“I used to watch / my mother cook,” she writes, “she would invariably sigh / a little sigh then light / a cigarette // since no one smokes / anymore Beans / have not tasted as good // I have her sigh / and stack of spices. At its center is the notion of family - Giovanni’s parents, her aunts, her son - an ideal of domesticity. “Chasing Utopia” is intimate, personal, what we might call a commonplace book, blending memories, reflections, even recipes. The poet reads 'My Dream' and discusses her relationship to. 'Chasing Utopia' has well established commentary of not only her life, but also the world at large. 'Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid' has a mixture of short 1-3 page snippets of Nikki's life, as well as more of her much loved poetry. From one of America's most celebrated poets, Nikki Giovanni, comes this poignant collection of. At the same time, she is doing something different here, mixing prose and poetry to create what she calls “A Hybrid,” a collection that blurs the lines of content and form. Nikki Giovanni's new book 'Chasing Utopia' is a compilation of poetry and prose. Once again, Nikki Giovanni does not disappoint. Chasing Utopia by Nikki Giovanni available in Hardcover on, also read synopsis and reviews. That’s a pretty good description of what Giovanni is up to in this book, which is marked by her signature blend of toughness and accessibility, engagement in the private and the public sphere. Even familiar, or perhaps especially familiar, poems bring the excitement of first nighters, first encounters, first love … when viewed and reviewed.” “We go from point to point discovering a new horizon, a shift of light or laughter, an exhilaration of newness that we had missed before. Giovanni’s writing brings together radical politics, intimate relationships, and family dynamics. “A poem is not so much read as navigated,” Nikki Giovanni writes in “Chasing Utopia” (Morrow: 144 pp., $19.99).