The Collected Poetry, 1968-1998

by Nikki Giovanni

This omnibus covers Nikki Giovanni's complete work of poetry from 1967–1983. THE COLLECTED POETRY OF NIKKI GIOVANNI will include the complete volumes of five adult books of poetry: Black Feeling Black Talk/Black Judgement, My House, The Women and the Men, Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day, and Those Who Ride the Night Winds.

Nikki self–published her first book Black Feeling, Black Talk/BlackJudgement in 1969, selling 10,000 copies; William Morrow published in 1970. Know for its iconic revolutionary phrases, it is heralded as one of the most important volumes of modern African–American poetry and is considered the seminal volume of Nikki's body of work.

My House (Morrow 1972) marks a new dimension in tone and philosphy––This is Giovanni's first foray into the autobiographical.

In The Women and the Men (Morrow 1975), Nikki displays her compassion for the people, things and places she has encountered––She reveres the ordinary and is in search of the extraordinary.

Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day (Morrow 1978) is one of the most poignant and introspective of all Giovanni's collections. These poems chronicle the drastic change that took place during the 1970s––when the dreams of the Civil Rights era seemed to have evaporated.

Those Who Ride the Night Winds (Morrow 1983) is devoted to "the day trippers and midnight cowboys," the ones who have devoted their lives to pushing the limits of the human condition and shattered the constraints of the stautus quo.

Genres: Poetry, African American, Classics, Race, Nonfiction, Politics, Feminism

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she was named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends". Giovanni was a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip hop. Poems such as "Knoxville, Tennessee" and "Nikki-Rosa" have been frequently re-published in anthologies and other collections.
Giovanni received numerous awards and holds 27 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities. She was also given the key to over two dozen cities. Giovanni was honored with the NAACP Image Award seven times. One of her more unique honors was having a South America bat species, Micronycteris giovanniae, named after her in 2007.
Giovanni was proud of her Appalachian roots and worked to change the way the world views Appalachians and Affrilachians.
Giovanni taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and was a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech until September 1, 2022. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry of Nikki Giovanni has always been a heartfelt ‘celebration of the road we have traveled,’ as she writes in her poem Stardate, but it is also a ‘prayer…for the roads yet to come.’ And while the road may have come to an end this week in the life of this beloved and decorated poet, her legacy and poetry still has many roads to travel inside our hearts. A key figure in the Black Arts Movement of the 60s and 70s, Nikki Giovanni was and was once referred to as 'one of the most important artist-intellectuals of the twentieth century' by The New Yorker. Winner of numerous lifetime achievement awards and seven NAACP awards, frequently named Woman of the Year in many magazines, and just a joy of a poet to read, Nikki Giovanni has long been a giant in the literary world gracing us all with her lovely words. The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni is a marvelous look at her works spanning from her debut collection, Black Feeling, Black Talk, in 1968 up until 1998 to showcase 30 years of gorgeous verse full of passion, revolutionary spirit and, above all things, love. ‘Art is a connection’ she wrote in Sacred Cows... and Other Edibles, ‘I like being a link,’ and it is with a heavy heart full of respect for this wonderful poet that I returned to this book yet again to feel that connection with Giovvani’s voice and vision. A wonderful collection that displays all the integrity and passion of this great poet who has left us a legacy that is sure to last.

Winter Poem

once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kiss
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower

Nikki Giovanni lived an impressive life of literature, activism and advocacy for Black arts. ‘Black love is Black wealth and they’ll / probably talk about my hard childhood / and never understand that / all the while I was quite happy,’ she writes in one of her best-known poems, Nikki-Rosa (read it HERE), and this sort of empowerment—especially in the face of adversity—permeates her works. She reminds us that love is a gift but that so are we and encourages us to seek to love ourselves, such as in Poem For A Lady Whose Voice I Like where she quips ‘show me someone not full of herself / and i’ll show you a hungry person.’ There is an infectious optimism in her works that I really appreciate. ‘I’m just a poet,’ she would later write in the book Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose, ‘All I have are words / And maybe a bit of hope,’ and this hope is a large part of why she writes and hopes to convey in the face of struggle:

‘We write because we have evolved to another century…We write because we are lonely and scared and we need to keep our hearts open…We who do words are doing what we do. We are not trying to get folk who are frightened of us to be calm around us. We are reminding folk who love us that this is a good thing. Black lives matter.’

There is also a strong sense of love for Black identity in these poem and the revolutionary spirit of the Civil Rights movement ring loud and proud through her works. She frequently writes poems to or about many other prominent Black heroes—activists like Angela Y. Davis, writers like Langston Hughes, and plenty of artists such as Nina Simone or Aretha Franklin among others—raises a powerful voice against the oppressions and violence done to the Black community, and champions the spirit of resilience and love. ‘We are all imprisoned in the castle of our skins,’ she writes n Poem (For Nina) but moves the poem into a celebration of her identity as a Black woman:

‘if i am imprisoned in my skin let it be a dark world
with a deep bass walking a witch doctor to me for
spiritual consultation
let my world be defined by my skin and the color of
my people
for we spirit to spirit will embrace
this world’

In a 2021 interview with New York Times, Giovanni discussed how in conversations on race she finds it important to describe that ‘ it is a construct that is destructive’ and finds solidarity in trans people raising awareness of gender as a construct. Though she also finds it very vital to chronicle the history of Black people and celebrate the overcoming of adversity. Her poem But Since You Finally Asked (read it in full HERE), which was written and read at the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Slave Memorial at Mount Vernon, juxtaposes the lived experience of enslaved people with the maxims around the US constitution to emphasize the disparity felt by those left out of the phrase “We the people.” ‘We didn’t write a constitution…we live one’ she writes with her rather signature use of ellipses to space ideas and serve much like a line break. But, as with most of her work, it ends in a space of hope: ‘We turn our faces to the rising sun -- knowing -- a New Day -- is always – beginning.’ Even in her poems that probe the depths of darkness she always brings us to hope and beauty.

then i awoke and dug
that if i dreamed natural
dreams of being a natural
woman doing what a woman
does when she’s natural
i would have a revolution
—from Revolutionary Dreams

In A Poem, dedicated to Langston Hughes, she writes ‘diamonds are mined..oil is discovered / gold is found..but thoughts are uncovered’ and poetry is her tool for digging for these thoughts to uncover. What we often find is that these thoughts are feelings of love and that poetry is another form of love when it comes from her pen. Poems are what you do to me,’ she writes, or that ‘I believe / the most beautiful poem / ever heard is your heart /racing.’ There is a rather whimsical playfulness that arises when she speaks of love, such as the poem I Wrote a Good Omelet which beings ‘I wrote a good omelet…and ate / a hot poem… after loving you.’ It’s hard not to smile when reading them, and I particularly love this next poem and every autumn I would make a little painting to write it on and leave it upon a tree for my public poetry project (see it on instagram at @poe_a_tree) because I love it so much.

Autumn Poem

the heat
you left with me
still smolders
the wind catches
your scent
and refreshes
my senses

i am a leaf
falling from your tree
upon which i was
impaled

In the poem The Life I Led, Giovanni writes ‘i hope i die / warmed/ by the life that i tried / to live.’ It is sad to have learned of the passing of such a great American literary icon, but it is a comfort to think she passed warmed by the knowledge of having lived a good life and will leave a long and loving legacy. Farewell, Nikki Giovanni, thanks for the beautiful words.

5/5

A Poem of Friendship

We are not lovers
because of the love
we make
but the love
we have

We are not friends
because of the laughs
we spend
but the tears
we save

I don't want to be near you
for the thoughts we share
but the words we never have
to speak

I will never miss you
because of what we do
but what we are
together

[Larry Bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Giovanni is a new name to you, she is worth reading. The book begins in her angry Black Power days but she moves from the political to the personal over the years. But you never forget that she is Black. She is proud to be Black and angry and distressed with the discrimination faced by Blacks for so long. You will find the words Black, colored, Negro and nigger throughout, each with their own meaning . Her work is sensitizing and informing. There is also humor and attitude. She portrays herself as a person who will tell you what she thinks and her work seems to bear that out.

The 25 page Introduction and Chronology to The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni is a presentation of the poet Nikki Giovanni for those like me who have only recently heard of her.

To read through this volume of Giovanni’s poetry is indeed to read “the story” of the last thirty years (note: 1968 - 1998)of American life, as that life has been lived, observed, and reflected about by a racially conscious Black woman.

I give The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni four stars. It was both fun and thought provoking. If I was going to recommend just one of her books, it would be Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day. I liked just about every poem in that book. But this collection gives you six for the price of one. It is almost totally free verse with the smallest amount of rhyming. The Collection contains all the poetry from her six major books during the 1968 to 1998 time period including Cotton Candy. The book also includes a good deal of biographical and descriptive material that is great for the uninitiated reader.

This book is a teacher. It helps you learn. It offers some guidance. Don’t get to page 74 like me before realizing that there are 70 pages of notes about many of the poems at the back of the book. The notes don’t tell you what the poems mean but what some of the references mean. Since I lived through that time, I knew many of the references but there was other descriptive information in the notes. They made the poems more meaningful and readable for me, especially if I read the notes before reading the poem. The back of the book contains a good deal of additional information about Giovanni. Thanks to whoever put this book together. It is an excellent learning package. For me, it would be an excellent model for all books of poetry.

The poetry is often based on current events so some knowledge of the era when Giovanni is writing is useful, but if you were not born yet, the notes at the back of the book are great. Many of us did live through that time; Giovanni was born in 1943 so is three years older than I am. The book was published in 2003 and represents the collection of the poet’s work from 1968 through 1998.

Taken from the Introduction written by Virginia C. Fowler in 1995:

Giovanni does not believe … that the poet … has visionary powers beyond those of people who are not poets or writers. She also denies the power of poetry to change the world, as she has stated, “I don’t think that writers ever changed the mind of anybody. I think we always preach to the saved.”

When you read the poetry, you may not agree. I cannot really tell since I am one of the “saved”. Is a poet always accurate about the impact of her work?

To paraphrase Ms. Fowler, Giovanni believes that aesthetic value emerges from and is dependent on moral values and that the poet writes not from experience but from empathy. (That is about is deep as I can wade with my limited knowledge about how poetry happens! But I wanted to throw that in for the one expert who may read this to see what the common person gets.)

Some of Giovanni’s poetry takes a new form:

Published in 1983, Those Who Ride the Night Winds marks Giovanni’s innovation of a new “lineless” poetic form in which word groups are separated from each other by ellipses rather than line breaks.

I have never experienced that format so it took some getting used to and emphasized that what Giovanni writes is often a narrative. Worth checking out if you consider yourself a poetry person.

Nikki Giovanni’s poetry is meant to be read out loud. And I found it enjoyable to read it out loud to myself. I also looked for some sources of her talking and reading her poems. I found some on youtube.

Talking about Rosa Parks, Harry Potter and poetry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efhxc4...

Nikki Giovanni gives her very funny opinion on Bill Cosby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo9UaH...

An interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPndtZ...

And there are more. Try reading some out loud to yourself. You might find that you are pretty good at it. Here’s one to try right now:

Revolutionary Dreams

i used to dream militant
dreams of taking
over america to show
these white folks how it should be
done
i used to dream radical dreams
of blowing everyone away with my perceptive powers
of correct analysis
i even used to think i’d be the one
to stop the riot and negotiate the peace
then i awoke and dug
that if i dreamed natural
dreams of being a natural
woman doing what a woman
does when she’s natural
i would have a revolution

Nikki Giovanni is a poet and reading her poetry and voicing her mind she becomes an actor. She has quite an in person presence. Her poetry is in the oral tradition so benefits from being spoken. Some could be lyrics to a song. She has a sharp mind and is blunt to share it. She is available on CD and DVD as well as in print.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This actually made me feel a bit of comfort after the recent election. It's not that Giovanni's poetry is sweetness and light, but more of a controlled rage. And in that rage is a sense of comfort, strangely enough.

[C.M. Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure...I was never into poetry. Didn't like reading it. Didn't like writing it. Or so I thought. I love music, and music is basically poetry, right? About a year or so ago I started coming around to writing it. But then you think...how do I know if I'm even writing this right if I don't read poetry? Now...I've read poetry here and there. When it was part of a curriculum. When someone I know shares some poems on Facebook. When I skim a page or two of this one ultra-basic poetry book that comes across my desk at work. But none of what I'd been exposed to appealed to me. So, last year, I started seeking out poetry for the first time. I Googled two of the most prominent publications that publish poetry, and read the first couple of entries. I had no earthly idea what those people were talking about. And I'm not being facetious or dramatic...I really could not tell you the meaning of a single thing they said.

It really all comes down to preference, I guess. I didn't want pretty lines, I wanted a punch. I didn't want for it to go over my head, I wanted it to grab me...shake me, stir me. Fast forward to last month. I'm at a really nice bookstore. I want to buy my first poetry book. I let my senses guide me, and bought a Nikki Giovanni AND a Sylvia Plath. I started with Nikki.

Let me just say, Nikki punches. She definitely punches. She's not just waxing whimsy for sh*ts and giggles, she is saying something. She's saying everything, really. I mean some of the stuff she said...especially the early stuff...wow. I'm not as educated on her as I should be (in the process) but I have to imagine she got a good bit of push back and flak. She was exceptionally uncensored. Exceptionally blatant. Exceptionally bold. I loved it. She is never without personality. Never without purpose. While many of the poems were scathing in seriousness, there was also so much humor, and sarcasm, and witty snark. Again, I loved it. I never felt confused or thought "what's the point?" like I did when reading those recent poems from those two popular publications. Now, occasionally I had to look stuff up. Some of the references being made were before my time and wouldn't immediately ring a bell without context. And occasionally I did have to ponder a line for a minute, but then it would click and it would be all the better. I like coy metaphor and cloaked entendre and acute cleverness that makes you have to stop and think. It's intentional opaqueness and over-obscuring where I get turned-off. I didn't have to contend with the "extra" stuff in this book, though. Literally, I uttered "damn" as many times as I do when listening to a bar-filled rap record.

I was pleased with my first adult poetry book, and now I'm on to the second.

[Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni has always seemed to me to be the quintessential modern poet: her social concerns reflect the ubiquitous tensions of her time, her more introspective work is solidly in the tradition of modern navel gazers. For anyone who likes that oeuvre, this will be delightful. I found it tiresome. Giovanni's themes are worthwhile, of course, and none of my dislike of her poetry stems from her honest and relevant reflections on the issues of race and womanhood.

It stems from her voice, not what she says with it. This collection showcases every free verse cliche I've ever seen and detested: lower-case "I" for no reason, random spaces for some ill-defined emphasis. I used to write pages of this stuff as an angsty teenager, and while the thematic content of Giovanni's work is undoubtedly more significant, I don't think her technical ability is all that removed from every other sensitive artist-wannabe with feelings, an over-affection for the space bar and an antipathy for the caps-lock.

Of course, you could point out Giovanni's popularity as some kind of justification for her art. That's fine; different people like different things, and apparently, a lot of people like this stuff. But I think that's because this stuff appeals to the broader audience, because it demands so little of the reader. The forms aren't complicated or technically sophisticated, the themes are universally respected already. There's nothing to rub up against, nothing to grow from.

This is poetry as most people like it; I'm not, in this case, most people.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This selected works collection was my first introduction to Giovanni's poetry. When I began reading it, I wasn't really getting into it. I appreciated the significance of her early work in the context of the era it was written, but the pieces themselves from that time period are so vitriolic and focused on putting down all white people it seems that that is all they accomplish - being angry and pejorative; the form and the message are not very artful. What I loved about this selection, though, is that it spans her career (at least until the year of publication), so you get to see her work mature and improve. And, in the preface, a nice chronology of her life is provided, so you can understand her poems in the context of historical events and her personal life events too. As I progressed through the book, I found myself really enjoying the poems more and more. I'd love to hear her read some day.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possible my favorite poetry book of all time. Nikki Giovanni is amazing.

[Pam Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

She tells it like it is. Her choice and arrangement of words is superb.

[Leeann · Rating 5 out of 5]

an unforgettable collection of Black American poetry written by an unforgettable Black American woman.

there is nothing else to be said.

[julianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

this collection is like a close friend you’ve carried with you through several lifetimes.

[Katherine Cherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

and i STILL love men in tight pants!

- Mr Zamora

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to give myself the time and the space to write a review of this collection that would really do it justice, but, unlike Nikki Giovanni, I just don't have that gift of language, style, and form.

When I was in elementary school, I once memorized "Nikki-Rosa" for an oratorical contest. Since then I've read the occasional Nikki Giovanni poem or essay here and there, but I've never taken the time to sit and read through any of her poetry volumes. I'm so very happy that I finally did. My only regret is that I didn't read this sooner. Giovanni is endlessly innovative and dynamic. The things that she does with structure and verse....It's simply incomparable. Her work is firmly and solidly poetry. But it is also genre-bending, and this becomes very apparent when you read 'Those Who Ride the Night Winds' and bear witness to the creation of line-less poetic form. As far as the content, some would say that, over time, you see a "depoliticization" of her work. What I mean by that is, at the start of her career, when she was a visible member of the Black Arts Movement, her work was undoubtedly political. In earlier volumes like 'Black Feeling Black Talk' or 'Black Judgement,' Giovanni's critique of what bell hooks would later call "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy" is very clear. Later volumes like 'My House' and 'Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day' have a very different, more personal feel. However, I think that this binary is dangerous. I wouldn't categorize the earlier half of the collection as "more political" and the latter half as "more personal" because, if you read closely, you will see that throughout her career, Giovanni has seamlessly intertwined the personal and the political, the emotional and the intellectual. Through and through, this poetry collection is all about the many dimensions of Black life and the numerous facets of Black lives. In some of the poetry volumes included in this collection, perhaps one element is more visible than the other, but, most assured, all elements are present. In the interview with Jill Scott at the end of the collection, Giovanni remarks, "The collection really shows my growth, my understanding. I don't want to say wisdom because I am not trying to be some sort of Buddha, but I've learned so much and I want my work to show that. I want to keep growing. It was important to me that my work grow."

That growth is visible. And so much more. Nikki Giovanni is one of the most gifted poets of our time, and after reading this collection, you will know exactly why.

My favorite verse? from "Balances" ('Black Judgement'):
"and i've begun
(as a reaction to a feeling)
to balance
the pleasure of loneliness
against the pain
of loving you"

[tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a little biased about some of the poetry in this volume. As a teenage "poet" I was introduced to Nikki's work, being black, being female, it was almost important for me, with all those traits to read her as a writer. I liked "My House" and another one whose name escapes me (it's been 16 years). And all of those poems are included in this volume, but since the poems from the books I just mentioned were given to me by my Aunt, the Black Revolutionary (wouldn't know it by looking at her but she was in the 70's) and I was 15 when they were passed down, I'm sort of less than objective when reading her other ones, but I've always liked Nikki's style.

[Terrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Within these pages one gets acquainted with one of our most influential poets ever. The poems here span thirty years from the 1960’s Black Arts Movement, through the civil right movement to the present mother. Giovanni’s work is refreshing, partly because she doesn’t write about her black experience with the fierceness that is often associated with blacks whom participated in the Civil Rights Movement. It is refreshing to read works that touch on the subject of race, by a black who seemingly doesn’t have any stored anger from that time in her life.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni is that aunt who knows things, who you love to visit because she gets you, and will tell you things that you remember, and understand years later in a poof of clarity.

I've loved her poetry and prose for years, and I bought this while browsing the bookstore and no one had told me that she had a book out. Sure, it's missing some of her later work, particularly the Virginia Tech stuff, and the cutoff of 1998 is...weird, but this is a great compendium of the stuff she was writing to establish herself as a grand poet.

[Jamila Abdulrashid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poetry is a historical timeline of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960’s. Its lyrical content speaks to the conscience of a culture deeply rooted in revolution. It tells the notable struggle of a nation divided by civil rights. “The source of my work has always been black Americans. I am absolutely fascinated by what we are, and how we have conducted our business more than three hundred years in America.” (Giovanni, 2007). This is a great book for teachers of humanities to use with students as it covers both English Language Arts and history. Highly recommend.

[Essence Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may possibly be one of my new favorites! Not only because in my personal opinion, Nikki Giovanni is one of the greatest poets ever, but because her words are filled with the most anger and joy and rhythm that can go into words. Also, i always enjoy her awareness of race but never separation of races. It takes a lot to put your soul into a poem and after reading this collection of about three hundred, I fell as if i was not once deprived of anything she had to offer.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying seeing the evolution of this famous poet, whom I got to meet recently. Wonderful poems about all sorts of topics from politics and history to love and family. Great voice, such a treasure. I really appreciated the notes in the back of the volume that explained who some of the poems were dedicated to and gave historical background for many of the events that Giovanni referenced.

[Yasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing poet, this is my first book of poems by Nikki Giovanni. From 1968 to 1998 the poems are still bursting with freshness and vitality 15 years later from the last section of poems. I'm so very glad I picked up this book from the library and look forward very much to adding her poetry books to my library. Truly she has become a favourite poet of mine.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely splendid! Although this only covers her poetry up to 1998, still that's 30 years' worth of writing ... very honest and direct, completely "down-home" ... now to find the collection for the past twenty years ...

Unfortunately, Nikki Giovanni died in December of 2024 … she was a national treasure … and her poetry will definitely outlive her

[sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki Giovanni is amazing. Her poems bite.

I didn't like the section where the poems had ellipses instead of line breaks. My brain couldn't handle it.

This is a great book to keep lying around and open up when you need a jolt of inspiration.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nikki's poems and writings have been so inspiring to me as I was growing up. I read this book a long, long time ago but still I'm moved by the way she writes. Her work was as relevant then, as it is today. Good Read!

[Sala Bim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Ms. Giovanni at a national conference once and she was kind enough to autograph my copy of this book for me. Amazingly prolific, frank, and insightful woman, and this wonderful and deft collection of her poetry justly reflects that. Inspiring!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my new favorite poets
not a book to read if you want to quietly float on a pool of rose petals - although maybe if the pool was filled with the blood of the revolution.
Such timeless poems that could have been written this year - if you changed nixon to trump.
Nothing held back.

[Nicole George]

One of my favorite poets of all time. Don't just think because she has a cool name ;) The Real Miss Nikki G

[Feral Academic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read 30 years of her work in the space of a few weeks. She's a very dynamic poet; you could probably convince me that the poems in Black Feeling Black Talk were written by a different poet than those in Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day. I really liked all but one of the collections (but don't remember which one that was - everything bleeds together), but especially (predictably) liked the revolutionary fire of Black Feeling Black Talk and of Black Judgment.

[Christine Baptiste · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could see why she is considered one of the greatest artist of our time. The beginning of this book is set during the Civil rights and you can feel the justified anger on the pages. Some of this resonated with me, other works I didn't agree with, and some I just didn't get... It was honestly a difficult book to go through partly bc of the subject matter and at other times I just was not feeling the flow, either way I recognize why she's great.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not actually finish this book, but I intend to go back to it at a later date. Every time I opened it I said in my mind, “Hi Nikki” with a smile on my face, because she felt like a good friend.
This is a huge compilation of thirty years of her poetry. They coincide with my college years and beyond. I was a very interested in Black Power and understanding Black culture. I was able to identify her references in her poems for the most part.
What brings me back to the enjoyment of poetry is J er thoughtfulness and how well she writes.
She writes for her time in history, but also about basic human emotions including render love. Sometimes Black Power takes center stage. Whatever she wrights shows deep understanding of history and the times she lived in.

[Cherie Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What its like to be black, to be poor, to be a woman. Nikki Giovanni cuts to the bone.

[Jen H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comprehensive collection has a lot of the poet’s early work that deals with Black power and militant resistance. Some of the poems from the 70s fit right in to our current sociopolitical climate. I didn’t really discover any new favorites, but it was fun to see the Giovanni poems I love in the context of other poems she wrote at the time.