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Suggested Topics:
- Diversity as Art: Art as
Diversity
- Racism 101
Yolanda Cornelia "Nikki"
Giovanni, who is a world-renowned poet, writer,
commentator, activist, and educator, was born
in Knoxville , Tennessee , and raised in Ohio
. In 1960, she entered Fisk University , where
she worked with the school's Writer's Workshop
and edited the literary magazine. After receiving
her bachelor of arts degree, she organized the
Black Arts Festival in Cincinnati and then entered
graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania
.
Over the past thirty years, Nikki's
outspokenness, in her writing and in person, has
brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of
the most widely read American poets, she prides
herself on being "a Black American, a daughter,
a mother, a professor of English." Giovanni
remains as determined and committed as ever to
the fight for civil rights and equality. Always
insisting on presenting the truth as she sees
it, she has maintained a prominent place as a
strong voice of the Black community.
Her focus is on the individual, specifically,
on the power one has to make a difference in oneself,
and thus, in the lives of others. Nikki Giovanni
has written more than two dozen books
, including volumes of poetry, illustrated
children's books
, and three collections of essays. In her
first two collections, Black Feeling, Black Talk
(1968) and Black Judgement (1969), Giovanni reflects
on the African-American identity. Recently, she
has published Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems
and Not-Quite Poems (William Morrow & Co.,
2002) Blues For All the Changes: New Poems (1999),
Love Poems (1997) and Selected Poems of Nikki
Giovanni (1996). Her book Racism 101 includes
bold, controversial essays about the situation
of Americans on all sides of various race issues.
She has received nineteen honorary
doctorates and a host of other awards, including
"Woman of the Year" awards from three
different magazines as well as Governors' Awards
in the Arts from both Tennessee and Virginia .
Her two most recent volumes of poetry, Love Poems
and Blues: For All the Changes, were both winners
of the NAACP Image Award, in 1998 and 2000, respectively.
Her honors include the NAACP Image Award for Literature
in 1998, and the Langston Hughes award for Distinguished
Contributions to Arts and Letters in 1996. Several
magazines have named Giovanni Woman of the Year,
including Essence, Mademoiselle, and Ladies Home
Journal.
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