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You have to read the poem and say, “My god, that’s a good poem,” and kind of smile at yourself. If you’re not willing to do that, then you’re wasting your time, and you’re hurting yourself in another way because you’re trying to please somebody who doesn’t like you. You don’t want to get in that position.
— Nikki Giovanni
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More quotes by Nikki Giovanni
The authority of the writer always overcomes the skepticism of the reader.
The Authority of a Writer (2024)
Poetry is the culture of a people. We are poets even when we don’t write poems; just look at our life, our rhythms, our tenderness, our signifying, our sermons and our songs.
I'm a big fan of the black woman and so I'm always looking at aspects of the black woman--what she's doing and how she does it.
The Authority of a Writer (2024)
History is wonderful. We have so much we can learn if we would quit making ideology out of history, and just deal with what happened…
Nikki Giovanni: Interview (2008)
If I were advising someone on a writing career, the deal is this: write. If you get it published, good. If somebody pays you, better, because you have to eat, but the deal is you have to write.
The Authority of a Writer (2024)
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