In '100 Best African American Poems,' Nikki Giovanni, the award-winning poet and writer, selected more than 200 classic and contemporary pieces and compiled them in a compelling work of art. The book also includes a collectible CD of readings by luminaries such as Rita Dove, Sonia Sanchez, Richard Wright and Mari Evans.

Giovanni, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., who is a distinguished professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently took time from her busy schedule to discuss the project with BlackVoices.com

Excerpts of the interview are below.


BlackVoices.com: I see you included Tupac Shakur in your selection. How did that come about?

Nikki Giovanni: Oh, yes, I love Tupac. Anybody who knows anything about me knows that I love Tupac, and I'm not the only one. This is an incredibly important young man. Tupac's been dead [14] years and people still treat him as if they know him. Because of the power of that young man, we had to include him. My admiration is based on his talent. How could we not honor him?

BV: How did you make your selections?

NG: I actually put a board together because nobody knows 100 poems, at least I don't think they know 100 poems. So, I called friends and asked them to send me the poems they thought were important. Of course, everybody sent me about 25 or 30. There was a lot of overlap. The board was composed of my former student, Kwame Alexander, who is the director of the Washington, D.C. Poetry Festival; my friend Joanne Gabbin, director of Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University; my friend Val Gray Ward, actress and founder of the Kuumba Theatre of Chicago, who also is the Voice of the Harlem Renaissance; and my friend the poet Mari Evans in Indianapolis.

The great thing about Joanne and Kwame is they had a lot of the younger voices I did not know. I wanted room for newer voices and unpublished poems, so I cheated. We have 221 poems instead of 100. We were able create that room by creating duets and suites. I was saying to someone recently that my favorite part of the book is the table of contents because we really just kept sticking things in there.

BV: How did you select the dedication?

NG: The dedication is 'The Aunt' by Mari Evans, which is one of my favorite poems. I dedicated the book to my only living aunt. Instead of writing something, I used that poem. I just love it. First of all, my mom has passed. I'm not a little girl anymore, but after losing your mom, your aunt is the one who comes in and let's you know you are loved and helps you bury your mother. Mari wrote that about her mother. It's a lovely sentiment. I could have stuck it in the book, but I wanted it where it is, because you open up the book and you get this poem as a dedication. It's just beautiful.

The poem reads in part:

When your mother dies
your aunt comes in
to make sure your
ribbons are straight
your hair
is combed right
and your legs
are not ashy
and before you know it
you are living at
her house
and every night
instead of your mother
your aunt is handing you
dinner...

BV: Do you find that people still read a lot of poetry?

NG: I think spoken word has been a boost to poetry. I like that the kids are writing their own poetry. I really did enjoy it so much when 'Def Poetry Jam' was on television and, of course, there used to be a show called 'Anyone for Tennyson,' which was a half-hour show on NPR. I think there is still interest.

BV: What's different about your book? What will make people go out and buy it?

NG: Well, the poetry, of course. We have a wonderful CD with a really lovely cast, from Ruby Dee, whom I adore, to Novella Nelson, the Broadway actress and movie star, to the president of Virginia Tech. People will really enjoy reading and listening to both.