ALBANY, N.Y. (April 17, 2007) -- Poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, a distinguished professor of English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, will give a lecture on Racism 101 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19 at the University at Albany.
The event, sponsored by the Albany State University Black Alliance (ASUBA), will be held in the Campus Center Assembly Hall. It is free and open to the public.
In 1968, Giovanni published her first book of poetry, Black Feeling Black Talk. 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 one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends."
Giovanni is the author of more than 30 books for both adults and children. Her autobiography, Gemini: An Extended Autobiographical Statement on My First Twenty-Five Years of Being a Black Poet (1971), was a finalist for the National Book Award, while Love Poems (1997), Blues: For All the Changes (1999), and Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems (2002), were all honored with NAACP Image Awards. Most recently, her children's picture book Rosa - on civil rights legend Rosa Parks - became a Caldecott Honors Book and also reached No. 3 on The New York Times Bestseller list.
Giovanni's spoken word album Truth Is On Its Way was a top 100 album and received the Best Spoken Word Album given by the National Association of Radio and Television Announcers. Additionally, her Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection was one of five finalists for a Grammy Award.
Giovanni has been named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle Magazine, The Ladies Home Journal, and Ebony Magazine. She was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award and has received the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry and Life Membership and Scroll from The National Council of Negro Women.
