Interview :: Nikki Giovanni

Check out “Words are Weapons of the Strong”: An Interview with Nikki Giovanni on Sampsonia Way: An Online Magazine on Literature, Free Speech and Social Justice. This is a great conversation with Giovanni that goes into territory other than approach to writing, like what the poet has to say about gun control, about the occupy movement, and about the influence of the hip-hop generation in political campaigns. And a strong word on censorship for those “in control” and not often addressed: “Censorship, as the sign says, is bad for your health. I am totally against it. But, and this is a question you did not ask, can anyone anthologize or record or perform for a set price? Sometimes publishers, and sometimes families, who had absolutely nothing to do with the work, can hold up or deny another generation access to artistic work by refusing permission or in some cases making permission fees so high they cannot be met.”