Nikki Giovanni, a poet who focuses on the African-American experience, will conduct a reading of her work on Monday, March 6, at 7 p.m., in the Chapel.
The reading, which is presented by the Africana Studies Department, the Days-Massolo Center, the History Department, the Literature and Creative Writing Department, the Theatre Department, and the Women’s Studies Department, is free and open to the public.
Giovanni’s poetry is heavily influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement, and she has also often incorporated elements related to gender into her work.
Giovanni has authored three New York Times and Los Angeles Times best sellers. She is the recipient of seven NAACP Image Awards and in 2004 was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tenn., and received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Fisk University. She studied social work at the University of Pennsylvania and creative writing at Columbia University and in 1969 began teaching at Rutgers University. Giovanni later joined the faculty of Virginia Tech in 1989, where she is currently a University Distinguished Professor.
