Dreams do come true. I say this because I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with my hero, the iconic poetic genius Nikki Giovanni on "Salon Talks."
To put that in context, I’d ask you to imagine a teenage LeBron James getting a chance to hang out in the Chicago Bulls locker room with Michael Jordan. For those who don’t know, Giovanni has received 19 honorary degrees from colleges and universities, along with numerous achievement, humanitarian, and recognition awards from government, private, and public organizations, including Woman of the Year for Ebony, Mademoiselle and Essence; YWCA Woman of the Year; awards from the Kentucky state legislature and the governors of Tennessee and Virginia; and seven NAACP Image Awards.
Giovanni came to the Salon studio to tell us about her new and 27th poetry collection, "A Good Cry, What We Learn From Tears and Laughter." We talked about vulnerability and the difficulties of showing emotion in a time of revolutionary struggle.
“Like a lot of people in my generation, I wouldn’t cry. We had so much work to do, we had friends who died, we had friends who were hurt. I am a friend of John Lewis, John was beaten, you couldn’t stand there and cry, you had to see what you could do to help.” Giovanni said.
“There is no poem in the book called 'A Good Cry,' and what the book is doing is exploring those things that make us sad.”
Watch to hear more from Giovanni about "A Good Cry" and to watch her recite a selection from the book, "Heritage."
Tune into Salon's live shows, "Salon Talks" and "Salon Stage," daily at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT and 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT, streaming live on Salon and on Facebook.
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