The Harlem Renaissance, a period and a place of concentrated creative expression among African-Americans that was centered in the area of New York City known as Harlem between 1917 and 1935, was not wholly contained by either time or space. That is the first thing Nikki Giovanni wants young readers of Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy Like My Sister Kate to know. In a unique exploration of African-American poetry of the late 19th century through today, Giovanni shares her excitment and passion for the vision and the voice of 23 poets who wrote before, during and after the Harlem Renaissance about their people's lives and dreams. The result is a collection that is as much about culture as poetry, as much about survival as celebration. Giovanni's energizing narrative is her reader- response to the poems and poets she presents; a gift of insight and ideas that will invite young readers to explore these and other poems further, to find their own truth that resonates in the words. Winner, 1996 CCBC Coretta Scott King Award Discussion: Author (Age 12 and older)

In the 1920s, African-American poets living in Harlem used words to make a revolution. Their groundbreaking poetry not only reshaped American literature but redefined what it meant to be African American. This book is both an anthology of some of the best writing of our time and a witty guide that shows readers the beauties and the truths of those who were born in those splendid Harlem days.