The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998
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This omnibus covers Nikki Giovanni's complete work of poetry from 1967–1983. THE COLLECTED POETRY OF NIKKI GIOVANNI will include the complete volumes of five adult books of poetry: Black Feeling Black Talk/Black Judgement, My House, The Women and the Men, Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day, and Those Who Ride the Night Winds. Nikki self–published her first book Black Feeling, Black Talk/BlackJudgement in 1969, selling 10,000 copies; William Morrow published in 1970. Know for its iconic revolutionary phrases, it is heralded as one of the most important volumes of modern African–American poetry and is considered the seminal volume of Nikki's body of work.My House (Morrow 1972) marks a new dimension in tone and philosphy––This is Giovanni's first foray into the autobiographical.In The Women and the Men (Morrow 1975), Nikki displays her compassion for the people, things and places she has encountered––She reveres the ordinary and is in search of the extraordinary. Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day (Morrow 1978) is one of the most poignant and introspective of all Giovanni's collections. These poems chronicle the drastic change that took place during the 1970s––when the dreams of the Civil Rights era seemed to have evaporated.Those Who Ride the Night Winds (Morrow 1983) is devoted to "the day trippers and midnight cowboys," the ones who have devoted their lives to pushing the limits of the human condition and shattered the constraints of the stautus quo.Publishers WeeklyWith the initially self-published Black Feeling Black Talk (1968) and the same year's Black Judgment, the then 25-year-old Giovanni helped take the Black Arts Movement to national prominence, including TV appearances, a top-selling spoken-word LP, and nine books (counting interviews and anthologies) in the next six years. Giovanni's fiery yet personal early voice struck many listeners as the authentic sound of black militancy: "This is a crazy country," one poem explained, "But we can't be Black/ And not be crazy"; "White degrees do not qualify negroes to run/ The Black Revolution." The '70s saw Giovanni move toward more personal or private concerns: "touching was and still is and will always be the true/ revolution," she concluded in 1972, suggesting a few years later "We gulp when we realize/ There are few choices in life/ That are clear." This volume compiles not all Giovanni's poems but those of her first seven volumes, from Black Feeling to Those Who Ride the Night Winds (1983), which introduced her later "lineless" style ("This is not a poem... this is hot chocolate at the beginning of spring"). Her outspoken advocacy, her consciousness of roots in oral traditions, and her charismatic delivery place her among the forebearers of present-day slam and spoken-word scenes. Virginia C. Fowler provides an ample and diligent introduction, chronology and notes to individual works. Giovanni's planned reading tour for 2003-2004 includes the Javits Center in Manhattan and convention centers in D.C., Philadelphia and Miami-one sign of her unusually large fan base. (Dec.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
IntroductionChronologyDetroit Conference of Unity and Art (For HRB)3On Hearing "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair"4You Came, Too5Poem (For TW)6Poem (For BMC No. 1)7Our Detroit Conference (For Don L. Lee)8Poem (For Dudley Randall)9Poem (For BMC No. 2)10Personae Poem (For Sylvia Henderson)11Poem (For PCH)12Poem (No Name No. 1)13Poem (For BMC No. 3)14Black Separatism15A Historical Footnote to Consider Only When All Else Fails (For Barbara Crosby)16Poem (No Name No. 2)18The True Import of Present Dialogue, Black vs. Negro (For Peppe, Who Will Ultimately Judge Our Efforts)19A Short Essay of Affirmation Explaining Why (With Apologies to the Federal Bureau of Investigation)21Poem (No Name No. 3)23Wilmington Delaware24Letter to a Bourgeois Friend Whom Once I Loved (And Maybe Still Do If Love Is Valid)27I'm Not Lonely30Love Poem (For Real)31For an Intellectual Audience33Black Power (For All the Beautiful Black Panthers East)34Seduction35Word Poem (Perhaps Worth Considering)36The Dance Committee (Concerning Jean-Leon Destine)39Of Liberation41Poem for Black Boys (With Special Love to James)45Concerning One Responsible Negro with Too Much Power47Reflections on April 4, 196849The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.51A Litany for Peppe52Nikki-Rosa53The Great Pax Whitie54Intellectualism57Universality58Knoxville, Tennessee59Records60Adulthood (For Claudia)62From a Logical Point of View64Dreams67Revolutionary Music68Beautiful Black Men (With compliments and apologies to all not mentioned by name)70Woman Poem71Ugly Honkies, or The Election Game and How to Win It74Cultural Awareness79For Saundra80Balances81For a Poet I Know82For Teresa84My Poem86Black Judgements (Of bullshit niggerish ways)88For Tommy91Two Poems: From Barbados92For Harold Logan (Murdered by "persons unknown" cause he wanted to own a Black club on Broadway)93No Reservations (for Art Jones)94Alone96For Two Jameses (Ballantine and Snow) In iron cells97For Gwendolyn Brooks98Autumn Poems99Rain100Poem for Lloyd101Housecleaning102Poem for Aretha103Revolutionary Dreams106Walking Down Park107Kidnap Poem109The Genie in the Jar (for Nina Simone)110All I Gotta Do111The Game Of Game113Master Charge: Blues114The Lion In Daniel's Den (for Paul Robeson, Sr.)115For A Lady of Pleasure Now Retired1162nd Rapp118A Robin's Poem119Alabama Poem120Poem For Unwed Mothers (to be sung to "The Old F.U. Spirit")12212 Gates: To The City123Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)125A Poem/Because It Came As A Surprise To Me127Oppression128Toy Poem129Some Uses For Them Not Stated130Poem For Flora131Sometimes132Poem For My Nephew (Brother C. B. Soul)133Yeah ... But ...134Poem For A Lady Whose Voice I Like135How Do You Write A Poem?136And Sometimes I Sit138I Want To Sing139Ever Want To Crawl140Legacies143Mothers144A Poem for Carol (May She Always Wear Red Ribbons)146A Fishy Poem147Winter Poem148Conversation149Rituals151Poem for Stacia152The World Is Not a Pleasant Place to Be153The Only Song I'm Singing154The Butterfly155I Remember156A Certain Peace158When I Nap159Mixed Media160Just a New York Poem161[Untitled]163The Wonder Woman (A New Dream - for Stevie Wonder)164Categories165Straight Talk167Scrapbooks169When I Die171[Untitled] (For Margaret Danner)173My Tower (For Barb and Anthony)174Poem (For Nina)175Africa I176Africa II177They Clapped179Poem (For Anna Hedgeman and Alfreda Duster)181Atrocities182Nothing Makes Sense183I Laughed When I Wrote It (Don't You Think It's Funny?)185On Seeing Black Journal and Watching Nine Negro Leaders "Give Aid and Comfort to the Enemy" to Quote Richard Nixon187And Another Thing189We191My House192The Women Gather (for Joe Strickland)197Once a Lady Told Me199Each Sunday200The December of My Springs202The Life I Led203Mother's Habits204The Way I Feel205Communication206Luxury207Poem208Hampton, Virginia209Poetry Is a Trestle210The Laws of Motion (for Harlem Magic)211Something to Be Said for Silence213Africa215Swaziland217A Very Simple Wish218Night220Poetry221Always There Are the Children223Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day227Introspection230Forced Retirement232The New Yorkers235Crutches238Boxes240Poem242A Poem Off Center245The Winter Storm247Age250Because253Their Fathers254Life Cycles258Adulthood II260Habits262Fascinations264Gus (for my father)266Choices269Photography271The Beep Beep Poem272A Poem for Ed and Archie274Woman275Space276Poem (for EMA)278The Rose Bush (for Gordon)280Patience281Make Up282Winter284You Are There285A Statement on Conservation287Turning (I need a better title)288A Response (to the rock group Foreigner)290A Poem of Friendship291Being and Nothingness (to quote a philosopher)292The Moon Shines Down293That Day294Charting the Night Winds299Lorraine Hansberry: An Emotional View301Hands: For Mother's Day304This Is Not for John Lennon (and this is not a poem)307Mirrors (for Billie Jean King)310Linkage (for Phillis Wheatley)313Charles White316The Drum (for Martin Luther King, Jr.)318A Poem on the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy319Eagles (a poem for Lisa)320Flying Underground (for the children of Atlanta)321Her Cruising Car: A Portrait of Two Small Town Girls322The Cyclops in the Ocean326Harvest (for Rosa Parks)327Reflections/On a Golden Anniversary330Love: Is a Human Condition331Sky Diving332A Journey333Resignation334I Wrote a Good Omelet337Three/Quarters Time338Cancers (not necessarily a love poem)339A Word for Me ... Also341I Am She (for Nancy)342The Room With the Tapestry Rug343Wild Flowers344Love Thoughts345You Were Gone346A Song for New-Ark347Poem of Angela Yvonne Davis (October 16, 1970)351A Poem for langston hughes356But Since You Finally Asked (A Poem Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Slave Memorial at Mount Vernon)357Stardate Number 18628.190358Brother Brother Brother (the Isley Brothers of Lincoln Heights)361Afterword: Some Poems Are More Useful Than Others365Notes to the Poems369Index of Titles439Index of First Lines446
