Review by Booklist Review
Fowler has collected 27 interviews with poet Nikki Giovanni that span the last 20 years, showing the evolution of Giovanni's art and outlook. Giovanni--outspoken, independent, and controversial--jolted the publishing establishment in 1968 with her first book, Black Feeling, Black Talk, which sold 10,000 copies in eight months. Giovanni was determined to take her "poetry to the people," and her work has achieved popularity beyond the tight confines of the usual poetry-reading public. Fowler's introduction and chronology summarize Giovanni's often paradoxical career and highlight recurring themes that emerge in the poet's interviews. These exchanges originally appeared in commercial publications such as Ebony, Essence, and USA Today as well as in academic journals, and some record conversations between Giovanni and other writers, including Yevgeny Yevtushenko, James Baldwin, and Margaret Walker. An adept and focused speaker, Giovanni has consistently addressed political issues relating to feminism, race, and pan-Africanism, as well as more personal and literary ideas and values. Giovanni's conversations ultimately merge into one complex recitation by a voice of wisdom and authority--a tested, still provocative voice cherished by her many readers. (Reviewed Nov. 15, 1992)087805586XDonna Seaman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
