Nikki Giovanni: Love Poems & A Good Cry audiobook

Nikki Giovanni is a master at making ordinary life..making breakfast, walking down the street seem so beautiful. This collection of poetry was such an insightful look into her life. My heart broke learning of her parents and their relationship..but I was filled with so much joy and gratitude for her grandparents. Reading this as a lover of Her, I just want to reach out and thank all of the people in her life she loves lol and thank them for helping mold her into the woman she is who puts this beautiful Poetry into the world. I especially loved the end where her works focus on her friendship with Dr. Maya Angelou. I’m a firm believer in you are the company you keep and how bad ass would it have been to be able to say your company consists of Maya Angelou! I teared Up reading her poems and essays for her. I really really loved this.

I read poetry, or I should say I prefer to listen to poetry, particularly if read by the author. But I rarely write a review as I am unsure how to go about it. February is Black History Month. In honor of this I chose to read this book of poems by Giovanni.This book covers a variety of love poems: love of a women for a man, a parent for a child, a child for a parent, for grandparents, food, words and learning. Some of the poems also cover the Civil Rights Era. The first part of the book is poems read one after the other. The last part of the book Giovanni explains why she wrote a poem that she is about to read. She also tells a bit about her life and of people important to her career. I was most interested in her long-time friendship with Maya Angelou. I enjoyed listening to her poems particularly the rhythm of her words. I look forward to listening to more poems of Giovanni.Yolande Comelia “Nikki” Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, Fisk University and Columbia University. She is a professor at Virginia Tech University. She has won many awards for her poetry and writings. One of the most recent is being a finalist for the 2018 Audie Award for Best Narration by the Author. The book is almost three hours.

Another fabulous collection of poems and short essays. She pays homage to many people including Maya Angelou and Afeni Shakur.

I loved all the pieces dedicated to legendary, literary, contributors to black excellence from Claudia Whitworth and Rita Dove to Maya Angelou. Giovanni is a legendary contributor to black excellence herself and I love to see all the love and praises passed around! But just as much love and praise that she shines on the contributions of great writers; there's also a pain expressed regarding topics of neglect, domestic abuse and intimate partner violence at a few spots in this work that stood out very clearly to me here and they were heart-wrenching. 'Remembering Maya' and 'A Sincere Apology' are two major high-key highlights from this work. She brought back the joy of Maya Angelou through sharing her personal interactions with her and she also shared the complexities of friendships and working peer relationships. It was a beautiful read.

I love Nikki Giovanni, and there were some poems that really resonated with me, but the collection on the whole fell a little flat in my heart. That said, the beautiful thing about poetry (and a smattering of prose, in this case) is that I may read it again in the future, under different circumstances, and with brand new eyes, and it might speak to me then. I would certainly give it another go down the line. 3.5 stars, rounded up for the 10 or so works that I found memorable.

A beautiful book of poetry. Some very touching dedications, like those to Maya Angelou. This was a quick but heartfelt read and I really enjoyed it.

Strongly recommend an audio “read” if available. Hearing these poems on love, rural life, race, parents, friends, the academy, and more, in her voice, made it a pleasure. Thanks, local library!

I've always admired Nikki Giovanni and was happy to finally hold her latest poetry collection in my hands. It's simple and beautiful and includes an intimate ode to her friend, Maya Angelou. Her magic is in illuminating day-to-day moments and writing stunning tributes to her dearest loved ones. My favorites were Baby West, Surveillance, and Afeni.Let's connect: Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

BUY THIS BOOK AND ENJOY IT OVER A GLASS OF WINE!!! I loved that she spoke on Tupac. I loved that she paused, laughed and even had moments of reverence in this book of poetry. I enjoyed it as I have enjoyed all of the books that Auntie Nikki has written. 💚💚💚

The best collection that I have read by Giovanni to date.

April is National Poetry Month!✒Nikki Giovanni makes you laugh, cry, reminisce, explore, raise your fist, crave food, and libations. She pays homage to what was, what is, and what will be - honoring everyday men and women as well as titans of industry in arts, music, and politics. Nikki delves into aging, sickness, domestic violence she witnessed as a child, her beautiful grandparents, and the healing effects of crying. She reveals so much about herself in this volume.✒✒Favorite poems: “Baby West,” “Nikki Giovanni: A Look at the Development of This Small Business,” “If I Have to Hospital,” “The Past….The Present….The Future”, “Konko in the Rain,” “For Ruby Dee,” “Black Lives Matter (Not a Hashtag), “We, Too,” “Diamond Anniversary,” “Surveillance,” “NYC (Then & Now,” “We Marched (Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Sisterhood of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority) and all the poems honoring Maya Angelou.✒✒I had the pleasure of meeting Nikki Giovanni on February 16, 2018, at the University of Houston, my alumni, the night Black Panther released. The diminutive firecracker had the audience in stitches, and it was a night I’d never forget. This woman, a cancer survivor and recovering from a partial mastectomy, stayed and signed every single book, program, and vinyl record. I stood and watched in awe; she gave a piece of herself to everyone that night despite being sick.✒ I commented about something and she implied that might be the topic of her next book!

Nikki’s made such a significant mark on the Virginia Tech community, and this is just one small example of that. I remember being a student in her class - desperately trying to soak up every word she spoke. I felt the same reading her poetry again. My library copy is now covered in sticky notes, and I really miss VT. “We seek Antarctica because we who are Appalachian understand the talking of the wind and the quiet of the Midnight Sun.” Space: Our Frontier“There is really nothing / We can do / About the Past / We cannot be untapped / We cannot or at least / Should not take back / Degrees because we no longer / Like the person” The Past… The Present… The Future“Leaning over the sink / With a bit of real lemonade dripping down / My chin / I feel the coolness / Float into my lungs / And that blessed relief / That says Thirst / Has been Satisfied // Feeling myself once again blossom / I smile / Return to bed / And await my next / adventure” Thirst“I like the idea of something so light / It can gently fall on my tongue / Yet so dense that once fallen / Cannot easily be lifted” On a Snowy Day“Ut Prosim more / Gently defined / is: / That I may enhance your life” The Old Man of the Mountain Go Hokies.