Black Arts Movement Poet Nikki Giovanni Discusses Her New Book and the Art Community

Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose, is Nikki Giovanni’s new collection of work published by HarperCollins.

Nikki Giovanni came to public consciousness through her radical poetry and as a leading voice in the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni has been a University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech since 1987, and her literary-activism has led to her prominence in American letters. Still active, Giovanni’s latest HarperCollins' publication-- Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose -- is a series of personal accounts that explore societal injustices and illuminate Black culture, while taking readers inside of Giovanni’s private space. Listen to this radio interview from CultureShift on WDET, Detroit’s NPR station, to hear Giovanni share her thoughts with Amanda LeClaire.

“I was interested in the water, because water is the thing that makes things grow. You can’t have life really without water . . . What does it mean to cry? What grows from your tears? And what grows from your tears, of course, is you. You have helped yourself learn that it’s alright to grow.” - Nikki Giovanni