An Evening with Nikki Giovanni (2005)

This hour-long, one-on-one interview program provides a rare and unique glimpse inside the life and works of poet and educator Nikki Giovanni. Taped live in Atlanta, Georgia at Georgia Public Broadcasting on Saturday, June 18, 2005, this program is the eighth in The HistoryMakers' An Evening With. . . series. Writer, novelist and playwright Pearl Cleage interviewed her former childhood babysitter Nikki Giovanni with McDonald's Corporation serving as the event's title sponsor. The program begins with three Atlanta-based spoken word artists performing one of Giovanni's poems, "Ego Tripping" (there may be a reason why), and then, Pearl Cleage introduces Nikki Giovanni. During the interview, Giovanni talks about her childhood, the origins and foundation of her writing career and discusses her feelings about young people and the hip hop culture. Throughout the interview, there are performances by spoken word artists reciting Giovanni's poems that display the power and thoughtfulness of her words. Giovanni has published more than fourteen volumes of poetry, including Black Feeling Black Talk, Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day, Love Poems and The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni. Through the use of film footage and live performances, An Evening With Nikki Giovanni provides a profound look into the wonderful life of one of the world's most outstanding spoken word artists.