RITA DOVE

BIOGRAPHY

• Born August 8,1952 in Akron, Ohio
• Daughter of first black chemist in tire industry
• Greatly encouraged by her parents
• Top 100 high school graduates in country
• Attended Miami university

BIOGRAPHY (CONTINUED)

• Fullbright scholarship to Tübingen germany
• Met husband Fred Viebahn
• Had a daughter Aviva Chantal Dove

POETRY DEBUT

• The yellow house on the corner(1980)
• Thomas and beulah
• Sonata mulattica
• American smooth

POEM STYLE

• Known for lyricism & beauty
• Sense of history & political scope
• Writes about other art forms
• Dance & poetry have a connection to dove
• produced fiction books, a play, & lyrics

AWARDS

• Around 50 different awards won
• National humanities medal(1996)
• Medal of arts (2011)
• Only poet to receive both

CAREER

• U.S. Poet Laureate
• Consultant to library of congress(1993-95)
• Taught creative writing at Arizona University (1981-89)
• Currently~Chair of Commonwealth professor of english

HEART TO HEART

"I believe 5 year olds can get something from a Shakespearean Sonnet...as long as you DON'T tell them, 'This is really hard'."

"Being true to yourself really means being true to all of the complexities of the human spirit"

SOURCES

• poetryarchive.org
• poetryfoundation.org
• poets.org
• people.virginia.edu