Award-winning poet and writer Nikki Giovanni will share her eloquent words of wisdom in a special event at The Alden Theatre. Giovanni’s insights will span the civil rights movement, politics, love, art and beyond. “Ms. Giovanni is a quietly celebrated icon, and we are excited to hear her speak,” said Renee Edwards, Program and Educational Services Director, Fairfax County Public Library
Discussing the ideals of equality, Giovanni will share the experiences and thoughtful poetry that personify her activism and legacy of passion for the arts. For those less familiar with Ms. Giovanni’s works she is with “the trinity of African American women literature; and always will be: Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Nikki Giovanni,” noted Edwards.
Giovanni taught at Virginia Tech for decades, including during the tragic shooting in 2007. She composed a chant-poem which she read at the memorial service, a special convocation the day after. Her “We are Virginia Tech” reverberated with words about sadness and mourning and prevailing in the face of such tragedy.
Giovanni has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, including seven NAACP Image Awards, the Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters, the Rosa Parks Women of Courage Award and more than twenty honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the country.
“In the 1990s, I used Ms. Giovanni’s poetry with my third grade students. Her simple prose touched me profoundly,” added Edwards. Now area audiences will be able to hear Nikki Giovanni “share her experiences and words of wisdom.”
Where and When
Fairfax County Public Library presents “Nikki Giovanni: An Afternoon of Poetry, Love and Enlightenment” at The Alden, McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean. Event on March 1, 2020 at 2 p.m. This is a free event at The Alden. Registration for this free event is required at: https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/5588178
Note: There are also VIP tickets available for purchase through the Fairfax Library Foundation. VIP tickets include special seating and other extras described by the Fairfax Library Foundation at www.fairfaxlibraryfoundation.org/events/