A poet. An author. An educator. Those were just some of the words used to describe Nikki Giovanni, by her colleagues, friends, and those who loved her on social media. Giovanni was in her third battle with cancer,

Pender was one of the many people on Virginia Tech’s campus mourning the loss of Nikki Giovanni. She died Monday at the age of 81, after battling cancer. Pender got to know Giovanni not just as a literary star, but as a person.

Giovanni, subject of the prize-winning 2023 documentary “Going to Mars,” died Monday with her life-long partner, Virginia (Ginney) Fowler, by her side, according to a statement from friend and