming, and sometime in those first three years, Giovanni's sister, Gary, began calling her "Nikki." In 2004, her album, “The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection,” was a Grammy finalist for the Best Spoken Word Album. In October 2017 Giovani published her newest collection A Good Cry: What We Learn From Tears and Laughter. Nikki Giovanni In Philadelphia . Nikki grew up priding herself on her culture and… One of the most popular and acclaimed African-American poets of the 20th century, Nikki Giovanni came of age in the heady, militant era of the civil rights movement, and her most influential poetry was… Read Full Biography. "[37] Chasing Utopia continues as a hybrid (poetry and prose) work about food as a metaphor and as a connection to the memory of her mother, sister, and grandmother. In 2004, Giovanni was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards for her album The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. [6] In 2015, Giovanni was named one of the Library of Virginia's "Virginia Women in History" for her contributions to poetry, education, and society. Here she read the poem, “My Sister and Me.” She called her and her sister, “Two little chocolate girls.” After reading the poem she claims, “Sometimes you write a poem because damnit, you want to.” [43], Giovanni's Big-Eared Bat Micronycteris giovanniae was named in her honor in 2007. degree in history. The poem, entitled “Roll Call: A Song of Celebration,” ends with the following enthusiastic, optimistic three lines: "Yes We Can/Yes We Can/Yes We Can." Even though Giovanni's earlier works were known to carry a militant, revolutionary tone, Giovanni communicated "a global sense of solidarity amongst oppressed peoples in the world" in her travels. In 2004, her album, “The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection,” was a … [3], Giovanni has taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and is currently a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech. Her work is said to speak to all ages, and she strives to make her work easily accessible and understood by both adults and children. [3] In 1960, she began her studies at her grandfather's alma mater, Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, as an "Early Entrant", which meant that she could enroll in college without having finished high school first. Biography ↓ Discography ↓ Songs ↓ Credits ↓ Giovanni collected her essays in the 1988 volume Sacred Cows ... and Other Edibles. Poems such as "Knoxville, Tennessee" and "Nikki-Rosa" have been frequently re-published in anthologies and other collections. An Evening With Nikki Giovanni . In the interview, Giovanni stresses that she did not like constantly reading the trope of the black family as a tragedy and that "Nikki-Rosa" demonstrates the experiences that she witnessed in her communities. From Lit Level 7. [34] At a 1999 Martin Luther King Day event, she recalled the 1998 murders of James Byrd, Jr. and Matthew Shepard: "What's the difference between dragging a black man behind a truck in Jasper, Texas, and beating a white boy to death in Wyoming because he's gay?"[35].
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