1943-2024
Latest News: Nikki Giovanni Dies at Age 81
Renowned poet, activist, and professor Nikki Giovanni died in a hospital in Blacksburg, Virginia, on December 9. The 81-year-old’s death was caused by complications of lung cancer.
Giovanni emerged as a major force in the Black Arts Movement after publishing her debut poetry collection, Black Feeling, Black Talk in 1968. Joining the ranks of Audre Lorde and James Baldwin, she wrote passionately about the intersection of race, love, and politics during the civil rights era and sold out concert halls where she performed her work aloud.
The writer was working on her most recent poetry collection when she died. The Last Book is scheduled for release in 2025. Giovanni is survived by her son, Thomas, and her wife, Virginia C. Fowler.
Who Was Nikki Giovanni?
Nikki Giovanni was a prominent poet and writer who first caught the public’s attention as part of the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s. Giovanni established Cincinnati’s Black Arts Festival in 1967 and published her first book of poems, Black Feeling, Black Talk, in 1968. Her work often centered on race, gender, and politics. Beyond her poetry collections and children’s book, the author held teaching positions at Rutgers University, Queens College, and Virginia Tech. Giovanni was working on latest poetry collection, The Last Book, when she died of lung cancer in December 2024.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni Jr.
BORN: June 7, 1943
DEATH: December 9, 2024
BIRTHPLACE: Knoxville, Tennesse
SPOUSE: Virginia C. Fowler
CHILDREN: Thomas
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini
Early Life
Poet and writer Nikki Giovanni was born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr. on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She earned her nickname “Nikki” from her older sister.
Growing up in the Cincinnati area, Giovanni often visited Knoxville to see family, especially her maternal grandmother. Tennessee is also where she attended high school and college. After an initial expulsion, Giovanni re-entered Fisk University and graduated with honors in 1967.
She continued her education at University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Work but dropped out after deciding against a career in the field. Turning to the arts, she pursued a graduate degree at Columbia University but left before graduating.
Giovanni then returned to Cincinnati and established the city’s first Black Arts Festival. She also began writing the first poems that would earn her acclaim.
Writing Career
In 1968, Giovanni self-published her first volume of poetry, Black Feeling, Black Talk. It included one of her best known poems “Nikki-Rosa.” Another early collection, 1972’s Gemini, was a finalist for a National Book Award.
By the mid-1970s, she had established herself as one of the leading poetic voices. She won a number of awards including Woman of the Year titles from Ladies Home Journal, Ebony, and Mademoiselle. Giovanni also made several television appearances, including the Black arts and culture show Soul!
During the 1980s, she continued to publish and spent much of her time touring to attend speaking engagements. Giovanni also found time to teach at Cincinnati’s College of Mount St. Joseph (now Mount St. Joseph University), Rutgers University, Queens College, and Virginia Tech University, where she worked as a professor.
Continuing to write, Giovanni penned more than 30 books. This include many children’s titles like Rosa, a 2005 picture book about legendary civil rights figure Rosa Parks, and Jimmy Grasshopper Versus the Ants in 2007. Seven of her works—Acolytes (2007) and 100 Best African American Poems (2010), among them—earned the poet NAACP Image Awards. Her most recent book was 2020’s Make Me Rain.
Wife and Son
Giovanni had a son named Thomas in 1969. His father’s identity remains unknown to the public, and Giovanni chose not to marry him.
In the late 1980s, the poet began a decades-long relationship with English professor Virginia C. Fowler. The couple, who met when Fowler recruited Giovanni to teach at Virginia Tech, married in 2016.
In addition to their romantic relationship, the couple were professional collaborators. Fowler edited several of Giovanni’s poetry collections and wrote the 2013 biography Nikki Giovanni.
Death
Giovanni was working on a new poetry collection, The Last Book, when the 81-year-old died on December 9, 2024. Her cause of death was cancer, which she had previously battled twice before.
The Last Book is expected to publish in 2025.
Quotes
- No one was much interested in a Black girl writing what was called “militant” poetry. I thought of it was good poetry, but we all have our own ideas.
- I had a baby at 25 because I wanted to have a baby, and I could afford to have a baby. I didn’t get married because I didn’t want to get married, and I could afford to not get married.
- I highly recommend old age; it’s fun.
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