Rita Dove
Rita Dove
Rita Frances Doveis an American poet and author. From 1993 to 1995 she served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. She is the first African-American to have been appointed since the position was created by an act of Congress in 1986 from the previous "consultant in poetry" position. Dove also received an appointment as "special consultant in poetry" for the Library of Congress's bicentennial year from 1999 to 2000. Dove is the second African American...
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth28 August 1952
CityAkron, OH
I carry a notebook with me everywhere. But that's only the first step.
In working on a poem, I love to revise. Lots of younger poets don't enjoy this, but in the process of revision I discover things
What is ironic is that Allen Ginsberg's importance was in its twilight for so many years that it took his death to bring it to the front page. He electrified an entire world!
There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest is how I want to promote poetry
For many years, I thought a poem was a whisper overheard, not an aria heard.
If you can't be free, be a mystery.
I see a resurgence of interest in poetry. I am less optimistic about the prospects for the arts when it comes to federal funding.
I write short stories, and I wrote a play.
I thought, after the Pulitzer, at least nothing will surprise me quite that much in my life. And another one happened. It was quite amazing.
It's the combination of the intimate and the public that I find so exciting about being poet laureate.
It's unfortunate that sometimes in schools, there's this need to have things quantified and graded.
I think reading Shakespeare's plays when I was young was extremely important. He had the ability to make utter strangers come alive.
To practice your scales, so to speak, in order play the symphony, is what you have to do as a young poet.
Have you ever heard a good joke? If you've ever heard someone just right, with the right pacing, then you're already on the way to poetry. It's about using words in very precise ways and using gesture.