Nikki Grimes is an accomplished and widely anthologized poet of both children's and adult verse. Born on October 20th and raised in New York City, she is also an author, lecturer, and educator.
She began composing verse at the age of six and has been writing ever since. Nikki Grimes was the first speaker at CLN's first conference. Throughout her career, Grimes has been known for her strong African American voice as well as her themes of friendship, family, and community relationships. While her interests range from music and the theatre to photography and handicrafts, Grimes calls writing her first love and poetry her greatest pleasure. "Poetry is a literature of brush strokes," she says. "It is the art of saying a lot with a little."
Several of her books have been cited as Notable Books by the American Library Association; several have received Coretta Scott King honors. In 2003, Bronx Masquerade received a Coretta Scott King Author Award and Talkin' About Bessie received the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and Author Honor. Her other titles include Meet Danitra Brown, My Man Blue, and When Daddy Prays. Her newest books are The Road to Paris and When Gorilla Goes Walking. Nikki lives and writes in southern California.
