The author of some 30 books for both adults and children, Nikki Giovanni is a university distinguished professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Giovanni graduated with honors from Fisk University in 1968 before attending the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. She published her first book of poetry,
Black Feeling Black Talk, in 1968.
Many of Giovanni’s books have received honors and awards. Her autobiography,
Gemini, was a finalist for the National Book Award;
Love Poems,
Blues: For All the Changes, and
Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea were all honored with NAACP Image Awards.
Blues: For All the Changes reached No. 4 on the
Los Angeles Times Best-Seller list. Most recently, her children's picture book
Rosa, about the civil rights legend Rosa Parks, became a Caldecott Honors Book, reaching No. 3 on the
New York Times Best-Seller list.