Contact: Michael Rerick 520/626-3765 or poetry@u.arizona.edu

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA POETRY CENTER

presents

A READING WITH NIKKI GIOVANNI

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006 AT 8 P.M.

Co-Sponsored by the Africana Studies Department

TUCSON , AZ , February 3, 2006 – The University of Arizona Poetry Center, an area of special emphasis within the College of Humanities , continues the Spring 2006 Visiting Poets and Writers Reading Series with a reading by poet Nikki Giovanni on Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. in the Modern Languages Auditorium on the University of Arizona campus. This event, co-sponsored by the Africana Studies Department, is free and open to the public. Public parking is available at the Second Street garage, located at Second Street and Mountain Avenue ; call 626-PARK for parking fees. Following the reading, copies of the poet's books will be available for sale courtesy of the University of Arizona BookStore and refreshments will be served in the lobby. Giovanni will be reading from her much acclaimed poetry.

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr. , born in Knoxville , Tennessee , is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. She has written more than two-dozen books, including volumes of poetry, illustrated children's books, and three collections of essays. Her book Racism 101 (1994) includes bold, controversial essays about the situation of Americans on all sides of various race issues. She has received 21 honorary doctorates and a host of other awards, including “Woman of the Year” awards from three different magazines as well as Governor's Awards in the Arts from both Tennessee and Virginia . Her three most recent volumes of poetry, Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (2002), Blues: For All the Changes (1999), and Love Poems (1997), were winners of the NAACP Image Award, in 2003, 2000, and 1998. Since 1987, she has taught writing and literature at Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor. As a devoted and passionate writer, teacher, and speaker, she inspires not only her students, but also readers and audiences nationwide. The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, a spoken-word CD, was a finalist for the 2003 Grammy Award in the category of spoken word.

Praise fo Nikki Giovanni

“Nikki Giovanni's work has always been remarkable for energy, venturesomeness, direct honesty, and courage.” – Gwendolyn Brooks

“Nikki Giovanni is one of our national treasures. For decades she has offered her wit and wisdom, her bruising honesty, and, above all, her unbound love through [her] poems as a healing for herself, her community, and her country.” – Gloria Naylor

The Spring 2006 Visiting Poets and Writers Reading Series is supported by Friends of the Poetry Center; the College of Humanities; the University of Arizona Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Arizona Commission on the Arts through appropriations from the Arizona State Legislature; and Tucson Writers' Project, through appropriations from the Friends of the Tucson-Pima Public Library.

The University of Arizona Poetry Center, an area of special emphasis within the College of Humanities , was founded in 1960 by writer and philanthropist Ruth Stephan. The Center's nationally acclaimed special collection library of poetry contains over 50,000 items, including books, periodicals, audio and video recordings, rare and limited edition books, photographs and broadsides. Begun in 1962, the Visiting Poets and Writers Reading Series has featured over 1000 readers, including most major contemporary U.S. poets, significant international visitors and emerging artists. The Center sponsors a number of diverse outreach programs as part of its sustained effort to cultivate audiences for poetry and literature. Temporarily located at 1600 East First Street , Tucson , Arizona 85721 , the Poetry Center is currently building a permanent home worthy of its international reputation. For more information, please call (520) 626-3765 or visit www.poetrycenter.arizona.edu .

Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting the Poetry Center . Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.

For more information about the Visiting Poets and Writers Reading Series, or to request photos or an interview with the author, please contact Michael Rerick ( 520) 626-3765 or poetry@u.arizona.edu.