About Nikki Giovanni
Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni Jr. is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. She is one of the world’s best‑known African‑American poets, and her work includes poetry anthologies, recordings and nonfiction essays that discuss race, social issues and children’s literature. Giovanni has received the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award, was nominated for a 2004 Grammy for her album The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, and was named one of Oprah Winfrey’s 25 Living Legends. She is also a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
Awards & Honors
American Book Awards
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Robert Frost Medal
Langston Hughes Medal
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction
Virginia Women in History
Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
Carl Sandburg Literary Award
Show 2 more awards
Black Literary Hall of Fame
Ladies' Home Journal Women of the Year
![“I was responding to one thing for the woman I knew, and there's another thing for what did she give, right. She [Nina Simone] was a great teacher.” quote by Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/c6d/nikki-giovanni-1757_giving_i-was-responding-to-one-thing-for-the-wo_1787277.png)
![“I think that too many strangers were in her [Nina Simone's] life, and not enough people that she knew and loved.” quote by Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/363/nikki-giovanni-1757_enough_i-think-that-too-many-strangers-were-in_2169841.png)
![“We just didn't put any pressure on each other, and I think that everybody needs somebody, and I didn't do it to try to do it; it's what we [with Nina Simone] were to each other.” quote by Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/e4d/nikki-giovanni-1757_needs_we-just-didn-t-put-any-pressure-on-each_773497.png)
![“We [Black people] have always used our creativity to battle and we're not the only ones. Black Americans are certainly leaders in that simply because we were denied education and dealt with enforced illiteracy. But people seem to always forget that literacy is not the only way of learning things…” quote by Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/3d9/nikki-giovanni-1757_battle_we-black-people-have-always-used-our-cre_3096037.png)
