Poet, professor, lecturer, and essayist, Nikki Giovanni has never shied away from tackling tough issues in her poetry. In the 1960s, she was one of the most outspoken voices of the Black Rights movement, much of her work dealing with the political and social struggles of African Americans in a white-dominated culture. Other work by Giovanni focuses on family and relationships. She has also written several books for children. About poetry, Giovanni has commented: "But poetry responds to something. You know, nobody ever got up at a funeral and quoted some novel. Because it doesn't offer comfort. People quote poetry. Nobody ever got married reading the latest rap record. They turn to poetry. So poetry has its place. It offers comfort, it's celebratory and joyful." Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People, and Grand Fathers: Reminiscences, Poems, Recipes and Photos of the Keepers of Our Traditions are just two of many titles by Nikki Giovanni.

Born on July 19, 1916, in Pennsylvania, Eve Merriam pursued her education at four different universities. She lived her adult life in New York City. In the 1940s, she was a copywriter and a writer for radio. Later, she began teaching and lecturing. Merriam published her first book, Family Circle, in 1946. Although poetry was always Merriam's first love, she is also a well-known playwright and fiction writer. Eve Merriam died in 1992.