Poet Nikki Giovanni’s appearance
at Bucks proved to be a humorous,
touching, and memorable
evening.
The event was the kick-off of
the 2009-2010Wordsmiths Reading
Series. The poet read from her
newest collection of poems “Bicycles:
Love Poems” and gave her
thoughts on several topics, from
politics to love and loss.
Over 200 people attended the
event in the GatewayAuditorium.
Giovanni spoke to an audience of
all ages, from elementary school
children to retired adults.
Before the show started, Giovanni
came into theAuditorium to
talk with friends, unfazed as the
crowd began snapping photographs.
The show began at 7:30 p.m.
with a short speech by Annette
Conn, Dean of Academic Affairs.
She said, “Nikki Giovanni’s appearance
is commemorating
Bucks’ rededication to the arts.”
Next was a performance by
Kim Allen of Sister Sledge, who
opened with a cover of “Good
Time Tonight.”
She then got an audience member
in on the action while performing
Sister Sledge’s 1979 hit
“He’s the Greatest Dancer.”
The final song Allen sang was
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
As she was leaving the stage,
Allen told the audience “Just remember:
we are family.”
Elizabeth Luciano, an instructor
in Language & Literature and an
organizer of the Wordsmiths
Reading Series, spoke next. She
said that Giovanni “reminds us
that poetry is meant to have a life
beyond the page – meant to be
heard.”
Giovanni took the stage at a
quarter to 8 p.m. “I’m delighted
to be here” she said.
She began the evening by talking
about politics, and included a
reference to her performance at
Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Regarding Obama, she said “all he
did was show up and be colored,”
inciting laughter from the audience.
She also discussed the need for
healthcare reform and how, at the
celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s
200th birthday, she was criticized
for being too political. She wore
her mink coat to the event at the
Lincoln Memorial because of her
admiration of Marian Anderson
who was one of the most admired
African American women singers
of the 20th century.
Next Giovanni touched on the
importance of community colleges.
She said “we need to put
the money into community colleges”
and “we need to continue
to grow community colleges,”
which earned her applause from
the crowd.
She stressed the importance
community colleges play in the
rehabilitation of war veterans.
” T h e y ‘ r e
not gonna
need a job;
t h e y ‘ r e
gonna need
h e a l i n g ”
she said.
S h e
pointed out
that community
colleges
are
better able
to help soldiers
than
f o u r – y e a r
schools. Because most four-year
schools have more students to
deal with, they are not capable of
providing as much support to soldiers
as community colleges can
offer.
Giovanni also addressed the importance
of family and food. She
said “you will reach a point in life
when all that matters.is food and
the company you eat it with.”
In addition, she expressed concern
about the growing amount of
obesity in the United States and
her disdain for shows like “The
Biggest Loser.” “We have turned
our schools over to the Wendy’s
and the McDonald’s” she said.
Giovanni discussed the financial
problems plaguing modernAmerica
when she said “rich people are
not smart – they’re lucky.” She
also mentioned her admiration for
the homeless, saying “we have to
salute the bravery of the continued
desire to live.”
Loss and heartbreak have
played a large part in Giovanni’s
life lately. She mentioned her battle
with lung cancer, which resulted
in surgery to have a lung
removed, saying, “I got lucky –
I’m still here.”
Giovanni seemed most passionate
when discussing the deaths of
her mother and sister, both of
which occurred within a very
short period of time. “When your
mother is gone, you miss the unqualified
love she had for you,”
she told audience members.
She expressed her frustration
with her mother’s doctors and the
anger she felt toward her mother
and sister for leaving her to bury
them both.
Giovanni was overcome with
grief after her mother’s death, but
writing helped her. She penned
her book “Acolytes” because, she
said, “When you’re a writer you
need to write.”
During her time of sadness,
Giovanni came up with the idea of
writing “Bicycles.” “What’s the
antidote for sadness? … Falling in
love,” she said.
Finally Giovanni explained
where the title of the book came
from.
Recounting a funny story, she
described a memory of when her
mother was teaching her to ride a
bicycle and let go, causing Giovanni
to fall. She told the audience
“Bicycles, like love, requires
trust and balance.”
After the main portion of the
evening, Giovanni signed copies
of her books while those in attendance
talked about the event
Carolyn Small, a Reading Specialist
at the Lewis School, has
long been a fan of Giovanni’s
work, having compared her poetry
with that of Mattie Stepanek. “It
was excellent,” she raved.
Brian Small, Carolyn’s husband,
who is an English teacher,
also enjoyed Giovanni’s speaking.
He said, “I think she needs her
own radio show.”
Giovanni’s appearance and
Allen’s performance turned out to
be an enjoyable evening for those
in attendance.