The poet, author, educator and public speaker Nikki Giovanni has died at 81. She went from borrowing money to release her first book to spending decades as a literary celebrity sharing her takes on everything from racism and love to space travel and mortality. Friend and author Renée Watson confirmed Giovanni died Monday with her lifelong partner Virginia Fowler by her side. The author of more than 25 books, Giovanni was a born confessor and performer whom fans came to know well from her work, readings, other live appearances and years teaching at Virginia Tech and other schools.
