Bicycles: Love Poems
About this ebook
With BICYCLES, she’s collected poems that serve as a companion to her 1997 LOVE POEMS. An instant classic, that book—romantic, bold, and erotic—expressed notions of love in ways that were delightfully unexpected. In the years that followed, Giovanni experienced losses both public and private. A mother’s passing, a sister’s, too. A massacre on the campus at which she teaches. And just when it seemed life was spinning out of control, Giovanni rediscovered love—what she calls the antidote. Here romantic love—and all its manifestations, the physical touch, the emotional pull, the hungry heart—is distilled as never before by one of our most talented poets. In a time of national crisis or personal crisis, this is a collection that will open minds and change hearts as only the best art can.
"If there was a need for poetry that galvanized and inspired, there was also a demand for poetry that comforted and unified — and Ms. Giovanni provided on both counts." — The Washington Post
- Grief and Resilience: Navigating the landscape of personal loss and public tragedy, from the passing of her mother to the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting, Giovanni finds strength in verse.
- The Antidote of Love: A bold and heartfelt exploration of romantic love in all its forms—the physical touch, the emotional pull, and the hungry heart that finds its cure in connection.
- A Voice for Social Justice: Continuing her legacy as a vital activist, this collection includes powerful poems on race, Black lives, and the ongoing fight for equality.
- Iconic American Poet: From a celebrated figure in the Black Arts Movement, this collection serves as a powerful companion to her beloved 1997 classic, LOVE POEMS.
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About the author
Nikki Giovanni (1943–2024), poet, activist, mother, grandmother, and educator, grew up in Tennessee and Ohio and graduated with honors from Fisk University in Nashville. The author of over thirty books, she was also the recipient of seven NAACP Image Awards, the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry, the Frost Medal, as well as thirty-one honorary degrees and an Emmy Award. She garnered her most unusual honor in 2007 when a South American bat species—Micronycteris giovanniae—was named in celebration of her. A devoted teacher and honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she spent thirty-five years as University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
