One of the most popular living poets in America is coming to give a lecture at Emory next week. And if its anything like when she teaches a class at Virginia Tech, it should be entertaining and enlightening.

An Emory press release gives the details…

Activist, poet, author and educator Nikki Giovanni will present a lecture on issues plaguing the African American community and read her own selected poetry at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6. The event, scheduled in Tull Auditorium at Emory Law School, 1301 Clifton Rd., is part of the Black Student Caucus Heritage Week activities at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. The event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a book signing.

You run into a lot of Giovanni’s poetry when searching the far reaches of the earth for wedding poetry, which is surprisingly difficult to find. Her work is often joyful, but never naive. Most poetry is a tad too bitter for a wedding ceremony, but Giovanni has the uncanny ability to write any observation with a smile in her tone.

The other place you may have seen Giovanni lately is after the VA Tech massacre. Giovanni helped that campus heal in the days after the tragic event, imparting firsthand knowledge about the killer to a nation and forcing the university to look forward.

Poets can do it all.