Nikki Giovanni honored with the Frost Medal for Lifetime Achievement.

Giovanni was nominated before her passing in December 2024.

Nikki Giovanni received the Frost Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Society of America on Feb. 26, two months after her passing. The organization nominated her for the honor in fall 2024, just before her death in December.

The Poetry Society of America stated, “Nikki Giovanni was a towering and influential figure in American literature and culture, authoring over thirty books of poetry, essays, and children’s writing. Through her sharp insight and profound intelligence, Giovanni’s works captured the nation’s highest ideals—where everyone is valued and free to be themselves and love whom they choose.”

Giovanni, a poet, activist, and educator who taught for 35 years at Virginia Tech, graduated from Fisk University in Nashville. With over 30 books published during her remarkable career, she is a fitting recipient of this esteemed lifetime achievement award.

The Poetry Society of America added, “Rising from the passionate Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, Giovanni’s bold poetry voiced the frustrations of African Americans, while also offering imagery and verses that encouraged self-love. Her witty and deeply thoughtful poems highlighted the profound love and connections that are the foundation of our strength and survival.”

The organization praised Giovanni’s art for its empowering nature, noting her dedication to encouraging the nation’s youth to write about their lived experiences.

First awarded in 1930, the Frost Medal has been given to legendary figures in poetry, including Wallace Stevens, Marianne Moore, Gwendolyn Brooks, Allen Ginsberg, and Adrienne Rich. The PSA’s Board of Governors presents the medal annually.