Award-winning author Nikki
Giovanni is coming to Bucks on
Sept. 25 for a reading from her
new book, “Bicycles: Love
Poems.”
The reading will be held in the
Gateway Auditorium starting at 7
p.m. Kim Allen of Sister Sledge
will also appear. Tickets are $5
for students and $10 for non-students.
Natalie Kaye, the program
developer for Student Life,
arranged for Giovanni to come to
Bucks after seeing the poet on
“Bill Moyers’ Journal.”
When asked why students at
Bucks would want to see
Giovanni, Kaye said, “I believe
students would want to see Nikki
because she is a world-renowned
poet who has won many awards
and writes beautiful, life-affirming
poetry.”
Kaye also said what she hopes
those who attend the reading will
take away from it, saying, “I hope
they learn why poetry is a salve
for the soul and how to use poetry
to nurture your spirit and
soothe stress.”
Giovanni wrote the 65 poems
featured in “Bicycles” to commemorate
her 65th birthday. The
book is a companion to 1997’s
“Love Poems,” which Giovanni
wrote in memory of rapper Tupac
Shakur.
Giovanni initially attended Fisk
University in the fall of 1960.
There, she clashed with the
school’s conservative administrators
and was expelled in February
of the following year.
She returned to LincolnHeights to live with her parents.
She continued her education by
taking classes at the University of
Cincinnati when she was not
working.
In the fall of 1964, the new dean
at Fisk University convinced Giovanni
to re-enroll in the undergraduate
program. She graduated
with a B.A. in history in January
1967.
After returning to Chicago, Giovanni
wrote most of the poems for
“Black Feeling, Black Talk,” which
became her first published work.
During this time she also organized
a black arts festival and became
involved in the black power
movement.
Giovanni briefly attended the
University of Pennsylvania, but
dropped out in early 1968.
After attending the funeral for
Martin Luther King Jr. she enrolled
at Columbia University and
began their M.F.A. program.
While at Columbia, Giovanni received
much attention from the literary
world and was featured in
The New York Times. Both “Black
Feeling, Black Talk,” and “Black
Judgment” (her second collection
of poems) were released during
this time.
Giovanni gave birth to a son,
Thomas Watson Giovanni, on
Aug. 31, 1969. After her son’s
birth, Giovanni’s priorities
changed. She became less involved
with the movements for
black rights and women’s rights.
She established her own communications
company, NikTom
Ltd. in 1970. She used the company
as a way to promote the writings
of black women.
Later in that year she was
named Woman of the Year by
“Ebony” magazine, the first of
many such honors Giovanni
would earn over her lifetime.
Between 1970 and 1978 Giovanni
wrote five more collections
of poetry.When her father was diagnosed
with cancer she returned
to Cincinnati to be with her family,
which left significantly less time
for her writing.
After her father passed away in
1982, Giovanni returned to the literary
world full-time. She published
“Those Who Ride the Night
Winds” in 1983.
In 1987, she became a professor
of English at Virginia Tech, a job
she still holds to this day. While
teaching, she also wrote several
children’s books.
Giovanni was diagnosed with
lung cancer in January 1995, a disease
that claimed the lives of her
mother and sister. She eventually
had to have a lung removed.
1997 saw the release of “Love
Poems,” Giovanni’s first new collection
of poems for adults in 15
years. Two more collections followed
in 1999 and 2002.
2002 also saw the release of Giovanni’s
audio book, “The Nikki
Giovanni Poetry Collection.” In
2004 she received a nomination for
a Grammy Award for Spoken
Word.
With the release of “Bicycles”
Giovanni has written over 30
books for adults and children.