Nikky Finney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nikky Finney
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Finney in 2012
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| Born | Lynn Carol Finney August 26, 1957 Conway, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Poet and academic |
| Education | Atlanta University |
| Alma mater | Talladega College; |
| Notable awards | PEN Open Book Award National Book Award for Poetry |
| Parents | Ernest A. Finney, Jr. and Frances Davenport Finney |
Nikky Finney (born Lynn Carol Finney on August 26, 1957) is an American poet and professor. She taught English at the University of Kentucky for twenty years. In 2013, she became a special professor at the University of South Carolina. Nikky Finney is a graduate of Talladega College. She has written four books of poetry and a collection of short stories. Finney is known for supporting social justice and protecting culture. She won the 2011 National Book Award for her poetry book Head Off & Split.
Contents
About Nikky Finney
Early Life and Family
Nikky Finney was one of three children. She is the only daughter of Ernest A. Finney, Jr. and Frances Davenport Finney. Her father was a civil rights attorney and later became the Chief Justice of South Carolina. Her mother was an elementary school teacher.
In 1961, her father helped the Friendship 9. These were Black junior college students who were arrested for trying to end segregation at a lunch counter. In 1994, her father became the first African-American Chief Justice of South Carolina since the Reconstruction period. Both of Finney's brothers are also lawyers in South Carolina.
Finney's parents grew up on family farms. Her father's family farm was in Virginia, and her mother's was in Newberry, SC. Because of this, the connection between African Americans and the land is a common theme in Finney's writing.
Education and Early Influences
Nikky Finney first went to Catholic grade school. Then she attended public schools in South Carolina during the time of integration. Her grandmother, Beulah Lenorah Butler Davenport, and the nearby South Carolina sea were very important to her.
As a child, she loved to read books and write poetry. She got the nickname "Nikky" because of the famous poet Nikki Giovanni. Giovanni later became a friend and mentor to Finney. After graduating from Sumter High School in 1975, Finney went to Talladega College. This is a historically Black college in Alabama. There, she was guided by poet Dr. Gloria Wade Gayles.
After college, Finney started her career as a photographer in 1979. She wanted to show the important contributions of African Americans to art and culture. She also continued to teach herself poetry and art.
Finney later studied at Atlanta University. She worked in the African-American Studies department. In Atlanta, she joined a writing group called the Pamoja Writing Collective. This group was led by Toni Cade Bambara. Finney also studied the poetry and art of the Black Arts Movement. She decided to focus on creative work instead of just academic studies. She returned to Talladega to work as a photographer.
In 1985, Finney traveled to Nairobi, Kenya. She covered a big United Nations conference for the National Black Women's Health Project.
Nikky Finney's Career
Finney finished her first book of poems, On Wings Made of Gauze, in Atlanta. The famous poet Nikki Giovanni helped her get the book published. It was released in 1985 by William Morrow.
After her first book, Finney moved to the Bay Area. She continued to write poetry and support important causes. In 1989, she became a visiting writer at the University of Kentucky. She joined the permanent teaching staff there in 1993.
Her second poetry book, Rice, was published in 1995. In 1997, Rice won a PEN Open Book Award. This book helped her gain many followers. Her story collection Heartwood was published in 1998. It was written for students learning to read.
In 1999, Finney took a break from the University of Kentucky. She taught at Berea College, which was the first college in the South to welcome both Black and white students. After returning to the University of Kentucky, her third poetry book, The World is Round, came out in 2003. In 2005, she became a Full Professor. She also led the African American Studies and Research Program at the university. From 2007 to 2009, she was a writer-in-residence at Smith College.
Finney also edited a book called The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South. This book was published in 2007. It featured the work of one hundred African-American poets from the South or who wrote about Southern topics.
Her fourth book of poems, Head Off & Split, was published in 2011. On November 16, 2011, Head Off & Split won the National Book Award for Poetry. Her acceptance speech at the awards ceremony was very powerful. It talked about race, reading, and writing. The host, John Lithgow, called it "the best acceptance speech for anything that I've ever heard in my life."
Head Off & Split was chosen as the first-year book for students at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2015–16. This allowed students and teachers to discuss important topics using the same book. Finney also wrote a new poem for the campus called "The Battle of and for the Black Face Boy." She also contributed to the 2019 book New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.
Nikky Finney is a founder of the Affrilachian Poets. This is a group of writers based in Lexington, Kentucky. She also helps guide younger poets through her work with the Cave Canem Foundation.
Awards and Honors
- 1999: Kentucky Arts Council, Al Smith Fellowship
- 1999: PEN/Beyond Margins Award, for Rice
- 2002: Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent
- 2002: Honorary Doctorate of Humanities, Claflin University
- 2004: Benjamin Franklin Awards, First Place for Poetry, for The World Is Round
- 2011: National Book Award for Poetry, for Head Off & Split
- 2013: Induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors
Works
- On Wings Made of Gauze, W. Morrow, 1985, ISBN: 978-0-688-04796-2
- Rice, Sister Vision, 1995, ISBN: 978-0-920813-21-8
- The World is Round, InnerLight Pub., 2003, ISBN: 978-0-9714890-4-2
- Head Off & Split: Poems, Northwestern University Press, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-8101-5216-8
- Lovechild’s Hot Bed of Occasional Poetry: Poems and Artifacts, Northwestern University Press, 2020, ISBN: 978-0-8101-4201-5
As editor
- The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, University of Georgia Press, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-8203-2921-0
See also
In Spanish: Nikky Finney para niños
