Nikki Giovanni, the writer, activist, and educator was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She studied at Fisk University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University. She is also one of the most celebrated poets that have been inspiring readers for over 50 years. Nikki is a seven-time NAACP Image Award winner and the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award and was also awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry.
Being America’s most widely read and inspiring poets, Nikki Giovanni has returned with a profound book of poetry titled Make Me Rain in which she calls attention to injustice and gives a deep look into the most private parts of herself.
In Make Me Rain, she celebrates her loved ones and unapologetically declares her pride in her black heritage, while exploring the enduring impact of the twin sins of racism and white nationalism. Giovanni reaffirms her place as a uniquely vibrant and relevant American voice with poems such as “I Come from Athletes” and “Rainy Days”—calling out segregation and Donald Trump; as well as “Unloved (for Aunt Cleota)” and “”When I Could No Longer”—her personal elegy for the relatives who saved her from an abusive home life.
Be sure to check out Nikki Giovanni’s interview on Sway In The Morning and get her latest book, Make Me Rain.
