My collaboration with Nikki Giovanni has been incredible. I had never met her until this project. I had, of course, known who she was and what she did and her poetry and wonderful writing, but I never thought I would work with her, and then this project came along. But when we met, it’s just been so dynamic — because what I do is I watch her tell the story — her version of, and her friendship of, Mrs. Parks. And it just moves me to tears half the time, with the way she sort of tells the truth on what’s happening on that particular day — that moment. She brings it full circle every, single time. And her honesty and her lyrical quality of storytelling is just so amazing And to know that we collaborated on this particular text, and she enjoys and approves of what I’ve done with her words — it pleases me also, you know.
But she’s a dynamic person in many, many ways. And just beyond her words, her inflection on how she tells stories — that’s what I’m listening to. I’m listening in between the words, and I’m taking from that space just before she starts and then just after she finishes.
