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Poet Nikki Giovanni to visit campus
October 10, 2003 | |||||
Poet and essayist Nikki Giovanni will visit IU Kokomo on Sunday and Monday, November 16–17. The School of Arts and Sciences is co-sponsoring her visit, along with the Office of Campus Climate and Umoja, a student multi-cultural organization..
The campus and public can meet Giovanni during the following events: • Public reception, November 16, 4 p.m., Alumni Hall • Lecture (open to the campus and high school English students in IU Kokomo’s11-county service region), November 17, 10–11 a.m., Kelley Student Center, Room130 • Lunch, November 17, 11:30 a.m., IU Kokomo Art Gallery Tickets for the lunch are $15; admission to the other events is free. Call (765) 455-9359 for more information and to order tickets. Giovanni’s writing spans over 30 years, from her first book in 1968 to her most recent collection, Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea. Growing out of the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements of the ’60s, Giovanni’s poems connect literature with politics, calling for a revolutionary interpretation of experience through a black consciousness. “Bringing Nikki Giovanni to the campus is a way of exposing people of all races, genders, ethnicities, and ages to the realities of the times,” said Umoja President Jessie Dillard. “What she has done gives people a time to reflect on how our world is ever changing, but also how some things might still be the same.” The author addressed the 1994 Enhancing Minority Attainment Conference at IU Kokomo, and taught several courses in creative writing and African American literature on campus in summer 1995. “We are tremendously fortunate to spend some time with her once again,” said lecturer in English Karla Stouse. “Nikki is one of the most well-read, knowledgeable, articulate individuals I have ever met. The truth she speaks challenges and enlightens her readers and listeners. Whether we agree or disagree with her, she teaches us.” Giovanni has received such honors as the NAACP Image Award for Literature in 1998 and the Langston Hughes award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters in 1996. She is currently Professor of English and Gloria D. Smith Professor of Black Studies at Virginia Tech.
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