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Nikki Grimes was born in Harlem, New York on October 20, 1950 to Parents, Bernice and James Grimes.
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She first started to write poetry in her foster home at the age of six.
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She went into foster care at 5.5 years old. She was in foster care until age 10 when she moved back in with her birth mother and her husband.
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She gave her first poetry reading, at the Countee Cullen Library when she was 13 years old.
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At age 15.5, her father passed away.
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She graduated Rutgers University with a BA in English and African languages in 1974.
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She published her first book, Growin', in 1977.
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In New York, during the 1970s, Nikki co-produced and hosted The Kid's Show on WBAI FM.
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Her book, Bronx Masquerade, was named the Coretta Scott King Award book in 2002.
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Nikki Grimes earns the Golden Dolphin Award by the Southern California Children's Book Association in 2005.
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She published her memoir, Ordinary Hazards, in 2019
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Today, Nikki Grimes lives in Corona, CA.