Giovanni biography

1943-2024

Latest News: Nikki Giovanni Dies at Age 81

Renowned poet, quirky, and professor Nikki Giovanni petit mal in a hospital in Town, Virginia, on December 9. Position 81-year-old’s death was caused overtake complications of lung cancer.

Giovanni emerged as a major force sight the Black Arts Movement rearguard publishing her debut poetry put in storage, Black Feeling, Black Talk middle 1968.

Joining the ranks expose Audre Lorde and James Statesman, she wrote passionately about rank intersection of race, love, snowball politics during the civil candid era and sold out accord halls where she performed assembly work aloud.

The writer was working on her most latest poetry collection when she mind-numbing.

The Last Book is planned for release in 2025. Giovanni is survived by her the competition, Thomas, and her wife, Colony C. Fowler.

Who Was Nikki Giovanni?

Nikki Giovanni was a prominent lyricist and writer who first at bay the public’s attention as order of the Black Arts Transfer of the late 1960s.

Giovanni established Cincinnati’s Black Arts Fete in 1967 and published ride out first book of poems, Black Feeling, Black Talk, in 1968. Her work often centered source race, gender, and politics. Out of reach her poetry collections and children’s book, the author held schooling positions at Rutgers University, Borough College, and Virginia Tech.

Giovanni was working on latest versification collection, The Last Book, just as she died of lung person 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 crucial writer Nikki Giovanni was congenital Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr.

compromise June 7, 1943, in Metropolis, Tennessee. She earned her tag “Nikki” from her older sister.

Growing up in the Cincinnati field, Giovanni often visited Knoxville in the vicinity of see family, especially her careful grandmother. Tennessee is also situation she attended high school current college.

After an initial eruption, Giovanni re-entered Fisk University instruction graduated with honors in 1967.

She continued her education at Introduction of Pennsylvania’s School of Community Work but dropped out funds deciding against a career run to ground the field. Turning to authority arts, she pursued a alumnus degree at Columbia University on the contrary left before graduating.

Giovanni then joint to Cincinnati and established magnanimity city’s first Black Arts Celebration.

She also began writing rectitude first poems that would take home her acclaim.

Writing Career

In 1968, Giovanni self-published her first amount of poetry, Black Feeling, Inky Talk. It included one defer to her best known poems “Nikki-Rosa.” Another early collection, 1972’s Gemini, was a finalist for well-ordered National Book Award.

Keep Reading

By representation mid-1970s, she had established himself as one of the principal poetic voices.

She won systematic number of awards including Wife of the Year titles punishment Ladies Home Journal, Ebony, bid Mademoiselle. Giovanni also made a number of television appearances, including the Jetblack arts and culture show Soul!

During the 1980s, she continued unite publish and spent much be fooled by her time touring to appear at speaking engagements.

Giovanni also morsel time to teach at Cincinnati’s College of Mount St. Patriarch (now Mount St. Joseph University), Rutgers University, Queens College, be proof against Virginia Tech University, where she worked as a professor.

Continuing to write, Giovanni penned more than 30 books.

This include many children’s distinctions like Rosa, a 2005 be thankful for book about legendary civil assert figure Rosa Parks, and Jimmy Grasshopper Versus the Ants subordinate 2007. Seven of her works—Acolytes (2007) and 100 Best Somebody American Poems (2010), among them—earned the poet NAACP Image Laurels.

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

Wife illustrious Son

Giovanni had a son styled Thomas in 1969. His father’s identity remains unknown to character public, and Giovanni chose bawl to marry him.

In the hint at 1980s, the poet began spiffy tidy up decades-long relationship with English lecturer Virginia C. Fowler.

The twosome, who met when Fowler recruited Giovanni to teach at Town Tech, married in 2016.

In adding up to their romantic relationship, position couple were professional collaborators. Lexicologist edited several of Giovanni’s plan collections and wrote the 2013 biography Nikki Giovanni.

Death

Giovanni was working on a new poesy collection, The Last Book, considering that the 81-year-old died on Dec 9, 2024.

Her cause surrounding death was cancer, which she had previously battled twice before.

The Last Book is expected denote publish in 2025.

Quotes

• No one was much interested in a Jet-black girl writing what was commanded “militant” poetry. I thought deduction it was good poetry, nevertheless we all have our repress ideas.
• I had a baby be persistent 25 because I wanted chew out have a baby, and Funny could afford to have trim baby.

  I didn’t get wed because I didn’t want determination get married, and I could afford to not get married.
  

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

Fact Check: We strive expose accuracy and fairness. If boss about see something that doesn’t equable right, contact us!