Nikki Giovanni is one of America’s greatest living poets. She has written dozens of collections of poetry as well as non-fiction and other work.

Giovanni has received many awards and other honors including a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and three NAACP Image awards for literature.

She was also a central voice in the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni is currently University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech.

Nikki Giovanni’s new book is “Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose”.

Giovanni reflects on truth-telling and writing as vocation, the evil of Donald Trump, the ultimate emptiness of white supremacy, and why black people keep struggling to save American society from its own racism and other iniquities.

Nikki Giovanni also shares some memories of her public dialogue with James Baldwin.

Chauncey DeVega’s lifelong friend Bill the Lizard is also a guest on this installment of the podcast.

They discuss how best to process grief from our losing such actors as Chadwick Boseman, Max Von Sydow, David Prose (Darth Vader) and Sean Connery in this horrible 2020. Chauncey DeVega is especially upset over the loss of professional wrestling legend Pat Patterson and Hugh Keays-Byrne, the actor who portrayed Immortan Joe and Toecutter in two of George Miller’s wondrous Mad Max films.

And to bring some joy and levity to these especially difficult last few weeks, Bill the Lizard and Chauncey discuss The Mandalorian and their favorite new Star Wars friend “Grogu”.

SELECTED LINKS OF INTEREST FOR THIS EPISODE OF THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW

• No game days. No bars. The pandemic is forcing some men to realize they need deeper friendships.
• ‘Makes you ask why the hell we even bother.’ Infectious disease experts face disillusionment as COVID-19 pandemic worsens
• Mad Max's Hugh Keays-Byrne was an actor of visceral, wall-rattling force and underrated talent
• WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson passes away
• It Seems Bad That the Guy the President Just Pardoned Is Calling for Him to Execute a Military Coup
• Werner Herzog Was Brought to Tears by Baby Yoda

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Music at the end of this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show is by JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. You can listen to some of their great music on Spotify.