After receiving a third cancer diagnosis, renowned poet Nikki Giovanni died on Monday, December 9, at the age of 81. Author and friend Rene Watson confirmed her death in a statement.
“We will always be grateful for the unconditional time she gave us, to all her literary children across the writerly world,” said poet Kwame Alexander.
The release of Black Feeling Black Talk in 1968 marked the beginning of Giovanni’s innovative poetry career and solidified her position as a key figure in the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni used language that varied from moving and spare to forceful and unyielding as she examined themes of love, politics, racism, and loneliness in her writing. She stated in her poetry, “Let’s build what we become when we dream.”
Giovanni was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and its surrounding areas after being born Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni Jr. on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Later, she studied at Nashville’s Fisk University, where she made friends with prominent Black writers including Amiri Baraka, Margaret Walker, and Dudley Randall. She brought the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) back to life while she was at Fisk.
Giovanni became a regular guest on Soul!, a talk show that highlights Black arts and culture, while her writing career took off. Interestingly, she had a thought-provoking discussion with author James Baldwin on television.During this time, she was also named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle and Ebony magazine.
At Virginia Tech, where she taught English for more than 30 years, Giovanni had a significant impact on her students’ academic and literary lives. Sadly, she voiced worries about a single student who went on to commit the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, which left 32 people dead. Giovanni told NPR, “Killing is a lack of creation,” in reflection on the tragedy. It’s a lack of creativity. It’s a failure to recognize your identity and position in the world. Life is a nice idea and an intriguing one.
Giovanni continued to write and publish to the end of her life. A tribute to her lasting creative spirit and legacy is her forthcoming poetry collection, THE LAST BOOK, which is scheduled for release next year.
