Poet Nikki Giovanni @ Central

St. Louis, MO . . . The St. Louis Public Library is proud to present a very special evening with world-renowned poet Nikki Giovanni, who will discuss and sign her latest book, Acolytes. The event takes place at Central Library, 1301 Olive Street, on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. The program is FREE and open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Copies of the book will be available for purchase courtesy of Left Bank Books.

Acolytes is a collection of eighty all-new poems and prose pieces that retain Giovanni’s distinct vision and voice, yet mark a change of direction inspired by love, celebration, memories, and even nostalgia. In intimate and spare language, Giovanni offers insight into the powerful elements and forces in her life: family and friends; deaths of heroes and companions; and nature, libraries, and the theater. In between, the deep and edgy conscience that has defined her for decades shines through as she writes movingly of Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, and Hurricane Katrina, leaving no doubt that this commanding presence has not traded one approach for another, rather has simply made room for both.

Nikki Giovanni is a poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past thirty years, her outspokenness in her writing and lectures has brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.”

Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality. Always insistent upon presenting the truth as she sees it, she has maintained a prominent position as a strong voice for the black community. Her focus is on the individual—specifically on the power that each person has to make a difference in their own life, and thus, in the lives of others.

For more information, call 314-206-6779.

3/01/2007