Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Ego Tripping” is one of the most famous of her works. Scholar Howard Rambsy II describes the importance of the poem to the Black community thus: “The poem was produced in the context of the Black Arts Movement, and as a result it contains hall-marks of the movement, such a celebrations of Africa and Black history and affirmations of Black pride and self determination.”

“Ego Tripping,” is an exercise in self-confidence and self-definition. Write a poem that trumpets your strengths, claims all of your amazing, and celebrates your unique and inimitable self.

Read more in this issue: Interview | Critical Review | Poems