Nikki Giovanni’s work burst onto the scene in the 1960s already fully formed—it was concerned, as much of the Black Arts poetry of the day was, with injustice and liberation, but also exhibited her homegrown humor and a Southern sensibility.

Let me even offer one practical place to start. In honor of the late Brian Thompson’s life, and in the hope that no leader ever meets such an awful fate again, let us immediately pass universal, publicly provided healthcare once and for all. open.substack.com/pub/anandwri...