The Poetic Wealth of Nikki Giovanni
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The legendary African American poet Nikki Giovanni passed away this week at the age of 81. Since fiercely coming onto the scene during the Black Power movement of the 1960s, Giovanni established a rich and powerful literary legacy. Her work often celebrated the power of Black joy contained within the fight for civil rights by reminding readers that "Black love is Black wealth".
Today on the show, we feature a conversation between Rachel Martin, host of NPR's Wild Card, and Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year.
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Today on the show, we feature a conversation between Rachel Martin, host of NPR's Wild Card, and Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday story from up first. I always like summer best. You can eat fresh corn from Daddy's garden and okra and greens and cabbage and lots of barbecue and buttermilk and homemade ice cream at the church picnic. These are the words of the great African-American poet Nikki Giovanni from her poem Knoxville, Tennessee. She died earlier this week at the age of 81. Nikki Giovanni was called many things. The poet of the black revolution, activist spoken word artists, cultural icon, children's book author, professor, Christian, radiant voice of black joy and struggle. To me, she was also an unapologetic truth teller. And some of her words and poems, I could feel them at a molecular level. That's how much I related to them. Giovanni grew up with an alcoholic abuse of father in a house without indoor plumbing. And while she was never afraid to explore those hardships in her poetry, she also celebrated what was beautiful about community, food and family. Earlier this year, my colleague and host of the podcast Wildcard, Rachel Martin, spoke to Nikki Giovanni. Today we bring you this incredible conversation. Do you think about the legacy that you will leave behind? I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Wildcard, the game where cards control the conversation. Each week, my guest chooses questions at random from a deck of cards. Take a card one through three questions about the memories, insights and beliefs that have shaped them. My guest this week is poet Nikki Giovanni. When you look at the stars and then you think about the other life forms, you think, well, there is something else. I can't quit now, there is something else. There are so many words I could use to describe my guest today. poet, revolutionary, queer icon, feminist, space, enthusiast, mother and grandmother, legend, Nikki Giovanni is all those things. But she is also a woman who figured out really early that she didn't have to apologize to anyone for who she was or for what she wanted from her life. She can write poems that look directly at all the pain and hatred in the world, and she can write children's books about feeling safe and loved. She can also conjure what it will look like when humans set up shop on Mars and black women lead the way. Nikki Giovanni has just been doing it her own way all along. And writing it down so the rest of us can start to see beyond ourselves and whatever hard thing we happen to be stuck in at any particular moment. Nikki Giovanni, welcome to Wild Card, I'm so glad you're here. Oh, thanks Rachel, I'm glad to be here. So I understand you turned 81 on June 7th, am I right? 81. I can't believe it. You know, I used to say all the time, you know, I really liked old age, it was a good idea. But 80 really kicked my butt. And I'm hoping that 81 is a lot better. I just got out of the hospital about a week ago, which I'm just old.
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