Well, it turns out it's Utopias, which is actually a beer by Sam Adams. And so it was like, OK, if you're going to drink a beer, then you ought to drink the number one beer in the world. And so I said to myself, well, I'm missing mommy, why don't I have a beer? But I really - I hate to say it, Michel, I just don't like beer.

And mommy, every day - we knew that mommy was dying when she said no she didn't want a beer because every day of her life, she drank a beer. And I finally said, you know, Nikki, you have to get out of this. And so it's been a while, but, you know, losing your mother, even though it's the right order of things, is sad. NIKKI GIOVANNI: Well, it really is that my mom died now in 2005. I spoke with her when the book was first published last year, and she began by telling me how she chose the title 'Chasing Utopia.' Her latest 'Chasing Utopia' is a combination of essays and poetry. Nikki Giovanni is the university distinguished professor of English at Virginia Tech. She's known for her accessible and beautiful writing about home, family, friends and even food. She's one of the best-known and most celebrated poets of our time. But we start today with the award-winning writer Nikki Giovanni. And we'll hear again from Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who survived an attempt on her life by the Taliban. Later in the program, we'll hear from Elizabeth Smart, the young woman from Utah who was kidnapped from her own home as a teenager and held captive for nine months until she was rescued. Today, we decided to hear, again, from three remarkable and inspiring women. With the new year, we often find it helpful to reflect on the past to help us think about the future.

Chasing Utopia by Nikki Giovanni