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Questions and Answers with Nikki Grimes
We asked 2005 Young People's Poetry Poet Nikki Grimes to answer a few questions about her life and work. Please share feel free to print this page to share with your students.
Born and raised in New York City, Nikki Grimes began composing verse at the age of six. A prolific artist, she is the author of many award-winning books for children and young adults, including one Coretta Scott King Author Award Book, as well as several Coretta Scott King Honor Books and ALA Notable Books. In addition to her work for children, Ms. Grimes has written articles for such magazines as Essence, Today's Christian Woman, and Book Links. She currently lives in Corona, California. Her poem I Am Poetry is featured on the 2005 Young People's Poetry Week bookmark, which is available for purchase from the CBC Catalog.
Q: Who is your favorite poet and why?
A: There are so many awesome poets to choose from, but one of my favorites is Lucille Clifton. Her voice is distinctive. Her poems are both accessible and spare while at the same time, her metaphors manage to be voluptuous and sensual.
Q: How old were you when you started to write poetry, and what was the subject matter of the first poem you ever wrote?
A: I started writing when I was six and, since that was 48 years ago (yikes!) I honestly don't remember what the poem was about.
Q: What was your favorite book as a child?
A: I didn't have a favorite. I grew up in and out of foster homes and never owned a collection of books or had an opportunity to read a book over and over again. My reading was strictly school and public library related. I'd deveour one set of books, return them, borrow five more and devour those. And I read broadly:Nancy Drew, folktales, historical fiction, myths and legends, novels, biographies--you name it. My favorite book was the one I hadn't yet read!
Q: Do you have illustrations in mind when you write a poem, or do you simply write the poems and then see what happens when an illustrator tackles them?
A: I never think about illustrators when I write, because I don't write in order to be illustrated. I live in a world of words where I challenge myself to tell a story or paint a picture in as few words as possible. I am my own artist, and my medium is the word. When an illustrator comes to my poem, he adds his own subtext, to be sure, but the poem lives on the page, in full color, without illustration. In fact, if it can't then I haven't done my job as a poet!
Q: Why do you enjoy writing poetry?
A: As I've said elsewhere, language is powerful, and poetry is a distillation of that power. I love that poetry has the power of slipping past the intellect and going straight for the heart! That, I think, is reason enough.
I love the challenge of painting a picture or telling a story in as few words as possible. I relish the task of creating original metaphors, of creating a marriage between the sensual and the ordinary. I love to reimagine the world around me, and poetry allows me to do that.
Q: Which of your books are you most proud of, and why?
A: I don't think I can choose a single book, but I will highlight two. I'm particularly pleased with What is Goodbye?, my collection of poems on grief because I know it fills a need, and I accomplished everything that I set out to in writing that book, which is rarer than you know!
I'm also happy with Bronx Masquerade because it was a book that frightened me. I wasn't sure I could pull it off, and that made the end result especially sweet. Differentiating the voices was a challenge, organizing the book was a challenge, creating poetry in the voices of such a large cast of characters was a challenge. Nothing about this book was easy. Then, to top it all off, readers are finding themselves in its pages, and that's the most rewarding aspect of all. Not only that they love reading the book, but that it is making them think, and rethink,some critical issues in their own lives, such as the wisdom of having babies in their teen years. I couldn't ask for more.
Q: What advice would you give to a young person who wants to be a poet?
A: For one year, steer clear of rhyme. Rhyme, when done well, is wonderful. But metaphor and image are what poetry is all bout. Focus on that for a whle. Hone your skills in that area.
Read. Read broadly. Read oeds, haiku, sonnets, tankas, free verse, mask poems, etc. Read and study all forms of poetry. Each form has something to teach you. The quality of your poetry will reflect the quality and depth of your reading.
Lastly, experiment. Writing is a muscle that must be exercised. If you want to be good, you'll have to work at it. So, write, write, write! •