Rita Dove

Rita Frances Dove (born August 28, 1952 in Akron, Ohio, USA) is a United States poet and author. She served as Poet Laureate of the United States and Consultant to the Library of Congress from 1993 to 1995.

Related Topics:
August 28 - 1952 - Akron, Ohio - United States - Poet - Author - Poet Laureate - Library of Congress - 1993 - 1995

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She received her undergraduate degree in English in 1973 from Miami University of Ohio and spent two semesters as a Fulbright Scholar at the Universität Tübingen in Germany. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1977.

Related Topics:
1973 - Miami University - Ohio - Fulbright Scholar - Tübingen - Germany - University of Iowa - 1977

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Her most famous work is Thomas and Beulah published by Carnegie Mellon University Press in 1986, a collection of poems based on the lives of her grandparents, for which she received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1987.

Related Topics:
Carnegie Mellon University - 1986 - Pulitzer Prize for Poetry - 1987

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She taught creative writing at Arizona State University from 1981 to 1989 and now holds the chair as Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

Related Topics:
Arizona State University - 1981 - 1989 - University of Virginia

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Rita Dove writes many poems about African Americans, but also focuses on other subjects of a more universal nature. As Rita Dove says (not verbatim, possibly even misattributed, please fix if you find the real quote) "I write about human nature to show that we are not just blacks, but also human beings as well."

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