Writer-in-Residence Archives

Nikki Giovanni
Inaugural Writer-in-Residence

It was during the Black Arts Movement that Nikki Giovanni came to the forefront as a poet whose unabashedly articulate and commanding yet graceful voice evoked powerful commentary on the history and the hope of people, especially Black people. As was noted in Ebony, “The work of Nikki Giovanni has been as evolutionary as it has been revolutionary. One of the finest poets our time … Giovanni is poetry in motion.” Her book, The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998, is a testament to her having produced a vast body of work which includes not only poetry anthologies but poetry recordings, nonfiction essays and children’s literature. Make Me Rain, published in 2020, is her most recent work.

Nikki Giovanni has received seven NAACP Image Awards. She is also the inaugural recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award and was awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry. In short, Nikki Giovanni is a national treasure. As a Distinguished Professor of writing at Virginia Tech, she continues to invest in the development of future writers.

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Additional information regarding the events, dates, times and registration process will be provided at a future date on the University’s website. Dates, times and activities are subject to change.

Kevin Powell
Writer-in-Residence

Kevin Powell is one of the most celebrated political, cultural, literary, and hip-hop voices in America. A native of Jersey City, Powell was raised by a single mother in a community stricken with extreme poverty and violence. His life transformed after studying at Rutgers University in New Brunswick thanks to the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund, a program created during the Civil Rights Movement to benefit poor youth. Today, he has lectured, worked, and traveled in all 50 American states and five of the world’s seven continents.

Powell has become a highly regarded poet, journalist, and author of 15 books, including “When We Free The World,” his new short essay collection about freedom, justice, and equality in America. His other titles include: “In The Tradition: An Anthology of Young Black Writers;” “recognize; Keepin’ It Real: Post-MTV Reflections On Race, Sex, and Politics;” “Step into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature;” “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight: Manhood, Race, and Power in America;” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn: New and Selected Poems;”; “Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and The Ghost of Dr. King;” and his critically acclaimed autobiography, “The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood,” which is being adapted for the screen. His newest poetry collection, “Grocery Shopping with My Mother,” will soon be published by Soft Skull/Penguin Random House.

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Additional information regarding the events, dates, times and registration process will be provided at a future date on the University’s website. Dates, times and activities are subject to change.