Dr. Nikki Giovanni

Poet Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather's alma mater, Fisk University. She is a scholar of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as a master-teacher, mentor, mother and grandmother. Dr. Giovanni is a retired professor of English, having taught at Virginia Tech since 1987, where she remains a University Distinguished Professor. Dr. Giovanni is world renowned poet and recipient of a number of awards including the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, the American Book Award, the Langston Hughes Award, the Virginia Governor's Award for the Arts, the Emily Couric Leadership Award, seven-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award, and the recipient of 27 honorary degrees to name a few.