Nikki Giovanni Dies – Poetry News December 13th

Today in our poetry news round up we bring you the sad news that the poet Nikki Giovanni has died at the age of 81.

Nikki Giovanni, Black Arts Literary Icon Dies Aged 81

Often referred to as “The Princess of Black Poetry,” Nikki Giovanni the acclaimed literary force, poet and activist has died at the age of 81. Her death comes following a recent third cancer diagnosis. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in the 1990s and had several surgeries as a result of her diagnosis.

Giovanni, who was an essential force in the Black Arts Movement, was well known for her often defiant poetry that tackled topics such as gender, race, love and sex. She died on 9th December with her partner by her side.

Fellow poet Kwame Alexander said

His sentiments have already been echoed by many of Giovannis fellow poets.

Born Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni Jr in 1942, she lived the first few years of her life in Knoxville, Tennessee before moving to Ohio. Her older sister called her Nikki, a name which stuck with her from an early age. She attended Fisk University but was kicked out for her rebellious streak. A change of dean made it possible to return and she graduated in 1967 with an honours degree in history.

During her lengthy career, Giovanni wrote more than 30 books. These ranged from the poetry for which she is particularly well known to children’s books and an autobiography of Rosa Parks. The most recent of these it titled “The Last Book” and is due to be published at some point in 2025. She had also been working on a memoir at the time of her death.

Many of her books, including “Black Judgement” and “Black Feeling Black Talk” sold thousands of copies. Her first two books were both self-published in 1968. This led to her being invited to appear on a number of different TV talk shows. She became a leading voice in the Black Arts Movement of the time alongside the likes of James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and Audre Lorde. As a civil rights activist she attracted the attention of the FBI whose agents regularly monitored her. She frequently invited them in

On the occasion of her 30th birthday she celebrated still being able to fill a 3000-seat concert hall. She was the recipient of many awards over the years including seven NAACP awards.

She was responsible for editing “Night Comes Softly” a ground breaking anthology of poetry by Black women. The book promoted works by poets like Margaret Walker and Gwendolyn Brooks.

Nikki Giovanni is survived by her son, a granddaughter and her wife Virginia Fowler.