Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni, world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator, is the author of some thirty books for both adults and children. She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1943, grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was educated at Fisk University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University. She published her first book of poetry, Black Feeling Black Talk, in 1968, and her most recent collection, Acolytes, in 2007. Her autobiography, Gemini (1971), was a finalist for the National Book Award; Love Poems (1997), Blues: For All the Changes (1999), and Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (2002), were all honored with NAACP Image Awards. Giovanni's spoken word recordings have also achieved widespread recognition and honors. Her album, Truth Is On Its Way (1971), received the Best Spoken Word Album given by the National Association of Radio and Television Announcers. Her Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection (2002) was one of five finalists for a Grammy Award. Giovanni is the recipient of some twenty-five honorary degrees, has received the keys to more than two dozen cities, and has been named “Woman of the Year” by Mademoiselle Magazine, The Ladies Home Journal, and Ebony Magazine. She was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and has also been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry. Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.