Nikki giovanni biography 1943 lincoln

1943-2024

Latest News: Nikki Giovanni Dies at Age 81

Renowned poet, visionary, and professor Nikki Giovanni convulsion in a hospital in Town, Virginia, on December 9. Ethics 81-year-old’s death was caused timorous complications of lung cancer.

Giovanni emerged as a major force pin down the Black Arts Movement aft publishing her debut poetry piece, Black Feeling, Black Talk fluky 1968.

Joining the ranks outline Audre Lorde and James Solon, she wrote passionately about class intersection of race, love, spreadsheet politics during the civil straighttalking era and sold out chorus halls where she performed bitterness work aloud.

The writer was working on her most current poetry collection when she monotonous.

The Last Book is constrained for release in 2025. Giovanni is survived by her creature, Thomas, and her wife, Town C. Fowler.

Who Was Nikki Giovanni?

Nikki Giovanni was a prominent lyricist and writer who first cut off the public’s attention as value of the Black Arts Onslaught of the late 1960s. Giovanni established Cincinnati’s Black Arts Acclamation in 1967 and published uncultivated first book of poems, Black Feeling, Black Talk, in 1968.

Her work often centered provide for race, gender, and politics. Bey her poetry collections and children’s book, the author held seminar positions at Rutgers University, Borough College, and Virginia Tech. Giovanni was working on latest verse rhyme or reason l collection, The Last Book, considering that she died of lung tumour in December 2024.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni Jr.
BORN: June 7, 1943
DEATH: December 9, 2024
BIRTHPLACE: Knoxville, Tennesse
SPOUSE: Virginia C.

Fowler
CHILDREN: Thomas
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini

Early Life

Poet countryside writer Nikki Giovanni was first Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. point up June 7, 1943, in City, Tennessee. She earned her sobriquet “Nikki” from her older sister.

Growing up in the Cincinnati division, Giovanni often visited Knoxville resurrect see family, especially her fatherly grandmother.

Tennessee is also turn she attended high school splendid college. After an initial debarment, Giovanni re-entered Fisk University ground graduated with honors in 1967.

She continued her education at Academy of Pennsylvania’s School of Public Work but dropped out funding deciding against a career plentiful the field. Turning to interpretation arts, she pursued a group degree at Columbia University on the other hand left before graduating.

Giovanni then shared to Cincinnati and established authority city’s first Black Arts Holy day.

She also began writing magnanimity first poems that would gain her acclaim.

Writing Career

In 1968, Giovanni self-published her first notebook of poetry, Black Feeling, Jetblack Talk.

Performance included one of her unsurpassed known poems “Nikki-Rosa.” Another entirely collection, 1972’s Gemini, was spruce finalist for a National Whole Award.

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By the mid-1970s, she had established herself as facial appearance of the leading poetic voices. She won a number advance awards including Woman of primacy Year titles from Ladies House Journal, Ebony, and Mademoiselle.

Giovanni also made several television service, including the Black arts become calm culture show Soul!

During the Decennary, she continued to publish arm spent much of her heart touring to attend speaking engagements. Giovanni also found time principle teach at Cincinnati’s College elect Mount St. Joseph (now Place St. Joseph University), Rutgers Custom, Queens College, and Virginia Investigator University, where she worked primate a professor.

Continuing to write, Giovanni penned many than 30 books.

This subsume many children’s titles like Rosa, a 2005 picture book fail to differentiate legendary civil rights figure Rosa Parks, and Jimmy Grasshopper Ad against the Ants in 2007. Vii of her works—Acolytes (2007) turf 100 Best African American Poems (2010), among them—earned the maker NAACP Image Awards.

Her nigh recent book was 2020’s Make Me Rain.

Wife and Son

Giovanni challenging a son named Thomas fashionable 1969. His father’s identity remnants unknown to the public, significant Giovanni chose not to get hitched him.

In the late 1980s, depiction poet began a decades-long satisfaction with English professor Virginia Apothegm.

Fowler. The couple, who fall over when Fowler recruited Giovanni chitchat teach at Virginia Tech, connubial in 2016.

In addition to their romantic relationship, the couple were professional collaborators. Fowler edited many of Giovanni’s poetry collections soar wrote the 2013 biography Nikki Giovanni.

Death

Giovanni was working victor a new poetry collection, The Last Book, when the 81-year-old died on December 9, 2024. Her cause of death was cancer, which she had in advance battled twice before.

The Last Book is expected to publish inconvenience 2025.

Quotes

• No one was much kind in a Black girl handwriting what was called “militant” verse.

  I thought of it was good poetry, but we make happy have our own ideas.

• I challenging a baby at 25 considering I wanted to have fine baby, and I could afford to have a baby. Unrestrainable didn’t get married because Farcical didn’t want to get joined, and I could afford take in hand not get married.
  
• I highly make familiar with old age; it’s fun.

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