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Nikki Grimes

@poetnikki.bsky.social
3.5K followers 760 following 609 posts

Poet, novelist, general word-nerd, gardener, photographer, foodie, film lover. My favorite people on the planet are children, which is why I write for them. Oh! And I'm a freak for roses, watercolor, and collage. Author of Ordinary Hazards, a memoir.

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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 10h
Riverside Art Museum introduced me to CA Artist Bernard HOYES. Thru the lens of his Afro Caribbean roots, his Rag Series highlights the roles and power of women, focuses on race, the evils of poverty & prejudice, etc. You look at these pieces and think about struggles for freedom— how can you not?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Just jetted cross country round-trip. Flew to Charlotte to change planes on my way to the Chappaqua Children's Book Festival. After landing, got a text: The festival was cancelled! Returned home & arrived safely (thank you Jesus!) after 20 hours of travel. Feel badly for the festival planners. Sigh.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A gift of beautiful blooms! Now the YPPL appointment celebrations can begin!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I don't want to be rich, I just want someone to clean my house, wash my car, do my hair, handle the laundry, pick up my mail, prepare my meals, keep my garden weeded, do my filing, and a few other small tasks. That way, I can have more time to WRITE. I don't think that's asking too much, is it?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Not a bad day. The announcement went out this afternoon: The Poetry Foundation chose moi as the next Young People's Poet Laureate! That's reason enough to smile, don't you think?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
In Ghana, some artists are commissioned to design and create unusual coffins for individuals who wish to be buried in coffins that speak to who they were/what they loved to do in life. Santa Fe's Museum Hill has an exhibition of such coffins. Would you order such a thing? What do you think?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
March 2nd. That's how long I've been sitting on something. Doing the final countdown. It's less than two weeks away. Can hardly contain myself! It's good, ya'll.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Philly. There's so much about this city that I like, especially the public art. Philly truly has its own vibe.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
There are lots of reasons to go to Philly. This is my latest.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
106 degrees. At this point, does it really matter that it's dry heat???
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Kinda happy about my email, this morning!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
So many connections for me here. Coretta Scott King Awards 2006: Jaime Adoff, son of my friend Virginia Hamilton; Julius Lester, who encouraged a wet-nosed poet of 17 years old, with dreams of becoming an author. Grateful to share the stage with, and have a chance to publicly thank him. A good day.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
My car is in shock. I cleaned it! Ah, the power of shame! Happy Saturday, folks!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
California Morning. Went for an early walk. Sometimes it's easy to follow the doctor's orders!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Been gone awhile. Have made good use of the time, though. Most recently at a necessary Boyds Mills Black Women Writers retreat. A time to connect, be ourselves, let our guards down, and talk as much or as little shop as we chose. Ahhh! Refreshing.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
My Monday Meditation. Making art is one of my favorite ways to self-soothe. Yours?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Partial shoe print. Who’s Been walking across the sky This morning? And why? — proof that I’ve been binge-watching too many episodes of “Castle!”
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Despite every challenge intent on bringing you down, you've made it to the end of one more week. Now, breathe! Revel in whatever moments of beauty & joy gave you the fuel you needed to make it this far. God has not brought you this far to leave you. This, alone, is reason to be grateful. Breathe.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
It never hurts to have a friend like Stacy Wells who shares your book, A Cup of Quiet, with young readers at the Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve in Southlake, Texas, then takes them on a hike for an exercise in listening for the quiet sounds of nature. I mean! Come on! How cool is that?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
This time, it's That Librarian Amanda Jones sending a pic from the Obama Presidential Center Library of something significant to me. I could get used to this!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
SLJ Star!!! ⭐️⭐️ "Renowned author Nikki Grimes and debut picture book writer Stacy Wells (Choctaw) lend their resonant voices to award-winning artist E. B. Lewis’s (Lenni Lenape) rich watercolors in this story of a Black Choctaw boy who finds strength in the example and history of his ancestors..."
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Yes, it's me X three! I'm being my usual overachieving self, appearing on three panels. It's my first time at the Columbus Book Festival, so I wanted to make the most of it! Hope to see you there. (You've got three chances to say yes!)
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I've got banned books, health issues, an old house that keeps its hands in my pocket, & am still reeling from the loss of a friend. But I'm giddy! 7 of my books (these four included) are in the Obama Presidential Center Library!Thanks Edith Campbell for giving me the heads up. Grinning like crazy!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
I haven't made my way there yet, but one of my books certainly has! Guess what gift shop this is in, on full display, no less?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
It's hard trying to teach something I basically breathe. Spent hours writing prompts re: imagery, and it hurt my brain. Mentor texts? Easy. Devising steps to create something similar? The effort kicked my butt! Teaching is its own gift, my friends. I have so much respect for those who do it well.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Signing a new book contract always causes my heart to go pitter patter, especially when it took so long to get here. So, Yay! This even somewhat diminishes the FOMO I’ve been feeling about missing out on ALA this year– if only a little. So, I’ll take it! Have a great day because I certainly am.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
It's been awhile. Time to visit another presidential museum. Hmm. Which one might that be?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I woke to some lovely news today: Twice Blessed was nomnationed for the L.A. Times Book Prize! The finalists will be announced in February, and the winners in each category will be revealed at the next L.A. Times Book Festival in April! It's a long time to be in suspense, but I'll manage it.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Great thing about deep dives into your area of expertise is discovering what's left to learn! A current project is having that result, & it's exhilarating.The more you know, the more you realize how little you know, which keeps you going, growing, and humble. That, my friends, is a very good thing.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
I missed my babies!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Three days without a chocolate croissant. Feeling bereft.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Rhode Island's summer reading kickoff is almost here! Honored to have A Cup of Quiet selected as this year's picture book by RI's Center for the Book. Having my award-winning good friend and cheerleader-in-chief Padma Venkatrama on hand won't hurt, either! Hoping to see old friends & new fans, too.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
aviwriter.substack.com/p/summer-blo...
aviwriter.substack.com
Summer Blog Series 2026: Nikki Grimes
From Nikki Grimes: When it comes to telling our own stories, it's crucial that we learn to tell them in our own way ...
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
@manonatelier.blacksky.app you will, no doubt, appreciate the details! I could look at this for a long, long time without getting bored. I probably shot a dozen photos of this unique piece of art-chitecture. (You see what I did there.)
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Aside from seeing the sights, E.B. and I were hosted by the American Library of Paris for an evening event. Librarian Celeste Rhodes invited us back whenever we're in Paris. We plan to take her up on that!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Bonjour! Just back from Paris where I visited the amazing flagship store of Louis Vuitton, drooled over the partially restored Notre Dam, and stood beneath the Eiffel Tower, and so much more! Today is the first time in a week that my breakfast did not include chocolate croissants. Feeling bereft.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Creating poetry prompts, working on ways to help students discover the music of words & how to make their writing sing. To make the process user-friendly, the poet/teacher has to do complex work to build a foundation. But it's worth it. Poetry teaches our young to love language, and that's the goal.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Copy edits for a new book! Yay! and boo! As a poet, I’m not fond of commas. I find them annoying. They have their place, but most poets can live without them. The minute I see that first copyedit about commas, I flinch. Inside I’m thinking “I’m creating art here! Leave me alone!” Am I the only one?
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Do you have Gmail? Note: Google’s AI (Gemini) can read and analyze your Gmail content—including messages and attachments—to provide features like summaries, smart replies, and to-do lists, often enabled by default. IMPORTANT: you can opt out of these features in settings. Don't put this off!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I'm partial to the Psalms, no surprise. They're poetry! Have you ever read a story built on the architecture of a Psalm's exact words? The Watcher is a Golden Shovel story spun from the words of Psalm 121, about a bully, the boy she torments, and the unexpected friendship that transforms them both.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Closing out a week of library-love with a poem from my novel Jazmin's Notebook (I'll always find a way to work a poem or two, or ten, into a work of prose!) #nationallibraryweek #nationalpoetrymonth
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
No one protects our freedom to read like our librarians! They show us the way. Here's a poem from This is Not a Small Voice, an anthology by Traci N. Todd. #nationallibraryweek
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
I love me some libraries! The library was always my sanctuary, my safe space, my second home. Today, the library is sanctuary to the books I write, the stories I tell! Ever and always, my safe space. This is from Jumping Off Library Shelves, an anthology by Lee Bennett Hopkins. #nationallibraryweek
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Co-author Stacy Wells and I had a great time on the Children's Stage at the LA Times Festival of Books sharing Stronger Than. We met kindred spirits like Danielle (at the Harper's booth) a lovely member of the Yakama Nation in Washington! Before heading home, Stacy joined me for church. Good times!
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
LA Times Festival of Books, here we come! Looking forward to sharing Stronger Than on the Children's Stage tomorrow, followed by a book signing. Drop by for a Hello and photo or two! And don't forget to pick up a signed copy, while you're at it. Stacy and I would love to see you.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Happy Book Birthday to me! Love sending another Dyamonde Daniel story out into the world.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
I wish this weren't still relevant.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Coming in six more days! The colors are popping, and so is the story. Dyamonde Daniel is forced to confront an old fear. It's simple, though traumatic. She had a bad accident on her bicycle and is now afraid to ride one. How will she be able to overcome it? Getting to the other side is a wild ride.
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Nikki Grimes @poetnikki.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Last bloom for awhile. Finally pruned my roses. Guess the honeymoon is over as I didn’t worn them or make nice, or whisper "this hurts me more than it hurts you." I just marched into the garden, blade in hand and started whacking. Soon there'll be new buds & the roses will speak to me again—I hope!
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