Poet Nikki Giovanni to visit Ohio State

COLUMBUS – Renowned poet, author and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni will speak at The Ohio State University at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Drake Union Thurber Theater, 1849 Cannon Dr.
The “Evenings with Authors” program at the Thurber Theatre is a collaborative effort between the Ohio State First Year Experience Program and The Thurber House to unite literary enthusiasts from the university and greater Columbus communities.

Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, said the event is unique to Ohio State.

“We have found that building campus and community networks help retain students beyond their first year of college,” Freeman said. “This event provides an opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to engage with members of the Columbus community and to learn from the phenomenal work of Nikki Giovanni.”

One of the most widely read American poets, Giovanni has written more than two dozen books, including 16 volumes of poetry and three collections of essays. She also has illustrated children’s books and was recently nominated for her third NAACP Image Award for her most recent book, “Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems.”

Tickets are available through The Thurber House at (614)464-1032. Advance ticket prices are $13 for adults and $11 for students and seniors, and $15 and $13 dollars, respectively, at the door.

In addition to Giovanni’s appearance, several other noted lecturers will speak at Ohio State in celebration of United Black World Month.

President and Provost’s Lecture Series
• 2 p.m., Feb. 13, Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, 153 W. 12th Ave.
Frederick Douglass IV, the great-great-grandson of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Lecture – “The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.”

• 10 a.m., Feb. 19, The Ohio Union, Conference Theatre, 1739 N. High St.
Terrance Roberts, psychologist and social worker who helped integrate Central
High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957. Lecture – “The Little Rock Nine.”

First Year Experience Lecture Series
• 7:30 p.m., Feb. 12, McPherson Chemical Lab, Room 1000, 140 W. 18th Ave.
Judith Richardson, Civil Rights Activist; co-Producer of “Eyes on the Prize,” a 14-part series on the American Civil Rights Movement, and “Malcom X: Make it Plain.”