Nikki Giovanni's poetry has spurred movements and inspired songs, turned hearts and informed generations. She's been hailed as a healer and as a national treasure. But Giovanni's heart resides in the everyday, where family and lovers gather, friends commune, and those no longer with us are remembered. And at every gathering there is food-food as sustenance, food as aphrodisiac, food as memory. A pot of beans is flavored with her mother's sighs-this sigh part cardamom, that one the essence of clove; a lover requests a banquet as an affirmation of ongoing passion; homage is paid to the most time-honored appetizer: soup.
With Chasing Utopia, Giovanni demands that the prosaic-flowers, birdsong, win-ter-be seen as poetic, and reaffirms once again why she is as energetic, "remarkable" (Gwendolyn Brooks), "wonderful" (Marian Wright Edelman),"outspoken, prolific, energetic" (New York Times), and relevant as ever.
About the Author :
Nikki Giovanni (1943-2024), poet, activist, mother, grandmother, and educator, grew up in Tennessee and Ohio and graduated with honors from Fisk University in Nashville. The author of over thirty books, she was also the recipient of seven NAACP Image Awards, the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry, the Frost Medal, as well as thirty-one honorary degrees and an Emmy Award. She garnered her most unusual honor in 2007 when a South American bat species--Micronycteris giovanniae--was named in celebration of her. A devoted teacher and honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she spent thirty-five years as University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Review :
"This slim volume delights on every page. There are stories, imaginings, whimsy, and startling images which prove the poet's power and her command of language . . . Anyone with a love of language will be delighted with this book and the continuing publication of America's treasured poet." - San Francisco Book Review
"That image of the poet as an astute, intuitive friend could be used to characterize Giovanni's entire oeuvre . . . she is always concerned with the business of living, whether she's celebrating simple pleasures, observing the difficulties of love, or denouncing hate . . . the whole collection is enlivened by Giovanni's distinctive vibrant spirit." - Knoxville News-Sentinel
"Giovanni has long been a force for literary exuberance and social responsibility. In her latest accessible, teasing, and poignant collection, she offers straightforward, plain-speaking, sneakily resonant poems . . . she celebrates the opportunity to 'be a truth giver / contribute / something beautiful and useful to the world.'" - Booklist
"Giovanni remains an architect of life observations. . . . The world is a richer place for her three-decade body of work." - Miami Herald
"Praise for Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: "An embracing, uplifting, and sustaining voice." - Booklist
Praise for Acolytes: "The work of Nikki Giovanni has been as evolutionary as it has been revolutionary. One of the finest poets of our time. . . Her work still resonates." - Ebony
Praise for The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: "Wise and mischievous, Giovanni is a must-read at every stage of her happily, still growing oeuvre." - Booklist
"Nikki Giovanni's work has always been remarkable for energy, venturesomeness, direct honesty, and courage." - Gwendolyn Brooks
