Nikki Giovanni (Memo 4)

I wanted to explore some poets again, more in depth than I did previously. So, I decided to look into one of my favorite poets Nikki Giovanni. Originally, I wanted to find an article written by her about poetry. After some consideration, I put this idea aside and pulled up YouTube. YouTube is where I had found Nikki Giovanni about three years ago. I typed her name in the search bar and found a video titled "Shocking Interview with Nikki Giovanni". It was a long video, but it caught my interest. This was a way to do three things for me: one, to get to know a little more about her, since she is a writer I admire. Two, I wanted to compile data for my I-Search. And three, and to serve as a demonstration; sometimes, learning about a poet or an author can help establish reasons for how and why they write what they do.
As I watched and listened to the interview, I jotted down some quotes, and topics she talks about, that I think say a lot about her as a poet and a writer.

(I have to link the video since Blogger keeps sending error messages: click here).

• "I don't know where I come from"
• What do you do?
• "I write." Mostly poetry.
• "My poems...some of them have become songs." --> She's very influential for people.

• First (black) woman to produce at Lincoln Center.
• Toni Morrison visited Virgina Tech. (She got to meet Toni Morrison, another very influential black woman writer).
• "No Spring Chicken" (I love that phrase).
•  "why wait until someone dies before we say 'i love you'"
• what could we have done? (reminds me of her poem "All Eyez on U")
• Is friends with Queen Latifah
• Why didn't that get learned? (Speaking to women)
• "Why don't you have good sense?"

• "I just do my job"
• in her 20's-"You do what comes"
• convinced Vogue to send her on a trip to Rome!
• a very convincing writer
• "always looking for opportunities" (VERY good message for teens)
• accepts jobs she is not sure she can do
• "never confuse art with buisness"

• Not in favor of subsidizing farms
• Capitalism: "A good system if we had it!"

• Local vs. Organic foods (prefers Local)
• claims we are "eating oil" because of how we get most food
• "Can NEVER go wrong with volunteering"
• Has traveled around the world
• Interviewer called Romney a "Cooperate Entity": "And Barack isn't?"
• She shows a high political awareness--> This is seen A LOT in her poems. Her poems that discuss politics would work as a great transition into some heavy texts that talk about politically sensitive material or themes. They could also help students get a better grasp at poetry and politics and use their new knowledge in writing persuasive essays.
• Morman: "SOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo Un-American" (sarcasm?)
• Topic of a new Prison being built:
• not a fan of "Warehousing people"
• Prisons are a "lack of imagination and commitment"
• "we don't need to put you in prison...we know it doesn't work!"
• "crimes are emotional"
• In the south, "It's always the black guy".

• "Men don't fight about abortion"
• Since this is a more feminist topic, you could find poems that are linked to feminism and explore more feminist texts. Perhaps build an understanding of what that is and teach students how to write and read in a feminist perspective.
• "my 16-year-old girl has to go on welfare"

• "Jesus is a poet"
• "None of them (people in the Bible I'm assuming) are woman so they need to butt the Hell out!"

• Topic of education:
• some people rather learn about religion then send their kids to school

• "I'm NOT a Republican"-"I hate Republicans"
• Science vs Religion (Global Warming Topic)
• "It will not hurt the Earth to be inhabitable"
• "We're just upset because it's us!"

• "Questions are brief, it's always me that goes on..."
• Black or African American: "[bluntly] Black."
• A time where she could not write:
• "I wouldn't know because I don't always write...a burden to write everyday" (Kind of contradicts what we tell students in school!)
• She cannot go a day without reading.
• "Even people you love you don't want to talk to everyday"

• Favorite Color: Blue
• Happy Place:
• Home
• Her dog goes to the spa

• Words of wisdom for a "young black feminist"
• "womanist"
• "help comes from all sides"
• "you work with people to get things done"
• "get people to agree"

• Old saying she likes: "If you have them by the balls, their heats and minds will follow" -I am committed
• She has a tattoo that says "Thug Life" on her arm. 

I have to say, there was not a lot here about poetry or writing, but I did learn a lot about Nikki Giovanni. She's witty and relatable, and would make for a wonderful research project for students (and myself). Poems where she talk about any of the topics she mentioned in this interview, there is SO much you can work with that: acting as transitions to other major works, authors, etc. or help students find relatable topics so they can compose their own writing, the possibilities are endless! I am so glad I found this interview. Please, if you have the chance, put an hour aside and just listen, she is so funny and inspirational.