Nikki Giovanni, a celebrated American poet and prominent figure in the 1960s Black Arts movement, has passed away at the age of 81. According to her friend and author Renée Watson, Giovanni died on Monday following her third cancer diagnosis.
Giovanni’s impact on the literary world was profound, and her legacy has been met with an outpouring of tributes. Fellow poet Kwame Alexander said, “We will forever be grateful for the unconditional time she gave to us, to all her literary children across the writerly world.”
Born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr in 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Giovanni began her academic journey at Fisk University in Nashville, where she met influential Black literary figures, including Amiri Baraka and Dudley Randall. She later studied poetry at Columbia University School of the Arts, laying the foundation for a career that would span over 30 books.
Giovanni’s early work, including her 1968 poetry collections “Black Feeling, Black Talk” and “Black Judgement,” cemented her position as a leading voice in the Black Arts movement, alongside notable figures such as Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Audre Lorde. Her writing, which explored themes of Black liberation, love, and family life, resonated with a wide audience.
As a civil rights activist and engaged writer, Giovanni attracted the attention of the FBI, but she remained unapologetic, even inviting agents monitoring her into her home “for coffee because I knew they wanted to check out the place.” Her commitment to social justice and accessible poetry earned her a reputation as a public figure, and she appeared on various platforms, including the Black arts show Soul!.
Giovanni’s teaching career spanned several decades, including a tenure as an English professor at Virginia Tech from 1987 to 2022. In 2007, she was affected by the Virginia Tech shooting, in which one of her former poetry students was involved. Giovanni later reflected on the tragedy, saying, “Killing is a lack of creation. It’s a lack of imagination. It’s a lack of understanding who you are and your place in the world. Life is an interesting and…good idea.”
At the time of her passing, Giovanni was working on a final poetry collection and a memoir titled “A Street Called Mulvaney.” In a recent interview with the Guardian, she acknowledged her enduring passion and sense of justice, saying, “I used to think I’m mellowing…getting to be an old lady and I’m really cool. And then I realised, no, there’s still quite a bit of anger.”
Giovanni is survived by her son Thomas, her granddaughter, and her spouse, Virginia Fowler, an English professor who became Giovanni’s biographer before they married.
