Her Life...In a Nutshell!

           







          Nikki Giovanni, birth name actually being Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr., was born on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee. She grew up in Cincinnati, and at a fairly early age, she became well known for creating the first Black Arts Festival in Cincinnati during 1967. She graduated from Fisk University that year as well, immediately going to work writing poems and publishing her own books. During the 70’s, she obtained her first teaching job at Livingston College of Rutgers University. The TV show “Soul!” was the first show that she had ever been in, and she appeared on it quite a bit in order to promote black entertainment and black art. In 1987, she began instructing at Virginia Tech, where she is currently still teaching as a literature professor. She's been awarded a plethora of things during her time, ranging from the NAACP Image Award to the Rosa Parks and the Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters! Additionally, she's been honored for being the first person to receive the Rosa L. Parks Women of Courage Award. As far as her literary works go, she has published and been admired for her many pieces( like “ Racism 101”) and speeches on African American rights as well as popular children's poem books such as “ Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day.” Overall, Giovanni has achieved a lot of things in her lifetime, most of which have greatly impacted the world as art and literature as we know it!






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