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| A Conversation
With Nikki Giovanni |
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By
Angelic Cole
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- I first saw
Dr. Nikki Giovanni as she was walking down the hall to her office
at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Dr. Giovanni
has been a distinguished professor in English at Shank Hall for
15 years. She is a petite woman and when you first look at her
she appears like a little fragile bird. She said she could be
a robin in another life. I agree, because if you look at a robin's
characteristics, its vision is more discriminating - it
can see things at a farther distance and may see a wider spectrum
of colors. What's more a robin's hearing is much more finely
tuned. That's Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr.
characteristics as well.
- Of course,
as an avid reader of Dr. Nikki Giovanni's works which has spanned
almost 4 decades, I am in awe of her presence and a little intimidated
with her legendary status as a poet, essayist, and black rights
activists. Nikki Giovanni, in addition to being a writer, is
a fiery spirit embodied in tiny woman born in Knoxville, Tennessee
just 60 years ago. But also, she is a very gracious and accommodating
host, as we set up for photos and talk to her about everything
from her writings to Mars. I found her quite fascinating and
highly opinionated as well as passionate about her beliefs. You
can only have great admiration for someone who does not sit on
the fence with her viewpoints but tells you her convictions with
such unwavering search for knowledge.
- AC: Do you feel more like
a human rights activist or a writer these days or combination
of both?
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- Giovanni: I am a writer. I think
that people make big mistakes when they confuse what they do.
I write about Black Americans predominately in fact Ernest Gaines
who is a great writer and a wonderful guy. We had Gaines here
for a conference we call A Place at the Table and we were asking
Mr. Gaines because he writes about that parish in Louisiana.
He said he is always writing about that postage stamp I live
on and he was laughing because he was saying it such a small
window. And of course it is a small window if you look at the
parish but if you look at he impact of what he did from Ms. Jane
Pittman on then it is much wider and what I am saying is I am
a writer and my interest is Black Americans and whatever will
come will come from the fact that I am a writer. Otherwise you
go picket or do something else, I have no problem with that but
I am a writer.
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- AC: Out of all of your writing
activities and creative ideas, how do you decide which ones to
pursue or develop?
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- Giovanni:
I really
love Pea (Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea). You know it just won
the (NAACP) Image Awards. I am a three time Image Award winner
with Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea, Blues: For All The Changes,
and Love Poems. It's an unprecedented place and I am really excited
about that. My interest is in history, my particularly interest
is Black Americans. It's important to keep learning.
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- AC: It has been said that
fame and money changes a person, do you think it has changed
you?
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- Giovanni:
Well
I don't have a lot of fame and I don't have any money (we all
laugh). I would imagine fame and money should change you. I don't
see why it wouldn't. If I had Oprah's money, I am sure that I
would have some of Oprah's attitudes (laughter). I think that
would be some change just because you earn whatever it is or
some of it going to make you crazy. I teach kids. We have star
athletes here at Virginia Tech and I think that one of the reasons
that they sort of enjoy taking me is one I give them respect
because to say they are just regular kids is a lie. They are
regular kids who are making millions of dollars for the school
and if they don't get injured will make millions of dollars for
themselves. I taught Michael Vick (currently quarterback for
the Atlanta Falcons) and I am teaching his brother. What you
want to say to these young people is that there is still a way
to conduct yourself. Good manners always work. You learned a
lot from Prince Charles. The Kennedys use to say it all the time
and it's an old expression, "To those who much has been
given, much is expected". Just like in the old days, people
use to say that I'm not going to let my education change me.
Then what was the point of the education. Because one you have
an ability to get more done. Now I am back to me and Ernest Gaines
on these little post cards we live on. I am a poet and so I am
not making a big impact. Poets traditionally don't so I don't
feel I'm being cheated or something like that. But one of the
reasons you strive for recognition is to use what ever little
power that is to help somebody to do something else. You aren't
moving forward otherwise. The old expression I grew up with is
"lifting as we climb". Of course things change you
otherwise why would you do them. Why would you travel all over
the world, I seen people do that whether with athletics or arts
and come back the same stupid people they were. They were in
countries that they never noticed the art or the culture. That
is one reason that Venus Williams, not to the disadvantage of
Serena, is such an exceptional young lady as she has gone around
the world, she's studied languages and she studied art. When
she first won the French Open she thanked them in French. Another
wonderful young lady is Queen Latifah. I am really sorry that
she didn't win the Oscar, she was really good.
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