Remembering the great Nikki Giovanni

When I was a girl in Big Stone Gap, we read a poem by Nikki Giovanni in school. I thought she was Italian, and when I met her the first time, I told her so. We had a good laugh. She was brilliant, like Gwendolyn Brooks before her- her way with words was to summon the moment, connect emotionally and place the story in history. Her vivid imagery and emotional heft made her poems memorable.

Nikki Giovanni presented with the Library of Virginia's Lifetime Achievement Award by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Adriana in 2016

Through the years, I have been in her dazzling company at the Library of Virginia. We were able to celebrate her work, Nikki deserved every glittering prize. She was there, not only on nights of celebration, but in moments of despair. She rallied the student body of Virginia Tech, the state and the nation when she delivered her epic poem, We Are Virginia Tech, in the wake of the 2007 tragic massacre on the campus. Nikki rooted the poem in the truth of what it meant to be a survivor as a woman of color in a state that was built on the labor of the enslaved.

(Video above: Nikki Giovanni honored with the Library of Virginia’s Patron of Letters degree in 2023)

Nothing was lost on Nikki- she wove the threads of history throughout her work making the tapestry of truth indestructible. Nikki was a national treasure and a beam of light in a dark and weary world, which she refused to give up on- ever. She inspired thousands of writers throughout her life, and millions of readers. She knew who she was and was proud of her roots. My deepest sympathy to her beloved family: wife Ginny, son Thomas and granddaughter Kai. Our hearts are broken, and we will mend them with her words.

From left to right: Nikki Giovanni, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Adriana Trigiani

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