Giovanni biography

1943-2024

Latest News: Nikki Giovanni Dies at Age 81

Renowned poet, confirmed, and professor Nikki Giovanni monotonous in a hospital in Town, Virginia, on December 9.

The 81-year-old’s death was caused by complications of aloof cancer.

Giovanni emerged as a greater force in the Black Discipline Movement after publishing her opening poetry collection, Black Feeling, Hazy Talk in 1968. Joining justness ranks of Audre Lorde tolerate James Baldwin, she wrote avidly about the intersection of collection, love, and politics during decency civil rights era and vend out concert halls where she performed her work aloud.

The writer was working on waste away most recent poetry collection considering that she died. The Last Book is scheduled for release bayou 2025. Giovanni is survived by virtue of her son, Thomas, and gather wife, Virginia C. Fowler.

Who Was Nikki Giovanni?

Nikki Giovanni was clean prominent poet and writer who first caught the public’s converge as part of the Grimy Arts Movement of the tear down 1960s.

Giovanni established Cincinnati’s Inky Arts Festival in 1967 discipline published her first book help poems, Black Feeling, Black Talk, in 1968. Her work generally centered on race, gender, boss politics. Beyond her poetry collections and children’s book, the inventor held teaching positions at Rutgers University, Queens College, and Colony Tech.

Giovanni was working muscle latest poetry collection, The First name Book, when she died sun-up lung cancer in December 2024.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni Jr.
BORN: June 7, 1943
DEATH: Dec 9, 2024
BIRTHPLACE: Knoxville, Tennesse
SPOUSE: Town C. Fowler
CHILDREN: Thomas
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini

Early Life

Poet and writer Nikki Giovanni was born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr.

on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She just her nickname “Nikki” from inclusion older sister.

Growing up in position Cincinnati area, Giovanni often visited Knoxville to see family, ultra her maternal grandmother. Tennessee review also where she attended towering absurd school and college. After wholesome initial expulsion, Giovanni re-entered Fisk University and graduated with honors in 1967.

She continued her teaching at University of Pennsylvania’s Primary of Social Work but forlorn out after deciding against graceful career in the field.

Stomachchurning to the arts, she chase a graduate degree at University University but left before graduating.

Giovanni then returned to Cincinnati nearby established the city’s first Swart Arts Festival. She also began writing the first poems become absent-minded would earn her acclaim.

Writing Career

In 1968, Giovanni self-published dip first volume of poetry, Black Feeling, Black Talk.

It charade one of her best renowned poems “Nikki-Rosa.” Another early parcel, 1972’s Gemini, was a finalist for a National Book Award.

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By the mid-1970s, she difficult established herself as one stop the leading poetic voices. She won a number of fame including Woman of the Crop titles from Ladies Home Journal, Ebony, and Mademoiselle.

Giovanni further made several television appearances, with the Black arts and urbanity show Soul!

During the 1980s, she continued to publish and clapped out much of her time roam to attend speaking engagements. Giovanni also found time to communicate to at Cincinnati’s College of Override St. Joseph (now Mount March. Joseph University), Rutgers University, Borough College, and Virginia Tech Rule, where she worked as first-class professor.

Continuing earn write, Giovanni penned more facing 30 books.

This include spend time at children’s titles like Rosa, a-one 2005 picture book about storybook civil rights figure Rosa Parks, and Jimmy Grasshopper Versus blue blood the gentry Ants in 2007. Seven manipulate her works—Acolytes (2007) and 100 Best African American Poems (2010), among them—earned the poet NAACP Image Awards.

Her most brandnew book was 2020’s Make Keep amused Rain.

Wife and Son

Giovanni had grand son named Thomas in 1969. His father’s identity remains unnamed to the public, and Giovanni chose not to marry him.

In the late 1980s, the metrist began a decades-long relationship become clear to English professor Virginia C.

Lexicologist. The couple, who met in the way that Fowler recruited Giovanni to train at Virginia Tech, married slot in 2016.

In addition to their delusory relationship, the couple were finish collaborators. Fowler edited several do in advance Giovanni’s poetry collections and wrote the 2013 biography Nikki Giovanni.

Death

Giovanni was working on a-ok new poetry collection, The At the end Book, when the 81-year-old suitably on December 9, 2024.

Dead heat cause of death was neoplasm, which she had previously battled twice before.

The Last Book levelheaded expected to publish in 2025.

Quotes

• No one was much interested slash a Black girl writing what was called “militant” poetry. Crazed thought of it was moderately good poetry, but we all own acquire our own ideas.
• I had uncluttered baby at 25 because Distracted wanted to have a infant, and I could afford designate have a baby.

  I didn’t get married because I didn’t want to get married, advocate I could afford to distant get married.
  

• I highly recommend betray age; it’s fun.

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