Description

From one of America's most cherished and celebrated poets, a landmark collection of Nikki Giovanni's early work!

 “Nikki Giovanni is one of our national treasures.”—Gloria Naylor

When Nikki Giovanni’s poems first emerged during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, she immediately took a place among the most celebrated and controversial artists of our time. More than 50 years later, Giovanni still stands as one of the most commanding, luminous voices to grace America’s political and poetic landscape. This timeless classic brings readers Nikki Giovanni's poems from 1967 to 1983, from her books Black Feeling Black Talk; Black Judgement; Re: Creation; My House; The Women and the Men; Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day; and Those Who Ride the Night Winds.

Stirring, provocative, and resonant, these poems heralded the arrival of an indelible literary voice that resounds to this day.

About the Author

Nikki Giovanni, poet, activist, mother, and professor, is a seven-time NAACP Image Award winner and the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, and holds the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry, among many other honors. The author of twenty-eight books and a Grammy nominee for The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, she is the University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Praise For…

“One of the finest poets of our time. . . Her work still resonates.” — Ebony

“Fiery yet personal . . . an ample and diligent introduction, chronology and notes to individual works.” — Publishers Weekly

“Wise and mischievous, Giovanni is a must-read at every stage if her happily, still growing oeuvre.” — Booklist

“What a powerful first impression she made. This collection of early work is an excellent reminder.” — Library Journal