A powerful voice in African American literature, Nikki Giovanni explored race, social issues, and love throughout her career. Today, the Mount remembers her kindness and enduring influence.
The renowned American poet and former Creative Writing Professor at Mount St. Joseph University, Nikki Giovanni passed away at 81 years old on Monday, Dec. 9, following her third cancer diagnosis.
A poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator, Giovanni's work touches on topics such as race and social issues, defining the African American voice since the 1960s and beyond. According to the poetryfoundation.org, Giovanni has published "numerous collections of poetry—from her first self-published volume Black Feeling Black Talk (1968) to New York Times best-seller Bicycles: Love Poems (2009)—several works of nonfiction and children’s literature, and multiple recordings, including the Emmy-award nominated The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection (2004)."
In 2022, Giovanni returned to her old stomping grounds at the Mount to celebrate National Poetry Month after her time as a professor here in 1985.
"I had the privilege to hear Nikki Giovanni speak and read her poetry at an event held on campus in April 2022," says Head of Access Services at the Mount, Josh Zeller '17, MLIS. "My Rainbow Alliance advisees collaborated with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and other MSJ affinity groups to stage a Live Poetry Reading event, at which Nikki was the guest of honor. I remember she captivated the audience with her witty observations on life and powerful performance of her work. She was very kind, too—she posed for pictures and signed numerous autographs. I remember I had worked hard to put together a memorial poetry booklet that we passed out at the event, and I saw an audience member had Nikki sign her copy of the booklet. I was over the moon! Truly, the Mount is so lucky to count itself a part of this esteemed American poet’s legacy."
Dr. Elizabeth Bookser Barkley '70, Ph.D., Professor of English says her poems are direct, courageous, and often funny. It was a thrill for her to be in her presence in 2022, when Giovanni last visited the Mount.
In photo: Dr. Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, Ph.D. alongside American poet, Nikki Giovanni
"Nikki Giovanni was a talented poet whom many of my students had never read, so I am deliberate about introducing her poetry in my African-American Writers class," said Dr. Bookser Barkley. "They are always moved when I show footage of her addressing an auditorium full of students, faculty and staff after the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, where she taught until 2022."
Here are some poetry lines Giovanni expressed from that moving occasion:
“We are Virginia Tech./ We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. / We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning. / We are Virginia Tech. / We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, /and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again."
Nikki Giovanni will be laid to rest in Cincinnati’s Spring Grove Cemetery, a fitting final resting place for a poet deeply connected to the city. Growing up in Lincoln Heights, Cincinnati played a significant role in her life and career, shaping Giovanni’s worldview on racism and activism that influenced her published works.
She leaves behind a rich literary legacy that will forever be cherished for generations to come.