Awards
Sources:[38][39][40]

Keys to more than two dozen American cities, including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and New Orleans
State Historical markers in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Lincoln Heights, Ohio
Seven NAACP Image Awards:
Love Poems (1998)
Blues: For All the Changes (1999)
Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (2003)
Acolytes (2008)
Hip Hop Speaks to Children (2009)
100 Best African American Poems (2011)
Bicycles (2010)
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1968)
Harlem Cultural Council (1969)
Woman of the Year, Ebony Magazine (1970)
Woman of the Year, Mademoiselle Magazine (1971)
Woman of the Year, Ladies Home Journal (1972)
National Association of Radio and Television Announcers Award for Best Spoken Word Album, for Truth Is on Its Way (1972)
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1968)
Harlem Cultural Council (1969)
National Association of Radio and Television Announcers Award for Best Spoken Word Album, for Truth Is on Its Way (1972)
National Association of Radio and Television Announcers Award for Best Spoken Word Album
National Book Award Nomination for Gemini (1973)
Life Membership & Scroll, The National Council of Negro Women (1973)
Woman of the Year, Cincinnati YWCA (1983)
The Ohio Women's Hall of Fame (1985)
Outstanding Woman of Tennessee (1985)
Duncanson Artist in Residence, The Taft Museum (1986)
The Post-Corbett Award (1986)
The Post-Corbett Award (1986)
The Children's Reading Roundtable of Chicago Award for Vacation Time (1988)
The Ohioana Library Award for Sacred Cows (1988)
The Children's Reading Roundtable of Chicago Award for Vacation Time (1988)
The Ohioana Library Award for Sacred Cows (1988)
The Cecil H. and Ida Green Honors Chair, Texas Christian University (1991)
The Hill Visiting Professor, University of Minnesota (1993)
Tennessee Writer's Award, The Nashville Banner (1994)
The Tennessee Governor's Award in the Humanities (1996)
The Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters (1996)
Parents' Choice Award for The Sun Is So Quiet (1996)
Artist-in-Residence. The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts (1996)
Contributor's Arts Award, The Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing (1996)
Living Legacy Award, Juneteenth Festival of Columbus, Ohio (1998)
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Johnson & Wales University (1998)
The Appalachian Medallion Award (1998)
Cincinnati Bi-Centennial Honoree (1998)
The Tennessee Governor's Award in the Arts (1998)
National Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent, the Gwendolyn Brooks Center of Chicago State University (1998)
Inducted into The Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent (1999)
United States Senate Certificate of Commendation (2000)
2000 Council of Ideas, The Gihon Foundation (2000)
Virginia Governor's Award for the Arts (2000)
The Rosa Parks Women of Courage Award, first recipient (2001 and again in 2002)
The SHero Award for Lifetime Achievement (2002)
American Library Association's Black Caucus Award for Non-fiction for (2003)
Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Delta of Tennessee chapter, Fisk University (2003)
Named a History Maker (2003)
The East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame Award (2004)
Finalist, Best Spoken Word Grammy (2004)
A species of bat named in her honor (Micronycteris giovanniae) (2004)
Named one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 Living Legends (2005)
Poet-In-Residence, Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Award (2005)
Child Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year (2005)
John Henry "Pop" Lloyd Humanitarian Award (2005)
ALC Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (Honorary Member) (2006)
Caldecott Honor Book Award (2006)
Carl Sandburg Literary Award (2007)
The National Council of Negro Women Appreciation Award (2007)
The Legacy Award, National Alumni Council United Negro College Fund (2007)
Legends and Legacies Award (2007)
Women of Power Legacy Award (2008)
National Parenting Publications Gold Award (2008)
Sankofa Freedom Award (2008)
American Book Award honoring outstanding literary achievement from the diverse spectrum of the American literary community (2008)
Literary Excellence Award (2008)
Excellence in Leadership Award from Dominion Power (2008)
Ann Fralin Award (2009)
Moonbeam Children's Book Award (2009)
Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Dedication and Commitment to Service (2009)
Art Sanctuary's Lifetime Achievement Award (2010)
Presidential Medal of Honor, Dillard University (2010)
Affrilachian Award (2011)
Library of Virginia's Literary Lifetime Achievement Award (2016)
Maya Angelou Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)[41]