Black Feeling, Black Talk

Nikki Giovanni,

Black Feeling, Black Talk
N. Giovanni, 1968
Southern Civilization Collection
Vanderbilt University Special Collections

Nikki Giovanni was one of the most influential African American poets.  She gained initial fame in the late 1960s as a prominent author of the Black Arts Movement, influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement.  Black Feeling, Black Talk was self-published by Giovanni 1968 and addresses the anger, hope, and resilience of the Black community in its struggle for justice and equality.  Giovanni’s work has also been influential in the development of Black feminism, using her poems to explore themes of race and gender and highlighting the unique challenges faced by Black women.