An Afternoon with Nikki Giovanni

Join The Baker-Nord Center and our guest, Nikki Giovanni, as she reads and discusses her works. Many of Giovanni’s books have received honors and awards. Her autobiography, Gemini, was a finalist for the National Book Award; Love PoemsBlues: For All the ChangesQuilting the Black-Eyed PeaAcolytes, and Hip Hop Speaks to Children were all honored with NAACP Image Awards. Blues: For All the Changes reached #4 on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller list, a rare achievement for a book of poems. Most recently, her children’s picture book Rosa, about the civil rights legend Rosa Parks, became a Caldecott Honors Book, and Bryan Collier, the illustrator, was given the Coretta Scott King award for best illustration.


About the speaker

Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the most widely read American poets, her books and recordings have received numerous honors and awards. The recipient of some twenty-five honorary degrees, she has been named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle Magazine, The Ladies Home Journal, and Ebony Magazine. She was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and she has also been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry. The author of some 30 books for both adults and children, Nikki Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech University.


Additional Resources

Event Video

Nikki Giovanni’s home page

PBS interview by Bill Moyers

“Words are Weapons of the Strong”: An Interview with Nikki Giovanni


Cosponsored with:

Cuyahoga County Public Library