The Office of Multicultural Affairs of Ithaca College proudly presents Nikki Giovanni as part of the In My Own Words speaker series. She will speak on Wednesday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. in Emerson Suites, Campus Center.
This is a free event and open to the public, but you must have a ticket for admission. Tickets for the Ithaca College Community (limit four per person) will be available December 5-7 in the Campus Center lobby from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and December 10-12 in the North Foyer of the Campus Center from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Community members will be able reserve tickets (limit two per person) for pick-up on the night of the event by sending a request to oma@ithaca.edu or calling 607-274-1635.
Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past 30 years, her outspokenness, in her writing and in lectures, has brought the eyes of the world upon her.
She published her first book of poetry, Black Feeling Black Talk, in 1968, and within the next year published a second book, thus launching her career as a writer. Early in her career she was dubbed the "Princess of Black Poetry," and over the course of more than three decades of publishing and lecturing she has come to be called both a "national treasure" and, most recently, one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends."
Giovanni's honors and awards have been steady and plentiful throughout her career. The recipient of some 25 honorary degrees, she has been named "Woman of the Year" by Mademoiselle, Ladies Home Journal, and Ebony magazines. She was tapped for the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame and named an Outstanding Woman of Tennessee. Giovanni has also received Governor's Awards from both Tennessee and Virginia.
She was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and she has also been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry. She is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and has received Life Membership and Scroll from the National Council of Negro Women. A member of PEN, she was honored for her life and career by the History Makers.
Giovanni has received the keys to more than two dozen cities. A scientist who admires her work even named a new species of bat he discovered for her! The author of some 30 books for both adults and children, Nikki Giovanni is a university distinguished professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia.
For more information on this event and others in the In My Own Words OMA speaker series, please contact John Rawlins, III, interim assistant director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, at jrawlins@ithaca.edu or call 607-274-1635.
