Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose
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An extraordinary listening experience! Hear Nikki Giovanni read from her newest collection of poems!
One of Americaâs most celebrated poets challenges us with this powerful and deeply personal collection of verse that speaks to the injustices of society while illuminating the depths of her own heart.
For more than fifty years, Nikki Giovanniâs poetry has dazzled and inspired readers. As sharp and outspoken as ever, she returns with this profound book of poetry in which she continues to call attention to injustice and racism, celebrate Black culture and Black lives, and and give readers an unfiltered look into her own experiences.
In Make Me Rain, she celebrates her loved ones and unapologetically declares her pride in her Black heritage, while exploring the enduring impact of the twin sins of racism and white nationalism. Giovanni reaffirms her place as a uniquely vibrant and relevant American voice with poems such as âI Come from Athletesâ and âRainy Daysââcalling out segregation and Donald Trump; as well as âUnloved (for Aunt Cleota)â and ââWhen I Could No Longerââher personal elegy for the relatives who saved her from an abusive home life.Â
Stirring, provocative, and resonant, the poems in Make Me Rain pierce the heart and nourish the soul.Â
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Nikki Giovanni (1943â2024), 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, as well as thirty-one honorary degrees and an Emmy Award. She garnered her most unusual honor in 2007 when a South American bat speciesâMicronycteris giovanniaeâwas named in celebration of her. A devoted teacher, she spent thirty-five years as University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She was an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
