See the latest updates and information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, including a list of University contact information at semo.edu/covid19.
Nikki Giovanni
Author, Educator, Social Justice Advocate, and Co-founder of Critical Resistance
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Wednesday, February 10th, 2021
5 p.m., TBD
Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past 30 years, the outspoken nature of her writing and speaking 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." The Academy of American Poets voted Giovanni #1 poet for the spring of 2007.
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,
the power one has to make a difference in oneself and in the lives of others.
Giovanni has written more than two dozen books, including volumes of poetry, illustrated
children’s books, and three collections of essays. Her book Racism 101 includes bold,
controversial essays about the situation of Americans on all sides of various race
issues. She has received 21 honorary doctorates and a host of other awards, including
Woman of the Year titles from three different magazines and the Governors’ Awards
in the Arts from both Tennessee and Virginia. Rosa, her biography of legendary civil
rights activist Rosa Parks, won Caldecott Honors and the Coretta Scott King Medal
for best illustrated book. Other books include the collection of adult poetry Acolytes
and the novel On My Journey Now: Looking at African American History Through the Spirituals.
Three of her volumes of poetry—Love Poems, Blues: For All the Changes, and Quilting
the Black-Eyed Pea—were winners of the NAACP Image Award in 1998, 2000, and 2003.
Her newly released collection, Bicycles: Love Poems, has been called one of her “most
powerful offerings to date” by Essence magazine.
Since 1987, Nikki Giovanni has taught writing and literature at Virginia Tech, where
she is a distinguished professor. As a devoted and passionate writer, teacher, and
speaker, she inspires not only her students but also readers and audiences nationwide.
Her album Truth Is on Its Way, in which she reads her poetry against a background
of gospel music, was a top 100 album and was named Best Spoken Word Album by the National
Association of Radio and Television Announcers. The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection,
a spoken-word CD, was a finalist for the 2003 Grammy Award in the category of spoken
word.
Donate today to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship (General Scholarships, EM010).
Contact