A new documentary details the extraordinary life and career of African American poet Nikki Giovanni. The HBO original documentary, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” premiered in January and is now available to stream on MAX. The film chronicles Giovanni’s rise to fame and the impact she’s had on American culture. Giovanni discussed the documentary during the Charles H. Wright Museum’s “The Wright Conversations” series on March 13. The museum will show the documentary for free on Sunday, March 24.  

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As one of the nation’s most widely read poets, Giovanni has earned numerous awards throughout her career as a writer, including seven Image Awards from the N.A.A.C.P., the first Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, the Langston Hughes Medal for Poetry, and more. In 2005, Oprah Winfrey recognized Giovanni as one of 25 “Living Legends.” Giovanni continues to write and publish, with her latest collection “Make Me Rain,” released in October 2020.  

“American Black Journal” contributor Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ sat down with Giovanni at The Wright Museum for a wide-ranging conversation about her life, career, literary works and plans for the future. Giovanni talks about how her career got off the ground after she convinced the famous Birdland Jazz Club in New York to host readings of her poems.

She also explains how her mother’s love of jazz-inspired many of her works and what led her to create her popular “Quilts” poem. Plus, Giovanni discusses the “Going to Mars” documentary about her life and talks about her fascination with outer space and the solar system. She closes out the interview by reading a poem from her book, “The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998.”

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