Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovani is one of the most accomplished poets in the world and she has a list of awards and recognitions a mile long. She has: Seven NAACP Image Awards, Named one of Oprah’s Top 25 Living Legends, first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, National Association of Radio and Television Announcers Award for Best Spoken Word Album, and the ALC Lifetime Achievement Award (Giovanni 1). These are a small portion of her numerous accomplishments. But, who is Nikki Giovanni and how did she become such a decorated and recognized poet? Nikki Giovanni was born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr., 7 June 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee. At a young age she considered herself a dreamer. She loved reading books and some of her favorite authors were
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Her early poems were inspired by movements, mainly the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Because of this inspiration and the message she was portraying in her poems her type of poetry at the time was described as “militant” by some. Nikki Giovanni finds much gratification in the fact that she is a “Black American, mother, daughter, and a Professor of English” (Poetry Foundation). She expresses this gratification in the poem “Ego-Tripping (there may be a reason)”. This poem was introduced in 1973 as part of a compilation of poems for young adults titled Ego-Tripping and Other Poems For Young People (Giovanni 4). In the poem the title Ego Tripping (there may be a reason suggest that the author is either literally tripping over her own ego because it is so large or a figurative trip as in having their mind blown with a sudden realization or causing you to go crazy. The use of imagery in this poem creates a feeling of being there and all the moments she discusses explain why the author is Ego Tripping. In this poem she celebrates being black and a woman in various ways. This poem was written and published after Nikki Giovanni took a trip to Africa in
Her early poems were inspired by movements, mainly the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Because of this inspiration and the message she was portraying in her poems her type of poetry at the time was described as “militant” by some. Nikki Giovanni finds much gratification in the fact that she is a “Black American, mother, daughter, and a Professor of English” (Poetry Foundation). She expresses this gratification in the poem “Ego-Tripping (there may be a reason)”. This poem was introduced in 1973 as part of a compilation of poems for young adults titled Ego-Tripping and Other Poems For Young People (Giovanni 4). In the poem the title Ego Tripping (there may be a reason suggest that the author is either literally tripping over her own ego because it is so large or a figurative trip as in having their mind blown with a sudden realization or causing you to go crazy. The use of imagery in this poem creates a feeling of being there and all the moments she discusses explain why the author is Ego Tripping. In this poem she celebrates being black and a woman in various ways. This poem was written and published after Nikki Giovanni took a trip to Africa in