The acclaimed writer and literary celebrity wrote over 20 books, including ‘Black Feeling Black Talk’ Nikki Giovanni, renowned poet, activist and leading figure of the Black Arts Movement, has died. The author died on Dec.

Nikki Giovanni — a renowned, award-winning poet and a leading voice in the 1960s Black Arts Movement — died in Blacksburg on Monday from lung cancer. She was 81. The works of the retired Virginia Tech professor of 35 years focused on race, gender, politics, joy and love.

A key figure of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and ’70s, the poet and activist is celebrated for her illuminating works touching on race, gender, and politics.