Nikki Giovanni, the poet, author, educator, and public speaker who rose from borrowing money to release her first book to decades as a literary celebrity sharing her blunt and.
Nikki Giovanni, the poet, author, educator, and public speaker who rose from borrowing money to release her first book to decades as a literary celebrity sharing her blunt and conversational takes on everything from racism and love to space travel and mortality, has died. She was 81, the AP reports. Giovanni, subject of the prize-winning 2023 documentary Going to Mars, died Monday with her life-long partner, Virginia (Ginney) Fowler, by her side, according to a statement from friend and author Renée Watson. « We will forever feel blessed to have shared a legacy and love with our dear cousin », Allison (Pat) Ragan, Giovanni’s cousin, said in a statement on behalf of the family.
Author of more than 25 books, Giovanni was a born confessor and performer whom fans came to know well from her work, her readings and other live appearances, and her years on the faculty of Virginia Tech among other schools.
