Click on Nikki Giovanni's picture to read the interview.

Highland Park 4th Graders in Mrs. Leibick's class, along with Technology Specialist Mr. Etie, participated in a live online interview sponsored by scholastic.com on April 16.

They read several poems by Nikki Giovanni, famed children's poet, from her book of poetry, The Sun is So Quiet, prior to the interview.

Students then generated & submitted questions, along with over 30 other schools from around the country, which were posted by a moderator & answered by the author. Read & enjoy the transciption of the interview, at left, as it occurred...

Biography:

Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 7, 1943. Although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her sister returned to Knoxville each summer to visit their grandparents. Nikki graduated with honors in history from her grandfather's alma mater, Fisk University. Since 1987, she has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech, where she is a University Distinguished Professor.

Nikki Giovanni enjoys playing with words and writing poems about a variety of subjects, like memories from her childhood, African-American history, and racial pride.


Author Visits Highland Park in 1994

Ms. Giovanni visits with a Highland Park student during her visit here a number of years ago. Pictured (at right) is Mr. David Lydic, an English professor at Austin Community College, who hosted her visit to the college. Mr. Lydic's son, a student at Highland Park at the time, is the student in the photo talking to Ms. Giovanni.

Ms. Giovanni is pictured here with Ms. McIntosh, Highland Park Librarian (at left), who hosted Ms. Giovanni's visit here at the school while she was in town visiting ACC (please excuse the ink on Ms. McIntosh's face, which was accidentally smeared on the photo while it was in storage!)

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