Celebrating Nikki Giovanni

With Good Reason

When Nikki Giovanni passed away in December at the age of 81, she left a legacy that will continue to be a beacon of light for generations to come. We first had Nikki on With Good Reason more than 20 years ago when I spoke to her about space travel and her poem, Quilting The Black Eyed Pea. And: Rapper Tupac Shakur famously sported a “thug life” tattoo… and so did Nikki Giovanni. I sat down with her in 2014 to talk about the poem she dedicated to Tupac after he was killed in 1996. Later in the show: The dean of southern cookery, Edna Lewis, penned an essay called “What is Southern?” describing how food is intertwined with the seasons and cultures of the south. Back in 2008 we had Nikki Giovanni read a portion of that essay and talk about her friendship with Edna. This interview was conducted by former producer, Nancy King - who passed away in 2010. Plus: In 2020, Virginia Humanities brought Nikki Giovanni in conversation with Tressie McMillan Cottom. It was part of an online event called “Have A Drink With Nikki and Tressie” - moderated by Irène Mathieu. They talked about everything from their early writing days, to finding their voice, and the future of art and literature in the Black community.